Pound the chicken down to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips to form tenders.

To a large bowl or plastic bag, add the buttermilk, pickle juice and hot sauce. Mix until just combined and submerge the chicken strips. Let soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour to tenderize the chicken.

In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, tsp paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Dredge the chicken pieces through the flour mixture coating on both sides and pressing with your hands to adhere. Repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Preheat the air-fryer according to directions. Lightly spray the basket with cooking oil, add 2 TBS of water to the bottom. Place chicken strips in the basket ensuring not to overcrowd- cook in batches if needed. Cook chicken at 350 degrees F 7-8 minutes per side, flipping.

Warm up 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a saucepan or microwave. Once hot, stir in the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic, paprika and cayenne powder. Brush both sides of the chicken with the hot oil to give it a nice coating. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more oil.

To make the salad; chop the lettuce head and combine with chopped pickles, tomatoes, onion and cheese. Toss with some thousand island dressing and served topped with hot chicken tenders. Enjoy!