If there is one recipe you need to make in your new air fryer, it's these air fryer chicken tenders. They are moist, flavorful, crispy, and so satisfying. These are on regular rotation in my house, and the girls love them too.
Don’t get me wrong, I love baked and grilled chicken… However, I will forever love chicken tenders. A person who loves chicken tenders more than me is my wife.
My wife grew up eating chicken tenders for most meals out with her family when she wasn’t an adventurous eater. To this day, her parents question why we went to a fancy place to eat if all she is going to eat is chicken fingers.
Now, she eats plenty of adventurous foods, but she is always down for some good chicken tenders. Also, they are a
If you need these cornbread waffles in your life, check out the recipe here.
How to season chicken tenders or baked chicken tenders
In order to properly season and coat chicken tenders so the breading doesn't fall off or taste bland, you need three bowls: a flour bowl, an egg bowl, and a breadcrumb bowl. One of my secrets to delicious chicken tenders is in the egg bowl; I add pickle juice, dijon mustard, and hot sauce to this to give it a delicious depth of flavor.
How to cook an air fryer recipe with no air fryer
Did Santa not bring an Air Fryer this Christmas? Don’t worry about it. You don’t need it. You’ll need a baking sheet and a wire cooling rack that fits into the pan. This will help circulate the heat around the chicken tenders while getting them extra crispy all the way around. I swear by this method. It’s also great for when you’re cooking a big ol’ batch for a group.
You’ll see that, in the recipe for my baked chicken tenders and air fryer chicken tenders,
Weight Watchers Chicken Tenders
These are surprisingly healthy air fryer chicken tenders. For 2-3 tenders (depending on how big you make them, they are 2 SP on blue and purple and 5 SP on green. These make awesome sandwiches too. Have you seen my chipotle chicken and biscuit?
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
These oven fried chicken breasts are one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken breast. The flavors are layered throughout the breading process to create a juicy and flavorful oven-fried chicken breast without all of the fat and oil. The combination of two types of bread crumbs gives this recipe a crispy, crunchy breading. These go great with sandwiches, wraps, salads, or eaten on their own.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts sliced laterally to make 8 thin breasts (If making chicken tenders, cut chicken into strips after cutting chicken breasts)
- 3 oz panko breadcrumbs
- 2 oz seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder (I prefer chipotle chili powder)
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2 tsp pepper, divided
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 oz flour (I use about 3 oz. in a bowl to make it easy, but it only uses 1 oz.)
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer or oven to 400°.
- Set up your bowl stations: In bowl #1, add about a half a cup of flour and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. In bowl #2, add 3 eggs, dijon, pickle juice, and hot sauce. Whisk together. In bowl #3, add bread crumbs, remaining seasonings, and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
- Dredge chicken in bowl #1, and pat chicken breast so excess flour comes off. Coat chicken in egg mixture from bowl #2, then dredge in bowl #3 until fully covered. Set aside. Repeat for each breast. Spray both sides of each coated chicken breast with cooking spray.
AIR FRYER METHOD: Air fry chicken at 400° for 15 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes. Chicken should be cooked until 165°. Juices will run clear when cut. My air fryer usually fits four breasts at a time. Always leave space for air to circulate, and place food in a single layer when using the air fryer.
OVEN METHOD: Set an oven-safe wire rack (the kind you would let cookies cool on) onto a baking sheet. Give the rack a healthy spray of cooking spray so the chicken won’t stick. This will allow air to circulate around the chicken and make all sides crunchy. Spray both sides of chicken with cooking spray and place on the wire rack. Cook at 400° for about 20-25 minutes. Chicken should be cooked until 165°. Juices will run clear when cut.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
2-3 tenders or 1 chicken breastAmount Per Serving: Calories: 152Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 700mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 18g
Linda
Made this tonight. Delicious! Thank you