These crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are golden and juicy, so easy to make and perfect for weeknight cooking!
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
I made these tasty chicken strips the other night for dinner along with some orzo with zucchini and tomatoes, and my family loved them! They are super easy and quick for weeknight meals. Air fryer recipes are one of my top requests, some favorites are Skinless Air Fryer Chicken Breast, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and these Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets. And if you like sandwiches, this Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich is a must!
I like making homemade chicken strips because they are so much healthier than fried versions. The great thing about the air fryer is that the tenders get super crispy with way less oil. This air fryer recipe for chicken tenders only requires a little olive oil spray on each one.
How do you make chicken tenders from scratch?
It’s very easy to make chicken tenders from scratch. Chicken tenders are already cut into strips, so you don’t have to spend any time slicing a raw chicken breast. So, the first step is to season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, prep your breading stations. Put two eggs in a shallow bowl and the panko and breadcrumbs in another bowl.
Next, it’s time to bread the chicken tenders. Dip each one in the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a cutting board or baking tray until you’re done breading all of them. Then, spray the chicken strips on each side with olive oil spray before placing them in the air fryer.
How long do you cook chicken tenders in the air fryer?
Place chicken tenders in a single layer of the basked and air fry for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, turning halfway. They’re done once the chicken is cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside.
I love cooking chicken strips in the air fryer because they come out very crispy. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake them in the oven at 425 degrees for 16 minutes, turning halfway.
What to Serve with Chicken Tenders
I served these air fryer chicken tenderloins with zucchini tomato orzo and lemon wedges for squeezing. They would also be good with this Broccoli and Orzo or Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. Or, if you want to go the more traditional route, you could serve them with regular French fries or sweet potato fries cooked in the air fryer. You could also try this recipe for seasoned fries baked in the oven.
More Chicken Tender Recipes You’ll Love:
- Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips
- Sesame Encrusted Chicken Tenders
- Tortilla Encrusted Chicken Tenders
- Pickle-Brined Baked Chicken Tenders
- Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 12 chicken tenders , (1 1/4 lbs)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs*
- 1/2 cup seasoned panko*
- olive oil spray
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Place egg in a shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and panko.
- Dip chicken in the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture and shake off excess and place on a large dish or cutting board. Spray both sides of the chicken generously with oil.
- Preheat air fryer to 400F.
- In batches, cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside. Serve with lemon wedges.
My husband is a chicken tender connoisseur and he LOVED these! And I was sneaking more when putting away leftovers too. So so good! Thank you!
I love to hear that!!
Tasty; my new go to for chicken tenders.
This is an easy recipe and delicious. The pieces were crunchy and so flavorful.
Do you think you can freeze these and have them be good reheated?
Thank you for the recipe! Easy, tasty and healthier than store bought.
Made it a few times. Those of us who are on WW old points plus program, three tenders is seven points. This is perfect for me.
What a great recipe. So easy and simply delicious. Will be making this many times – thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious. Husband kept saying these are good. This is a keeper!!!
These look so good! I’m thinking of taking them for my lunches, only have a microwave to reheat them. Any tips ?
My new chicken fingers recipe! Follows my usual with the addition of brushing oil on them. Turned out great.
I make these ALL the time! They’re so moist and crunchy, I don’t miss fried chicken. Gina, is there a way to freeze these and maintain their integrity?
I was just wondering this myself – My 7 year old requested these for a regular basis (lunch AND Dinner).
EVERYONE in my family enjoyed these! I made these with Gluten free panko and “crumbs.”
Doesn’t say to use fridge, freezer, room temperature chicken
It’s always assumed your chicken is in the refrigerator. If frozen I would mention that and I don’t recommend room temp chicken.
Made these and used avocado spray instead of olive oil. Came out crispy and delicious! Cooked 5-6 minutes each side.
Love this recipe! Chicken comes out juicy every time not dry or over cooked at all!!
Love this recipe for chicken tenders. I have made them several time.
Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but how do you keep the chicken warm while you’re cooking the whole batch? I’m thinking of getting an air fryer and am curious about this. Thanks!
Not a dumb question at all. I was confronted with this dilemma this evening as it was my first go with using the air fryer my wife got for Christmas. I ended up putting them in our little convection toaster oven and covered them with tinfoil and kept the heat set down to about 130°F. Worked out really well.
Easy & Delicious!
Seasoned my own GF panko crumbs with a pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and season salt.  Sprayed chicken with PAM because I didn’t have olive oil spray. Browned up nicely.Â
Will definitely make again with various seasonings. Cajun, lemon pepper or whatever I want to toss in the bread crumbs!Â
Salt a pepper the chicken before breading. Adds a lot more flavor.Â
Thanks for the recipe!!Â
I can’t seem to get these crispy even though I’ve used this recipe a couple times. The chicken is OK, but the outside is not crispy at all and very pale looking. Not sure why.
Sounds like your air fryer is not as hot? Try letting it preheat a few minutes before you cook but also don’t overcrowd the basket.
I cooked mine 6 min, then 5. Â Next time I will cook longer. Texture of the chicken was off. Â
This is GREAT! You can use the same method with zucchini or mozzarella instead of chicken! YUM! Oh – I didn’t have panko so I used all breadcrumbs without an issue.
Excellent Recipe. I cut thin tenders out of 1 breast. Used Milk, then dipped in breadcrumb mixture (which I added Tony’s spicy seasoning). I overcooked the first test tender, so being thin tenders I literally cut the cook time to 5 minutes per side. I also forgot the olive oil spray on the test tender, that and being overcooked it became the dog’s chicken jerky LOL. For thin tenders, 5 min per side with a good amount of olive oil spray and they were delish! Thank you for this recipe! This will be a regular in our house. I can also envision full cutlets cooked to use a chicken parm patties. Ty again!
Has anyone figured out the calories per ounce? These are excellent. I made them in the oven and cooked them a few minutes longer than listed and they came out delicious. Thank you.