We’re crazy about this air fryer doritos chicken strips recipe. We love making crispy chicken strips or chicken tenders. Now we’ve added this version with crushed Doritos or any nacho cheese tortilla chips on the outside, we’re even more obsessed.

Air Fryer Doritos Crusted Chicken Strips Recipe in basket

Air Fried Doritos Crusted Chicken Strips Recipe

The salty, crunchy flavors of crushed nacho cheese tortilla chips are amazing. Adding the crispy texture of air fryer Doritos crust gives the most flavorful chicken strips. Our kitchen team inhaled the first test batch! We couldn’t believe how delicious these were and kids will be asking for seconds. Be ready to make a second batch because they’re perfect as an appetizer or for dinner. A fresh green healthy salad is a nice balance to this dish or if kids want pasta to pair, then it makes a hearty meal for them. Adults will enjoy them as well because beer pairs perfectly with these as a nacho cheese crusted chicken strip recipe appetizer!

Crispy air fried Doritos chicken tenders on a plate with ranch dressing

Video: Air Fryer Doritos Crusted Chicken Tenders Recipe

How to Make Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Strips

You can use what ever crushed tortilla chips you want. There’s so many flavor options of chips and so many different brands, the possibilities are endless. Here’s some tips when making these chicken strips:

  • Make sure to crush the chips finely. The smaller they are, the better they stick.
  • Try to keep the bowl of crushed tortilla strips dry. As you dip the wet egg coated chicken in the chips, they can easily get the crushed chips all mushy.
  • Just lay the egg coated chicken in the bowl, then get a spoon and pour the chip coating on top and press it into the chicken. That way, egg doesn’t get mixed into the dry chips.
  • Gently move the chip crusted chicken pieces so that the chips don’t fall off.
  • More recipe details are in the recipe box below.
  • Love buffalo wings? Try these air fryer buffalo wings recipe.
Crispy air fried Doritos chicken tenders on a plate with ranch dressing by bestrecipebox.com

Air Fryer Doritos Chicken

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your cut chicken. Keep checking to see if it’s cooked through. If you choose to make nugget sizes, they will cook much quicker than strips.
Air Fryer cooking times will vary a lot depending on your size and style of air fryer. Check the food often to make sure it’s cooked to your preferred texture. After cooking in your specific air fryer, you’ll know what time and temp works best for the recipe.
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Ingredients

  • 9 oz. (255 g) Doritos , or any flavor tortilla chips
  • 1 egg , beaten
  • 2 pounds (910 g) chicken , cut into thin strips
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
  • fresh black pepper to taster
  • For dipping: Ranch , sour cream, ketchup, bbq sauce or your favorite sauce

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Place Doritos or tortilla chips in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin into fine pieces. The smaller the chip pieces the better they will stick to the chicken.
    Crush Doritos
  • Cut the chicken into thin strips and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Put the beaten egg into a bowl.
    Season Chicken
  • Dip each chicken strip into the beaten egg then into the crushed Doritos. Gently press the chicken into the crushed tortilla chips, then use the spoon to pour chips over the top of the chicken. Gently press chips into chicken. This method allows the chips to stay dry. If they’re wet, they stick less to the chicken.
    Coat Chicken
  • Spray air fryer basket or racks with oil spray. Gently lay chicken pieces in the basket or on the racks. Spray oil spray on top of coated chicken.
    Oil Chicken
  • Air Fry at 380°F (195°C) for 15 minutes. Gently turn the chicken pieces and spray the tops with oil spray (don’t turn the chicken too rough or else the Doritos pieces will fall off).
    Air Fry for additional 3-5 minutes or until the crust is crispy golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve with your favorite dip or sauce!
    Air Fry Chicken

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 392kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Sodium: 559mg, Potassium: 667mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 85IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: Air Fryer, American
Calories: 392

FRUSTRATED WITH STUCK FOOD? USE NON-STICK SILICONE LINERS

8.5" Square Blue Silicone Mat
8.5″ Square Alpine Sky Silicone Mat
8.5" Square Orange Silicone Mat
8.5″ Square Fuzzy Peach Silicone Mat
8.5" Square Cool Gray Silicone Mat
8.5″ Square Cool Gray Silicone Mat
8.5" Square Green Silicone Mat
8.5″ Square Juniper Silicone Mat
8" Round Blue Silicone Mat
8″ Round Alpine Sky Silicone Mat
8" Round Orange Silicone Mat
8″ Round Fuzzy Peach Silicone Mat
8" Round Cool Gray Silicone Mat
8″ Round Cool Gray Silicone Mat
8" Round Green Silicone Mat
8″ Round Juniper Silicone Mat
Air Fryer Doritos Crusted Chicken Strips Recipe in basket or on plate dip in ranch

Make these Great Chicken Recipes

More awesome chicken recipes for you to enjoy! This recipe was originally published in 2020 and re-published in 2021 with updated video.