Air Fried Chicken Tenders/Strips
Best Air Fried Chicken Strips or Tenders
Crispy chicken tenders cooked in the air fryer come out so crispy and with much less oil! You guys, we’re all so obsessed with these air fired chicken tenders and your kids will love it. The hot circulating air of the air fryer makes the chicken tenders so crispy and perfect. All it takes is some oil spray and the chicken strips cook much healthier than deep frying. When we tested these in the regular conventional oven, they still don’t come out as crispy as the air fryer.
Video: Air Fried Chicken Strips Recipe
Different types of breading and don’t let it burn
There’s different types of breading you can enjoy: italian bread crumbs or japanese panko are two popular options. For low carb and keto breading, you can use crushed pork rinds or almond flour. What ever you use, don’t let it burn in the air fryer! The hot circulating air will blow around the dry breading, which will touch the heating coils and burn. So it’s important that you spray enough oil on the bread to hold it to the chicken. Also, enough oil spray will make the chicken crispy. If you miss oiling any breading spots, they will cook dry and hard, not crispy. Hope you enjoy our air fried chicken tenders!
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Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 g) chicken tenders , or boneless skinless chicken breast, tenders, or thighs
- 1-2 cups (240-480 ml) breading of choice - breadcrumbs, panko, crushed pork rinds or almond flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) kosher salt , to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper , to taste
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
- Cooking Spray
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer at 370°F/188°C for 4 minutes.
- Cut chicken into strips (not necessary if using chicken tenders). Make sure they are even sized so that they cook evenly. The thicker they are, the longer they will take to cook. Combine the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Season chicken strips with the spices. Set aside.
- Put the breading in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs until smooth.
- Dredge chicken cutlets strips in egg, then breading of choice. Press chicken cutlets into the bowl of breading so that they completely coat the chicken cutlet. Repeat this process for all chicken pieces. Generously spray both all sides of all the coated chicken with oil spray to coat all dry spots.
- Air Fry at 370°F/188°C for 8-14 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your tenders. After 6 minutes, flip the chicken tenders. Lightly spray any dry spots then continue cooking for the remaining time or until they are crispy brown or internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F/74°C.Serve chicken strips with your favorite dip: ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, etc.
Notes
Make sure to spray with oil to completely coat the breading.
Shake or turn if needed. Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket.
If you don’t want to pre-heat the air fryer, just add a couple minutes to your first batch.
Recipes were tested in 3.4 to 6 qt air fryers. If using a larger air fryer, the recipe might cook quicker so adjust cooking time.
Remember to set a timer to shake/flip/toss as directed in recipe.
6 Comments on “Air Fried Chicken Tenders/Strips”
I couldn’t believe how easy this was to prepare! Thanks for the recipe.
The kids LOVE these. I used to buy frozen ones, but making them fresh is so much better tasting and actually a lot cheaper too. The chicken came out really tender.
This was my second recipe using my new air fryer. They turned out perfect! I used a mix of half pork rinds and half gluten free panko. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s awesome Jen! Love the pork rinds for a lower carb version. Thanks for sharing!
So perfect! I used the full two cups of GF panko crumbs and dried the chicken first (bought chicken tenders from Costco – evenly sized cutlets – easy!). The seasoning was perfect and the panko coated so perfectly that I did not have to spray with oil. Cooked them 6 minutes per side and they could not have been better!! Great texture, perfectly tender and tasty! THANK YOU!
Yay! Thanks Gina and glad you enjoyed them. And thanks for letting us know about the GF panko crumbs.