Skip the freezer aisle and make these healthy Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders at home instead! Lightly breaded chicken tenders get golden and crispy in just minutes and will no doubt be a hit in your household! Serves 4 (or about 8-10 tenders) in under 30 minutes! Did I mention you only need 5 ingredients?!
I’ve got another air fryer recipe for you and I think it’s one you will love! Chicken tenders are universally loved finger food, amiright? With a plethora of dipping options and their overall crispy exterior and tender juicy interior, what’s not to love?
My kids have been chicken tender fanatics since, well, forever. Haileigh dips it in ranch and/or Franks Red Hot and Malloree prefers to dip in barbecue sauce and ranch, simultaneously. My girls really only order them at restaurants, I’ve probably made chicken tenders from scratch a handful of times because they’re kind of a hassle and take some time to bread, cook, etc. Until today!
You’re going to lose your mind over how easy it is to make homemade crispy chicken tenders in the air fryer.
If you don’t have an air fryer yet, you must! I kind of touched on it in a previous post, but the air fryer is an easy and healthier way to fry food with using a fraction of oil (because, hello? no deep-frying) and cooks and crisps evenly thanks to hot circulating air. To say I love my air fryer is an understatement (obviously). If my kitchen was a little bigger, it would be an appliance that takes up permanent residence on my counter. I can’t stop thinking of ways to health-ify previously not-s0-healthy fried foods or just food that I would be too apprehensive because of my deep-seeded fear of hot, bubbling oil.
Whether you want to make these crispy air fryer chicken tenders for your kids lunch, to top a salad or stuff into wraps – all you need is 5 simple ingredients and 30 minutes.
To Make These Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders you Will need:
- chicken tenders – 1 package which is usually a pound, will feed 2 to 4 (or 8-10 tenders total)
- non-aerosol olive oil cooking spray (using non-aerosol is a personal preference, you use what you like!)
- breadcrumbs (homemade or store bought)
- all-purpose seasoning salt
- black pepper
First, in a shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs, 1-1/2 teaspoons of all-purpose seasoning salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Whisk to combine and set off to the side for a smidge.
Then spray both sides of the chicken tenders with the olive oil spray, making sure to coat evenly.
Next, work in batches, tossing the chicken tenders in the breadcrumbs and shaking off the excess before transferring to a clan platter or cutting board. The oil helps adhere the crumbs to the chicken tenders and aids in crisping too. Win-win.
Lightly spray the chicken tenders and the wire rack/basket (of your air fryer) to prevent sticking and preheat to 400℉ (or 200℃).
What Is Air Frying?
- An air fryer is a counter top appliance that requires less oil (anything from a few spritz to 1 tablespoon) yet produces crispy food that rivals most deep fried foods. By using circulating hot air, it moves at a high speed so the food tends to cook in a fraction of the time.
- There are a bunch of different makes and models of air fryers. My husband did the research (as he’s known to do) and found this air fryer [affiliate] to be one of the best. But do your research and purchase one that fits your lifestyle.
How is Air Frying Healthier?
- Air frying is healthier because only a thin layer of oil coats the food and when the hot air comes in contact it will crisp. Saving you a ton of fat and calories (without sacrificing any flavor!) because food is not being submerged in a vat of hot oil.
- Keep in mind, not all air fryers are equal. Some preheat and some do not. Some are smaller than others therefore you may need to work in smaller batches to air fry.
For more Air Fryer recipes, click here for my growing collection.
Then once preheated, place 3 to 4 chicken tenders into the basket at a time. Giving them space so they don’t touch and end up sticking to each other. Cook for 3 minutes, use tongs to turn the chicken tenders and cook for 3 minutes more.
Once golden and crispy, transfer the crispy chicken tenders to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining tenders.
Finally, once all of the crispy air fryer chicken tenders are cooked, I like to add them back into the basket and air fry for 1 to 2 more minutes to reheat if necessary.
You would think by looking at these that they were store bought. Nope! However these are legit, homemade, crispy, golden brown chicken tenders! And they taste AMAZING!
Finally, let’s talk about dipping sauces. Truth be told, I’m a ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce kind of girl. Unlike the rest of my family, ketchup really isn’t my favorite (unless it’s in a recipe or glazed over meatloaf). What’s your favorite? Dipping options seem to be kind of endless.
Enjoy! And if you give this Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken tenders, or about 12
- olive oil spray
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose season salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Spray both sides of your chicken tenders with olive oil cooking spray.
- In a shallow bow, whisk together the breadcrumbs, season salt and pepper. Working in batches, press each tender into the crumbs and turn to coat. Shake off any excess and place onto a clean platter or cutting board and repeat.
- Lightly spray the chicken tenders and the wire rack/basket (of your air fryer) to prevent sticking and preheat to 400℉ (or 200℃).
- Once preheated, work in batches of 3 or 4 tenders at a time, keep them from touching to avoid sticking. Cook for 3 minutes, use clean tongs to turn and repeat for 3 more minutes more. Transfer to a cooling rack before repeating with the remaining chicken tenders.
- To reheat, add all of the crispy (cooked) chicken tenders to the basket and heat at 390° for an additional minute or so.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
You are totally selling me to the idea of the air fryer!!
And yes, I am a blue cheese dip kind of person too – my favorite though is to add some (very) hot sauce into the blue cheese dip just for a kick – you should try!
yummm! Love air fried chicken tenders 🙂
us too!
I just got my air fryer a month ago and I use it every day. The food tastes so good and not at all greasy. I am still experimenting with it. I want to try baking biscuits soon. What a wonderful invention!
Isn’t it amazing! I never even thought to make biscuits in it!!
I made dinner rolls in it and they worked out great! I’ve been doing chicken strips with egg and bread crumbs, but am trying your method because I never use all the egg.
Do I need to use the parchment paper with this recipe?
Hi Debra! I didn’t 🙂
Made and it turned out PERFECT!
So happy to hear it, Carol!
Really loved the flavor. I had to cook the chicken twice the amount of time the recipe called for. It was too time consuming. I am going to try the same recipe in the oven next time.
You shouldn’t have had to cook tenders that long. Also, if you have a small air-fryer, it may take longer to work in batches.
Could you use Panko bread crumbs
sure! I don’t see why not!
This recipe was great for my grandson. He loves chicken tenders but he is allergic to eggs. All other recipes required coating with eggs. Thank you.
I’m do glad, Debbie! 🙂
I tried the air fryer chicken tender recipe but they were tender but not crispy or brown, and I cooked them two minutes longer on both side on the second batch but no improvement. We ate enough for dinner but no one wanted seconds. What else should I try. I invested too much money to give up now. I had two people to tell me once I get one I would wonder how I got along without it. not convinced
Hi Barbara! Thanks for taking the time to make this recipe and for stopping by and leaving a comment! My suggestion would be that after breading, lightly spray the chicken tenders with olive oil spray before air frying. It’s hard to say what went wrong and why, but all air fryer makes and models can be different and some are known to be defective (or so I’ve read) so this too could play a part in how your tenders turned out. The fact they didn’t brown and crisp leads me to believe the browning element may be broke? Also keep in mind, while these tenders are crispy, they should not be compared to battered and deep fried chicken tenders. I hope this helps! 🙂
thank you!!! mine are coming out great!
Glad to hear it!
These were amazing! Great flavor! My teen pronounced them better than his favorite fast food chicken! I used Italian bread crumbs because it was all I had. This is a keeper!
That’s amazing, Claire! Thank you for taking the time to make the recipe and for coming back to leave such a great review!
Thank you for this recipe!! We just made it and it’s delicious!!
So glad, Alisha!
Hello, your receipt says to preheat to 390 but my fryer/oven does not have a preheat option. What would you suggest in this case?
Hi Nikki! I’m not familiar with all models of air fryers, so I need a little more information. Does yours have a heat setting at all?
Hi Nikki! I’m not familiar with all models of air fryers, so I need a little more information. Does yours have a heat setting at all? Otherwise I would set the temp and turn it on. Wait 5-8 minutes to make sure it’s reached 390-400° and then air fry as directed. I hope this helps!
I tried the crispy air fryer chicken tenders tonight, they turned out great. Very easy to make and tasted very good. will be making these again.
I tried the crispy air fryer chicken tenders tonight, they turned out great. Very easy to make and tasted very good. will be making these again.
Glad to hear it, Andy!
I was amazed by how simple and fast I made them I was a hit. my wife and here mother complimented me. 3 pounds of the chicken gun in 4 minutes. Thank you made my day.
So glad, Pietro!
This was delicious! The only thing I did differently is I added a little garlic salt. So tasty!
I’m so glad, Renee!
I like this recipe. But I don’t have air fryer. Maybe I need buy it.
I have made this dish many times. But this is the best time. Your recipe is simple and awesome. thanks you!
Why on earth is it so hard to find the actual recipe? While some need pictures, many of us only want the words so we can decide what we need and get going. Much too wordy for me to want to look for more recipes on this site, though this one looks great and I plan to try it tonight. Thanks.
Made this for my family earlier and they loved them! Only hassle was the breadcrumbs since I don’t have a food mixer. Other than that they were great!
That’s great, Landyn!
yummm! Love air fried chicken tenders
Thanks, Kristin. I hope you enjoy them!
This was delicious! I’ve never mixed panko with oil before, and I’ll never bread chicken any other way from now on.
Glad you liked it, Angelica!
It came out s perfect! Thank you much for sharing this recipe!
Made the gluten free version of these with gf Panko last week. The whole family loved them. I am making them again for lunch. Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe! I love the added brine step. I think it really takes the chicken tenders to the next level.
I’m so glad, Dandre! Thank you for not only taking the time to make this recipe but for also leaving such a great review.
This recipe is so delicious! My husband came back for seconds! Very crispy
So glad to hear it, Felipa!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Look so tasty!
So yummy! Everytime I make it.