Try healthy air fryer chicken tenders for a quick entrée, snack, or appetizer. They’re easy to make and so much more economical than restaurant or frozen tenders.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Whether you’re an experienced air fryer pro or haven’t even opened the box yet, you’ll be able to turn plain chicken breasts into a crispy treat. Delicious, economical, and healthy!
How long it takes: 21 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: air fryer, 3 shallow bowls
Servings: 4
Crisp, tender, flavorful breaded chicken tenders are a snap to make in your air fryer. With just a few easy ingredients, you can have these popular boneless chicken strips on the table in less than a half hour.
Chicken tenders, chicken strips, chicken fingers — what do you call them? I always find the thought of chicken fingers kind of weird. I mean, who’s ever seen a chicken with fingers? They don’t even have hands. And really, who wants to eat fingers anyways… Creepy. Sounds like a horror movie or something. But whatever name you give ’em, call them delicious!
About Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Less expensive than fast food tenders. Why make a trip to the Golden Arches and pay top dollar for chicken tenders when you can make them right at home with your air fryer. Your homemade chicken tenders will be much less expensive and better-tasting than their fast food counterparts.
- You can feel good about serving these to your kids. Air fried chicken strips are much healthier than what you get in a restaurant. There’s very little oil, and you control the amount of sodium added. You’ll be shocked to learn that a serving of chicken tenders (6 strips) at a fast food restaurant contains 740 calories, 44 grams of fat, and a whopping 2130 mg of sodium.
- Turn boneless skinless chicken breasts into tenders. Often you can buy a package of “chicken tenders”. They’re actually the tenderloin of the breast and they can be a little pricey. However, fried chicken tenders are usually made from the entire breast cut into thin strips. Use a sharp knife and you can cut your own. You’ll find that it’s much more economical.
- No fuss breading.The breading ingredients are simple and you probably have everything you need in your pantry. There are lots of ways to make these strips and “have it your way.” Keep reading for suggestions.
Ingredient Notes
Be sure to refer to the recipe card below for complete recipe information.
- Chicken tenders – Buy them already cut or cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into approximately one half inch thick slices. Make sure they’re pretty close to the same size so that they cook evenly.
- Salt and pepper – We put the salt and pepper right on the chicken instead of in the flour mixture. This seasons the chicken instead of the flour which may not all be used.
- Flour – For another layer of flavor, season the flour with paprika and garlic powder, or another seasoning of your choice.
- Eggs – Dipping the tenders in beaten egg will help the panko adhere. If you avoid eggs, buttermilk or milk will work here.
- Panko – Panko is larger than traditional bread crumbs, and these large airy bread crumbs are used for extra crispy breading!
- Dried Parsley Flakes – I’ll let you in on a secret, these are more for color than anything else. They don’t add a ton of flavor. You could leave them out if you want to keep things simple or if your kids hate anything green.
- Olive Oil or Avocado Oil Spray – Spraying the tenders with oil will help them crisp up and will also give them a nice golden brown color. Nonstick cooking spray will also work in a pinch, but we prefer pure oils.
How to make crispy chicken tenders
Making breaded chicken strips is easy and follows the usual breading routine.
You’ll need three shallow bowls: one with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with panko bread crumbs and seasonings.
Dip the raw chicken strips, one at a time, in each bowl:
- Coat them first with flour. The flour helps the eggs stick.
- Then dip the strips in beaten egg, letting excess drip off.
- Lastly, you’ll dip them in the panko, pressing lightly to help it adhere.
Spray the chicken strips lightly with either olive oil or avocado oil and they’re ready to pop into the air fryer.
Chicken tenders take seven to eleven minutes to cook in your air fryer, depending on how large your tenders are.
Tips To Avoid Soggy Chicken Tenders
Make sure the tenders have enough space in the air fryer so that plenty of air can circulate around them. They should be cooked in a single layer with a bit of space between each one. Once the tenders have been fried, don’t cover them. Steam that collects under the foil or plastic wrap will make them soggy in a hurry.How To Keep Chicken Tenders Warm
If you’re making a large batch, put the cooked tenders on a wire baking rack placed on top of a sheet pan in a warm oven (175-200ºF). This will keep them warm and crispy while you finish cooking the rest.
Dipping Sauces
Half the fun is the dipping sauce! Try homemade BBQ sauce, marinara sauce, fry sauce (great with air fryer French fries, too), healthy ranch dressing, honey mustard dressing, or just plain honey (that was always my favorite when I was growing up).
Make It Your Own
- Try different seasonings in the flour mixture. Taco seasoning, Italian seasoning, or chili seasoning are fun choices but really, try any of your favorites.
- Add cheese. Reduce the amount of panko to ¾ cup and add ¼ cup grated Parmesan. I’ve found that grated Parmesan works better than shredded.
- Make them whole wheat. Substitute whole wheat bread crumbs for the panko. Did you know it’s very easy to make bread crumbs out of day old bread? Rather have no breading? Try air fryer chicken breasts or air fryer chicken drumsticks.
- Marinate the chicken first. For even more flavor, marinate the chicken tenders before you bread them. A simple buttermilk marinade is nice, or try one of my chicken marinades.
- Make chicken nuggets. Cut the chicken into small pieces and make nuggets instead. If you’d rather have chicken nuggets, the recipe is very similar.
Refrigerate uncooked tenders. Bread the tenders, place them on a tray, and refrigerate for up to one hour before frying.
Freeze uncooked tenders. Replace those store-bought frozen strips with homemade breaded chicken tenders. Place uncooked breaded tenders on a tray and freeze until hard, 1 to 2 hours. Put them in resealable freezer bags to freeze for up to 1 month. Air fry frozen chicken as directed on the recipe card, adding a couple of extra minutes.
Freeze cooked chicken strips. When you’re hungry for chicken tenders, pop them in your air fryer for ten minutes or until heated through and crispy. Cooking times will vary, depending on your air fryer model and on the size of the chicken strips.
Leftover chicken tenders can be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to one month.
For best crispy results, reheat leftover chicken strips in the air fryer for a few minutes, or in a toaster oven for five minutes. They can be reheated in the microwave as well, but they won’t be as crispy and the chicken may get dry.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #10. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders (or boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- Olive oil or avocado oil spray
- Optional dipping sauce: marinara or pizza sauce, barbecue sauce, or ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 400ºF for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season both sides of chicken tenders with salt and pepper.
- Set out three small shallow bowls. In the first bowl, place flour, paprika, and garlic powder; mix lightly. In the second bowl, add eggs and beat lightly. In the third bowl, combine panko and parsley flakes.
- One at a time, coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat with the panko mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating adhere.
- Place chicken tenders in basket of air fryer, in a single layer (you may have to cook them in batches). Spray the tenders with olive oil spray (this helps them get golden brown and crispy).
- Air fry each batch of chicken tenders for 7 to 11 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken tenders, or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Do not overcook.
- If desired, keep chicken tenders warm and crispy in the oven. Put the cooked tenders on a wire baking rack placed on top of a sheet pan in a warm oven (175-200ºF). This will keep them warm and crispy while you finish cooking the rest.
Notes
- Vary the seasonings added to the flour or panko. Try taco seasoning or Italian seasoning. Or substitute ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for ¼ cup of the panko.
Freezing chicken tenders (Make ahead):
- Uncooked. Place uncooked breaded tenders on a tray and freeze until hard, 1 to 2 hours. Put them in resealable freezer bags to freeze for up to 1 month. Frozen uncooked chicken strips can be air fried without thawing but add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Cooked. Cooked tenders can be frozen, too. When you’re hungry for chicken tenders, pop them in your air fryer for 10 minutes or until heated through and crispy. Cooking times will vary, depending on your air fryer model and on the size of the chicken strips.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Yumm!! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome! I hope you like the chicken tenders!
I sometimes add a little parmesan when I do them in the oven–still need to get an air fryer.
Yes! Parmesan is always a great addition!