These chili lime chicken tenders will become your new favorite quick and healthy meal or snack! The best part is that these are done in the air fryer in just 8 minutes. I love making chicken tenders because they stay moist for so long and work well for meal prep.

You are able to eat these as is or chop them into small pieces and serve in tacos or a wrap. You can also serve the chicken tenders over rice, or in a salad. The possibilities are endless! I used my favorite @smfchicken, which I love because they are NON-GMO, American Humane Certified, and only the freshest quality guaranteed. You can join the @smfchicken flock and get money saving coupons valid to use on their chicken products.
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Ingredients
- chili powder
- ancho chili powder
- cumin
- oregano
- salt
- garlic
- cilantro
- avocado oil
- lime juice
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients into a small bowl and mix well.
- Coat chicken with avocado oil, then lime juice.
- Generously pour seasoning over chicken tenders and toss well.
- Place in air fryer and cook on 400 for 4 minutes.
- Flip chicken tenders and cook for another 4 minutes.
- Internal temperature should be 165° when done.
Substitutions
- Chicken - instead of chicken, use turkey tenderloins or pork loin cut into 2 oz strips
- Vegetarian - use tofu cut into 2 inch cubes, or your favorite ground meat substitute shaped into 2 ounce balls
Variations
- Ranch - add ½ packet of ranch dressing seasoning and serve with ranch dipping sauce
- Thai peanut - use 3 TBS of Thai red curry paste mixed with 2 TBS coconut milk to rub chicken, and serve with peanut dipping sauce
- Barbeque - use your favorite BBQ seasoning in the same proportions as recipe above and serve with honey mustard or BBQ sauce
Equipment
An air fryer is recommended, however you can certainly use your oven to make these delicious chicken tenders.
Storage
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Top tip
Never throw away leftover chicken! You can make an amazing chicken salad by mixing with mayo and celery, use it as a salad topper, or add to eggs for a protein packed breakfast.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe

Chili Lime Chicken Tenders
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ tablespoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- ½ teaspoon cilantro
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients into a small bowl, and mix well.
- Coat chicken with avocado oil, then lime juice.
- Generously pour seasoning over chicken tenders and toss well.
- Place in air fryer and cook on 400 for 4 minutes.
- Flip chicken tenders and cook for another 4 minutes. Internal temperature should be 165° when done.
Food safety
Be extra cautious of handling raw chicken around other foods and surfaces. Always use a separate non-porous cutting board to prep chicken and sanitize all surfaces and hands after handling raw chicken. Never wash your chicken in the sink prior to prepping, as you may inadvertently spread bacteria to other kitchen surfaces.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Kim Russo says
I just love this recipe. Why? Because you can use the chicken in many other ways for lunch or dinner. This chicken never goes to waste. The flavor of the seasoning on this, delicious. The chili and the lime combined is the zest I need in my chicken salad or just with rice. Quick and easy for my lifestyle.
NKendrick says
Thank you for your feedback, I am so happy that you enjoyed the recipe!
Kimberly Russo says
I have made this recipe and I absolutely love it. They came out super delicious and moist and used them in multiple meals the whole week since I love chicken. Thank you Golden Grace kitchen.
Juliette says
This is a delicious recipe. I love how you make it so easy to make and the spice combination is really good. Just the right amount of chilli for me too. 🙂 thank you.
NKendrick says
Thank you so much!
Connie grigg says
This is such a flavorful and easy recipe. New favorite my family will love. Thank you so much.
Mary says
Thawing chicken tenders out for tomorrow! I get so tired of the same old chicken tenders and this has my name written all over it. We eat a lot of chicken tenders because I cook for two, and the tenders are so easy to buy in bulk and split into perfect servings.
NKendrick says
Chicken tenders are one of our favorite also!
Stephanie says
We finally got an air-fryer so I am on the lookout for new recipes to try. These chili-lime chicken tenders are amazing. The spices are spot on! Definitely plan to serve these again soon - especially with the summer months approaching (don't want to turn the oven on!).
Nora says
These chicken tenders turned out perfectly, and the seasoning was awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
NKendrick says
Thank you for sharing!! SO happy to hear!
Andrea says
love the chili lime flavor! so tasty and delicious for a weeknight dinner!
Nancy says
Chili lime air fryer chicken is super tasty. It comes out super tender and moist.
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!