# Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders

Honey BBQ chicken tenders build their shell with a double dredge — seasoned dry mix, a thin sparkling-water batter, back into the dry, once more into the wet — then air-fry on greased parchment at 200 °C / 400 °F for 15 minutes. Meanwhile the glaze comes together in a pan: ketchup, brown sugar and honey melted gently, sharpened with cider vinegar, Worcestershire and sriracha, and finished with three tablespoons of cold butter pressed in as it melts for a rich gloss. The hot tenders go straight into the sauce. Serves 3.

- **Prep:** 20 min · **Cook:** 15 min · **Total:** 35 min
- **Servings:** 3
- **Difficulty:** Easy
- **Cuisine:** American
- **Category:** Air Fryer, Main Courses
- **Video:** [Stop Grilling Chicken! 6 Crispy Air Fryer Recipes That Beat Any BBQ!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vhZb6GbQs)
- **Recipe page:** https://webspoon.world/recipes/honey-bbq-chicken-tenders/

## Ingredients

### Dry coating mix

- 1 cup wheat flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried onion
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder

### Batter

- 1 cup sparkling water or club soda (approx. — whisked with a few spoonfuls of the dry mix to a thin, pancake-like batter; the fizz is the secret to a lighter shell)

### Chicken

- chicken breast (cut into tenders)

### Honey BBQ glaze

- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)
- 3 tbsp cold butter

## Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, dried onion, salt and baking powder — this is the dry coating mix.
2. Pour the sparkling water into a second bowl and whisk in a few spoonfuls of the dry mix until you have a thin, pancake-like batter.
3. Dredge each tender: dry mix, then batter, back into the dry, once more into the wet. The layered breading is the crunch.
4. Air-fry on a greased sheet of parchment at 200 °C / 400 °F for 15 minutes until golden (oven: 20–25 minutes, flipping once halfway). _(timer: 15 min)_
5. Meanwhile, warm the ketchup, brown sugar and honey gently in a pan, stirring until they melt together.
6. Add the cider vinegar, Worcestershire and sriracha; keep stirring into a smooth, glossy glaze.
7. Add the cold butter all at once and press it gently as it melts — the slow blending gives the sauce its rich, glossy finish.
8. Toss the hot tenders straight into the sauce and coat them well.

## Notes from our kitchen

The batter should run thin — closer to crêpe than pancake; a thick coat turns bready instead of crisp. The dredge deliberately ends on a wet layer: it fuses with the dry coats in the heat into that craggy golden finish. And add the butter to the glaze cold, off a hard boil, pressing it in as it melts — that slow emulsion is what makes the sauce glossy instead of greasy. The narration stands by it: this sauce could make cardboard taste great.

## Variations

- **Oven instead of air fryer:** Same tray, same parchment: 20–25 minutes at 200 °C, flipping once halfway. The shell sets a little slower, so resist opening the door early.
- **Milder or hotter:** The two tablespoons of sriracha read as "just a little spicy" under all that sugar. Halve it for kids, or swap in your favorite hot sauce — the narration explicitly leaves that door open.

## Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

- Calories: 520
- Protein: 35g
- Fat: 16g
- Carbs: 58g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 26g
- Sodium: 1400mg

## FAQ

### Why sparkling water in the batter?

The fizz is the whole point — carbon dioxide bubbles lighten the batter so it fries into a crisp, airy shell instead of a dense one. Club soda works identically. Flat water makes a heavier coat; if that is all you have, keep the batter extra thin.

### Why dredge twice?

Each dry-wet cycle glues another layer to the tender, and the layers fry into the craggy, extra-crunchy shell that a single pass cannot build. It also seals the meat so the tender inside steams juicy while the outside crisps.

### Why does the butter go in cold and last?

Cold butter melted slowly into the warm glaze emulsifies instead of splitting — that is what turns a sweet ketchup base into a rich, glossy sauce that clings to the tenders. Butter added to a boiling sauce separates into an oily slick.

### How do I store and reheat them?

Sauced tenders soften overnight, so if you are cooking ahead, keep the glaze separate: tenders airtight in the fridge up to 2 days, re-crisped in the air fryer at 180 °C for a few minutes, then tossed in reheated sauce. The glaze itself keeps a week refrigerated.

---

Source: [Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders — Webspoon World](https://webspoon.world/recipes/honey-bbq-chicken-tenders/)