Tender, juicy, and packed with smoky flavor—these Smoked Chicken Tenders are a delicious way to switch up your grilling game. Chicken tenders are easy to prep, quick to smoke, and perfect for meal prep, cookouts, or just a weeknight dinner with serious flavor.
I just recently purchased a Ninja Woodfire Grill last month and I love it. It can do all these awesome things like smoke, grill, and air fry. Been testing it on recipes like these chicken tenders and my Air fryer Omelette.
If you like grilling and smoker recipes check out Spicy Smoked Chicken Thighs, Smoked Pulled Pork Nachos, Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork, and Smoked Almonds.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Smoked to perfection—no drying out like oven-baked chicken
- Lean and protein-packed, perfect for healthy eating
- Quick to cook—ready in under 90 minutes, plus easy to use for meal prep throughout the week
- Easy to season and totally customizable
- Versatile for serving—great with salads, wraps, or bowls
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Tenders - Chicken tenders are quick to make on a grill or smoker!
- Seasoning Salt of Choice - There are so many seasonings to choose from. I like a good blackened seasoning or Lemon pepper seasoning.
- Salt and pepper to taste
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitution Tips
Here are some tips for making Smoked Chicken Tenders more WW friendly.
- Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs instead of tenderloins—just adjust cook time as needed.
- Oil: Swap with spray oil for lower WW points.
- Seasoning: Try a ranch packet, BBQ rub, Cajun blend, or a sugar-free dry rub for variety.
- Spicy twist: Add chili powder, cayenne, or chipotle powder for heat. You Will also like these Spicy Smoked Chicken Thighs or try this Blackstone BBQ Chicken
How to Smoke Chicken Tenders
Step 1: Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
Step 2: Season generously both sides of the chicken strips with salt, pepper, and seasoning of choice.
Step 3: Place the chicken strips on the smoker and they cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with a side of roasted vegetables, Easy Traeger Smoked Corn on the Cob, grilled corn, or coleslaw.
- Slice and add to salads, wraps, rice bowls, or tacos.
- Pair with a light dipping sauce like Weight Watchers Ranch Dressing or sugar-free BBQ.
How to season chicken tenders?
- There are many different ways you can flavor up this chicken. My recipe below calls for seasoning salt of choice and salt and pepper.
- My favorite seasonings are Dano’s Spicy seasoning. This one is low sodium! I also get Stonemill’s Blackened Dry Rub Seasoning and Roasted Garlic and Herb. You can find these at Aldi’s.
- Chicken marinades will also cook in the air fryer. I'd suggest placing a sheet of parchment down before cooking so that none of the marinade drips. - Easy 3 Ingredient Chicken Marinade Recipe
Tips for Smoked Chicken Tenders
The smoker is so great for cooking simple basic food like smoked corn on the cob, smoked meatloaf, bbq ribs for beginners, and smoked salmon. The smoke gives the salmon an extra layer of flavor that you wouldn’t get from a grill.
Some smokers require a preheat before setting the actual temperature to the desired one. Read the instruction manual your smoker came with to make sure.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken tenders do not take long on the smoker at all! It takes any where from 45 minutes to 1 hour on a smoker.
The best way to tell if chicken is ready is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is ready when the temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Pellet grills like Traeger or Pit Boss work perfectly for this recipe. Just set to 225°F and use your preferred wood pellet.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently or eat cold in salads or wraps.
I have had my Traeger smoker and a Ninja Woodfire Grill. The Ninja Woodfire grill is great because it's an outdoor smoker/grill/air fryer all in one! I would recommend that brand to anyone wanting to learn how to smoke food. Traegers are kind of pricey but there are some very reasonably priced smokers for under $100.
If you tried this Smoked Chicken Tenders or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Smoked Chicken Tenders
- Prep Time: 10min
- Cook Time: 45min - 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe for simple smoked chicken tenders is as easy as it gets! The chicken tenders come out juicy and perfect every time and it's cooked in the smoker! Great for salads, casseroles, or pasta salads!
Ingredients
- 1 lb of Chicken Tenders
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of Seasoning Salt of Choice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
- Season generously both sides of the chicken strips with salt, pepper, and seasoning of chocie.
- Place the chicken strips on the smoker and they cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
Notes
Some smokers require a preheat before setting the actual temperature to the desired one. Read the instruction manual your smoker came with to make sure.
Nutrition
- Calories: 309
- Sugar: 0g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
Jennifer says
These chicken tenders came out great!