You’ll love this crispy, juicy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe. Skip the drive-thru and make the best chicken tenders at home!
Air fryer chicken tenders are so easy to make and are ready in 20 minutes! Serve them as an appetizer or as a family-friendly meal. They are delicious with waffle fries and chipotle ranch or can be sliced and served on a salad.
What You’ll Find In This Post
Air Fryer Chicken Tender Ingredients
To make air fryer chicken tenders, you’ll need chicken breasts, melted butter, and breading ingredients. You can use different kinds of breadcrumbs and spices to make various kinds of flavors. See the recipe card for the full list of ingredient measurements, including measurements.
- Chicken: We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that we cut into strips. You could also use chicken tenderloins.
- Butter: The melted butter makes the breading stick to the chicken, adds flavor, and helps the chicken get crispy.
- Breadcrumbs: We used two kinds of breadcrumbs to make these chicken tenders. Panko bread crumbs are larger in size and are more crispy. The other kind is breadcrumbs with Italian seasonings added.
- Parmesan: The grated parmesan cheese adds flavor and helps the breading get crispy.
- Seasonings: We seasoned the breading with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and salt.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
To make this recipe, you’ll need to slice the chicken into strips, coat them with breading, and then cook them in the air fryer. Be sure to see the recipe card for the complete instructions.
- Prep: To prep the chicken, start by placing the chicken breasts between sheets of parchment paper and pounding them to an even thickness. Then, cut each one into four strips.
- Coat: Dip the strips into the melted butter and then coat them with the breading.
- Cook: Place the chicken tenders in a lightly greased basket and bake them for 18-20 minutes.
Air Fryer Chicken Strips Variations
You can make endless variations of air fryer chicken strips! You can add other seasonings or use different kinds of sauces as a coating. Here are some of our favorites.
Buffalo Chicken Tenders
To make buffalo chicken tenders, follow the recipe as directed. Then, combine two tablespoons of melted butter and a half cup of buffalo sauce. Coat the chicken strips with the buffalo sauce and serve with ranch dressing.
Barbecue Chicken Tenders
Another delicious way to coat air fryer chicken tenders is with barbecue sauce! Brush the bbq sauce over the cooked chicken strips, or you can put them in a bowl and toss them with the sauce. You can choose a sweet barbecue sauce or go with something spicy, depending on your tastes.
Garlic Parmesan
We love garlic parmesan wing sauce, and it would be fantastic on chicken tenders as well! Mix up the garlic parmesan sauce, pour it over the cooked chicken, and toss to coat them evenly.
Frozen Chicken Tenders In Air Fryer
- You can freeze the chicken strips after breading them so that you can cook them whenever you want! Place the breaded tenders on a parchment-lined pan or tray and place them in the freezer for two hours. Transfer them from the parchment to an airtight container or freezer bag. Store them in the freezer for up to three months.
- To cook frozen chicken tenders in an air fryer, preheat it to 380˚F. Then, cook them at 380˚F for 16-20 minutes, flipping them halfway through or until they reach an internal temperature of 165˚F.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook chicken tenders in a single layer for 8-10 minutes per side (to an internal temperature of 165˚F).
Preheat your air fryer to 380˚F and then cook the chicken tenders at 380˚F for 16-20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165˚F.
Yes, bake them in an oven at 400˚F for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.
Similar Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders are oven-baked and so easy to make. They are crunchy and flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
My family loves this thirty-minute, crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders recipe. We often enjoy them with buttered noodles.
These Key Lime Chicken Tenders have a crunchy coating and a light lime flavor. The chicken is tender and juicy with a little taste of summer.
Want more air fry recipes? Try these next:
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts only take 15 minutes to cook! They turn out so tender and juicy!
You can make Corn On The Cob in the air fryer and leave the oven off! It’s a great way to make a few cobs at a time.
No one can resist crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings! Coat them with your favorite sauces and watch them disappear.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup panko
- ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380˚F. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness, if needed. Cut each boneless skinless chicken breast into four pieces.
- In a wide, shallow bowl mix together panko, Italian breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, coarse ground black pepper, and salt. Set aside.
- Dip the chicken tenders in the melted butter and then coat them in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Place the coated chicken tenders in a single layer in the greased air fryer basket. Spray the tops of the chicken tenders with olive oil spray.
- Bake at 380˚F for 8 minutes and then flip them over and lightly coat with olive oil spray.
- Continue baking for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
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