Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are as delicious as they are good for you! Super crispy chicken made in your air fryer without any oil!

I mean who doesn’t like a tasty, crispy chicken finger??? But sometimes we just don’t need the extra fat or calories so in comes the air fryer. Also be sure and check out our Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets and these homemade Shoestring French Fries to go on the side!

Crispy, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Why do we need to break out an air fryer to make chicken fingers? Well, you don’t have to, but we really think you might want to give it a try. These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are so juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, there’s really no need for any oil.

That means you can enjoy these chicken tenders all the time. Chicken fingers don’t have to be a cheat day food if you make them with this air fryer recipe! Serve them with some oven baked french fries, roasted vegetables or a salad and you’ve got a healthy dinner for the whole family.

How Do You Make Crispy Chicken In An Air Fryer?

Start by breading chicken tenders using whole wheat or regular breadcrumbs. We prefer using whole wheat because they give the chicken fingers a deeper brown color and a much better flavor.

The chicken tenders on the right of the plate here have whole wheat breadcrumbs, on the left are the regular. Both are going to be delicious!

After the chicken tenders are breaded, spray them with an oil based cooking spray and place them into you air fryer in a single layer. Our air fryer has racks, not a bin or a basin, so we don’t have to turn ours over as they cook on both sides.

But if you have an air fryer with a bin, turn them over and spray again halfway through the cooking time so they brown evenly on both sides.

What Sauces Can I Use For Dipping?

There’s the classic honey mustard, of course. But many other sauce can be used for dipping this air fryer chicken into. We like our homemade honey mustard sauce from this Pulled Pork Taquitos recipe, but check out some of these other ideas!

• Awesome Sauce
• Yum Yum Sauce
• Homemade Stir Fry Sauce (an Asian, all purpose sauce)
• Bang Bang Sauce
• And of course the kids always like ranch or ketchup!

Can You Freeze Chicken Tenders?

Absolutely! This chicken recipe is perfect for meal prepping. Make a double or triple batch, let them cool and freeze in freezer bags. When you’re ready, grab as many chicken fingers as you need and heat them up in the oven right from frozen!

Check out the notes section in our recipe card for full instructions on reheating these chicken fingers from frozen.

What If I Don’t Have An Air Fryer?

No worries, you can bake these chicken fingers in the oven, too! Just place the breaded chicken fingers onto a sheet pan and spray the tops with an oil cooking spray. Bake for 7 -8 minutes on each side (spraying with cooking spray again when you flip over) until golden brown and crispy.

Looking For More Air Fryer Recipes?

• Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Nuggets
• Air Fryer French Fries
• BEST Beef Taquitos
• Chinese Boneless Spare Ribs
• Air Fryer Donuts

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

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• Author: Dan
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are super juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside! Dip them in honey mustard or your favorite dipping sauce!

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Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken tenders
• Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika for seasoning the chicken
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (can also use regular breadcrumbs)
• Honey mustard, Ranch or Ketchup for dipping

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Instructions

1. Season the chicken tenders on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
2. Add the flour to a shallow bowl or plate, the eggs beaten with milk into another shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl or plate.
3. Start breading the chicken tenders by dipping first into the flour, tapping to remove the excess flour, then the egg mixture, letting the excess eggs drip off and finally into the breadcrumbs, making sure to press the breadcrumbs to coat well on both sides.
4. Repeat until all of the chicken tenders are coated and then preheat your air fryer (if needed) to 400 degrees.
5. Place the chicken fingers on the racks or in the basin in a single layer and spray with an oil based cooking spray. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the outside is brown and crispy. If you have a basin type air fryer, you’ll need to turn the chicken fingers over and spray again halfway through the cooking time.

Recipe Notes

Oven Instructions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the breaded chicken fingers in a single layer. Bake for 7-8 minutes, flip over, spray again with cooking spray and bake for another 7-8  minutes on the second side.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Air Fryer
• Cuisine: American