Using $(106.41pm 0.86) times 10^{6}$ $psi(3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII, we study for the first time the decay $chi_{cJ}toetaK^+K^-$, where $etatogammarho^{0}$ and $etatoetapi^+pi^-$. A partial wave analysis in the covariant tensor amplitude formalism is performed for the decay $chi_{c1}toetaK^+K^-$. Intermediate processes $chi_{c1}toeta f_0(980)$, $chi_{c1}toeta f_0(1710)$, $chi_{c1}toeta f_2(1525)$ and $chi_{c1}to K^*_0(1430)^{pm}K^{mp}$ ($K^*_0(1430)^{pm}toeta K^{pm}$) are observed with statistical significances larger than 5$sigma$, and their branching fractions are measured.