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These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are juicy inside and extra crispy outside. Made in the air fryer in under 20 minutes, chicken tenderloins are easy, healthy and perfect for weeknight dinners. Kids and adults, everyone will love this recipe.
Healthy air fryer chicken tenders
This is one of our to-go recipes for when we crave fast food but we want to have a healthier meal. At home, we love it so much and I bet you, your kids and your family will too. Air fryer chicken tenderloins are quick and easy to make, with simple ingredients only. Since they are not deep fried, these extra crispy air fryer chicken tenders are also healthy, low calorie and good for the diet. Further, you can even make them low carb and keto.
Their light breading makes them crunchy and oh so delicious on the outside. They literally taste like fast food, but made at home with minimal oil and clean ingredients only. Much much better than KFC! They pair so well with vegetable sides like cucumber tomato salad or Mexican street corn salad, and they are perfect to add more protein to an Italian pasta salad for weekly dinners. And you will love them dipped in keto BBQ sauce, mayonnaise or keto mayonnaise, and ketchup.
Together with air fryer salmon bites, air fryer sweet potato fries and crispy air fryer chickpeas, this recipe gives us another reason to love our cooking machine.
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken tenders. You will usually find raw chicken tenders in the meat and poultry section of the grocery store. Sometimes, they are called chicken tenderloins. As an alternative, cut regular poultry breast into thick slices and then air fry chicken strips as described down here.
- Panko breadcrumbs. For healthy chicken tenders in the air fryer, I like using natural panko breadcrumbs with no added salt and oils. Replace with common breadcrumbs, gluten-free breadcrumbs, or keto breadcrumbs if desired.
- Eggs. Dipping air fryer chicken tenderloins into eggs allows the breading to stick to the strips and enhances flavors. For a low calorie swap, substitute one of the eggs with an egg white.
- All purpose flour. The flour is for breading, you can substitute it with potato starch for gluten-free strips or with almond flour for low carb chicken tenders.
- Parmesan cheese. The cheese is optional, you can completely omit it. But I find that breading chicken tenders with Parmesan cheese gives them a more delicious, fast food like flavor.
- Seasonings. I seasoned my chicken strips with kosher salt, ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and a combination of onion powder and garlic powder. Feel free to use other seasonings such as Italian seasoning, dried basil, cayenne pepper or chili powder for a spicy kick.
- Olive oil. This easy air fryer chicken tender recipe requires minimal cooking fats. You will only need to brush both sides of the strips with oil to ensure a crispy outside. Avocado oil is a great substitute for olive oil, seed oils are not recommended.
How to make air fryer chicken tenders from scratch?
Step 1 – Prepare air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
Step 2 – Prepare healthy breading. Prepare 3 separate bowls. Add flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and seasonings of choice into the first bowl, beat the eggs into the second bowl and add breadcrumbs into the third bowl.
Step 3 – Bread chicken tenders. Dip each chicken strip into the beaten eggs first, then coat with flour, then again dip into the egg mixture and finally coat into breadcrumbs. Press firmly to cover both sides and quickly shake them off to remove excess breading. Spray both sides of the chicken tenders with olive oil or cooking spray, then transfer into the air fryer basket without overcrowding it. If it is necessary, air fry in multiple batches to ensure even cooking.
Step 4 . Air fry chicken tenders. Cook in hot air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through after about 6 minutes. Cooking time may change based on the tenderloins size, they are ready when the chicken is cooked through with a golden and crispy outside.
How to store air fryer chicken tenders?
- To store leftovers. Before storing, allow air fried chicken tenders to cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, place them into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, cook in the air fryer basket at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes until they are warm and crispy.
- To freeze air fried chicken tenders. Let cool first, then transfer the strips into zipper bags. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before serving, take them out of the freezer, line over your air fryer basket and cook at 350°F for about 8 minutes until warmed up.
- To freeze uncooked chicken tenders. After breading, line the tenderloins over a parchment paper covered baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours. After 2 hours, transfer them into zipper bags and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, place in the air fryer basket and bake for around 12 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Tips to cook chicken tenders in air fryer
- Air fry chicken tenderloins in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket or the strips won’t get crispy. To prevent soggy chicken tenders air fry in multiple batches.
- Adjust cooking time. The cooking time for air fryer chicken tenders depends on how big the strips are and how packed the machine is. Larger tenderloins require more time, so adjust it according to your needs. The chicken is ready when golden crispy on the outside and still juicy on the inside.
- Use chicken breast. If you can’t find chicken tenders, cut boneless and skinless chicken breast into thick strips. Bread them, spray with olive oil and air fry tenderloins until they are nicely crispy.
- Customize to your likings. This easy recipe for air fryer chicken tenders is highly versatile and customizable. I like seasoning the meat with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese but you can make yours with the seasonings you like the most.
- Make keto air fryer chicken tenders. If you follow a low carb keto diet, replace all purpose flour with almond flour and breadcrumbs with keto breadcrumbs.
Serving ideas
We usually eat healthy air fryer chicken tenders with dipping sauces and a fresh salad such as Mexican street corn salad, Caprese salad or our copycat Big Mac salad. They are also perfect as a side for Italian pasta salad or microwave sweet potato.
But the best way to serve air fry chicken tenderloins is with crispy air fryer sweet potato fries, carrot fries or low calorie French fries. Dipped in ketchup or BBQ barbecue sauce, homemade Big Mac sauce and mayonnaise. You and your kids won’t be able to resist!
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1.1 lb (500 g) chicken tenders, or boneless chicken breast cut into strips
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, optional
- 1 cup (70 g) panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- ½ to 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ tsp garlic powder
- ⅓ tsp onion powder
- ⅓ tsp smoked paprika, optional
- olive oil spray, or regular olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare 3 separate bowls. Add flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and seasonings into the first bowl, beat eggs into the second bowl, and add breadcrumbs into the third.
- Dip each chicken tender into the egg mixture first, then coat with flour, then again dip into eggs and finally coat into breadcrumbs. Press firmly to cover both sides and quickly shake them off to remove excess breading.
- Spray both sides of the chicken tenders with olive oil or cooking spray, then transfer into the air fryer basket. Line on a single layer without overcrowding the basket. If necessary, air fry in multiple batches.
- Cook in hot air fryer for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through after about 5 minutes. Cooking time changes based on the size of your chicken tenders, they are ready when the chicken is cooked through and the outside is golden and crispy.
Excellent recipe. Tenders are juicy, crunchy, and flavorful. I love it.
Hey Thomas,
thanks a lot for your feedback! I’m so glad you liked my easy air fryer chicken tenders recipe 😉
I wish you a great day,
Matteo
Is there any way to prep this advance so we can freeze it and only cook when required?
Hey dear Kiran,
thanks a lot for your comment. You can find all storage directions in the blog post that is on top of the recipe card. There you will find all the details 😉
Have a great day,
Matteo
Excellent recipe of fried chicken with the air fryer Matt
Hey dear Constantino,
thanks a LOT! I am so happy you liked our KFC style chicken tenders in the air fryer, they’re so tasty and delicious. Have a bite and you won’t ever guess they’re also low calorie and good for the diet 😉
All the best,
Matteo
Wow! Chicken tenders the favorite meal for any occasion is good! ??
Hey dear Liza,
many thanks for your kind comment! Same here, chicken tenders are always perfect. Satisfying and so delicious, now they can also be healthy in the air fryer 😉
Have a great day,
Matteo