Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Make the best Air Fryer Chicken Tenders that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside with this simple recipe! These panko crusted chicken tenders taste just as good as fried chicken, but are much healthier cooked in an air fryer. They're easy to make, and you can freeze them for a quick meal or snack later!
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 3 tablespoons chicken seasoning, click link for recipe
- cooking spray
Instructions
Bread the chicken
- Whisk 4 large eggs in a shallow bowl.
- In another shallow bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt.
- In a third large shallow bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Cut the chicken breasts into 4-6 inch strips.
- Toss the chicken strips with the chicken seasoning, until they’re fully covered.
- Place each piece of seasoned chicken in the egg wash.
- Once it’s fully covered in the egg, allow any excess to drip off before transferring the chicken to the bowl of flour.
- Cover the chicken completely in the flour, then add it back to the bowl of whisked eggs.
- Once fully covered in the egg again, dip the chicken in the breadcrumbs, pressing down slightly on all sides to make sure the chicken is fully covered in the breadcrumbs.
- Transfer the breaded chicken to a cutting board, then repeat with all of the remaining pieces of chicken.
Air fry the chicken
- Preheat an air fryer to 400°F.
- Add the chicken in batches to the air fryer in a single layer, making sure there’s room around each piece of chicken for air to flow.
- Spray the chicken strips with cooking spray, then cook at 400°F for 4-6 minutes.
- Open the air fryer, flip the chicken, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes.
- Repeat until all of the chicken tenders are cooked.
Notes
- When breading chicken, always use one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry ingredients. This will prevent clumping, keep your hands from becoming coated in the breading, and it will help keep the breading ingredients separated.
- To make gluten free air fryer chicken tenders, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend, or rice flour. Use gluten-free panko bread crumbs, instead of traditional panko.
- This recipe makes approximately 12 chicken tenders. If you’d like to double the recipe and freeze some for later, simply click the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update for the new serving size.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make this recipe in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your oven has a convection setting, I recommend using that. Place the chicken tenders on a wire rack, on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.
- You can try other seasonings besides the chicken seasoning to add different flavors to the chicken tenders. Use my famous Chicken Wing Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning to add spice to the tenders!
- Battered, uncooked chicken tenders can be stored in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. The frozen chicken tenders can be cooked directly from frozen in the air fryer by adding 2 minutes to the cooking time. So the chicken tenders will need to cook for 6-8 minutes per side at 400°F.
- Cooked chicken tender leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes to keep them crispy.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 206kcal (10%)Carbohydrates 23g (8%)Protein 18g (36%)Fat 4g (6%)Saturated Fat 1g (5%)Polyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 91mg (30%)Sodium 427mg (18%)Potassium 287mg (8%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 1g (1%)Vitamin A 123mg (2%)Vitamin C 1mg (1%)Calcium 59mg (6%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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