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.
Optional dipping sauce: marinara or pizza sauce, barbecue sauce, or ranch dressing
Instructions
Preheat air fryer at 400ºF for 8-10 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.
Video
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):
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.
Or 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.