Chicken Tenders and “Raising Cane’s” Inspired Sauce

Most of us grew up having chicken tenders here in the states. Whether it was frozen chicken tenders lovingly heated up by a parent or choosing from a plethora of dipping sauces to suit our current moods at the drive-thru, chicken tenders have been a staple in America. And for good reason, they are delicious. Oh, and tender. Eating overcooked or dry chicken is almost the equivalent to eating paper in my opinion. Really, fried chicken just makes it juicy, tender, and oh so appealing. However, many of us are aware of all the processed gluten and the reused inflammatory hydrogenated oils used to cook conventional tenders. 

So I began my mission to make some clean and delicious air fryer chicken tenders that are just as juicy. Many delicious experiments, but sometimes the result wasn’t as crispy as I wanted or the coating would slide off. After several attempts (all happily eaten by the way) and some research, I made some amazing chicken tenders that I am excited to share with you! Not only that, but I made some dipping sauce inspired by the popular chain that started in Louisiana, Raising Cane’s. Making this dish simply but exceptionally paired. 

The “Raising Cane’s” Inspired Dipping Sauce

I recommend making the dipping sauce first, and the night before you plan on making the air fryer chicken tenders. That way the flavors can develop overnight, creating a more flavorful sauce. I am all about extra flavor up in here! 

For the Raising Cane’s Inspired Dipping Sauce, you will need:

• Mayo – Primal Kitchen makes a great clean, paleo mayo. This is the sauce base.
• Ketchup – also recommend Primal Kitchen’s ketchup. It tastes so good!
• Worchestershire Sauce – Wan Ja Shan makes a delicious, clean sauce
• Garlic Sea Salt – or garlic powder and add sea salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Paprika – just a pinch
• Dijon Mustard – Koop’s Organic is wonderful
• Onion Powder – adds some extra flavor
• Monk Fruit Sweetener – just adds a little bit of sweetness which rounds out all the tanginess of the ingredients

Mix all these ingredients together until smooth. If you are using the Primal Kitchen mayo straight out of the fridge, it might be a bit clumpy at first, but after continually stirring, the sauce becomes smooth. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.

Chicken Tender Fun

Now time for the chickie tenders! I imagine a little happy dance when saying that. Your hands will get a bit messy during this, but that is part of the fun! If you would like to take the extra step and brine the chicken beforehand, it will help make them even juicier. Even if you don’t, the tenders will still be juicy and tasty. 

Take your chicken breasts and cut them into desired chicken tender sizes (I make them about 3-4 inches), you should keep them all relatively the same size to keep cooking time similar. After having cut them, you want to make sure each piece is dried off very well with a paper towel and there is no excess moisture. This is important so the tenders do not turn out gooey and to keep the coating from getting all funky on you. 

Dredge Chicken Tenders in Flour First

After drying each piece, dredge the tender completely in the cassava flour seasoning mix. It is important to do the flour step first in order for the coating to adhere to the tender, otherwise it will slide off. Cassava flour works great. Shake off any excess flour and submerge in the egg wash mix. Let the extra egg wash drip off. Do this for a few tenders and place on a baking sheet.

Epic Crushed Pork Rinds

Generously coat both sides with crushed pork rinds. I crush the rinds in the bag after letting all the air out. These give the tenders that nice crunchy texture and extra flavor! Also, not to mention crushing pork rinds with your fist is fun and stress relieving. I recommend the Epic brand of pork rinds, they’re clean and have many different fist-crushing flavors. My favorite is the salt and pepper pork rinds, but you can mix it up and do the BBQ flavor, pink Himalayan sea salt, chili lime, whatever suits your fancy!

Place the tenders in the air fryer pan, without any pieces touching. Set the air fryer time to 8 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit or until golden brown. Do as many batches as needed. Dip in the delectable sauce and enjoy these clean, guilt-free air fryer chicken tenders and sauce!

Can I still make these chicken tenders without an Air Fryer?

Definitely! An air fryer is easy and quick to cook with. It also removed the necessity for oil to be used. However, if you do not have an air fryer, you can make these the good ole fashioned way and they will be just as delicious! Just heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Heat about a 1/3 cup of avocado or coconut oil until shimmering. The oil should come up about halfway on the chicken tender. After placing the chicken tenders in the skillet, cook for about 3 minutes each side or until a deep golden brown. Reduce heat to medium after flipping the tenders. Drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet and add more oil to the pan if needed.

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