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–+ servings
A stack of crispy chicken tenders on a white plate with small bowls of ketchup and honey mustard for dipping
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4.67 from 3 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Crunchy Air Fryer chicken tenders are just 3 ingredients but come out so flavorful and crispy. No dredging station needed and they only take 10 minutes to cook!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders (see notes)
  • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Cooking spray

For serving:

  • Your favorite dipping sauce, such as ketchup, honey mustard, Ranch or BBQ sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the Air Fryer to 400, if it requires preheating. 
  • Combine the breadcrumbs, seasoned salt and black pepper in a medium bowl.
  • Press each chicken tender into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat all sides and pressing to help the breadcrumbs adhere. Repeat with all chicken tenders.
  • Spray the tray of the Air Fryer with cooking spray. Place prepared chicken tenders on the tray and spray the tops with cooking spray.
  • Cook in the Air Fryer at 400 for 10 minutes, flipping the chicken tenders over halfway through. (If your Air Fryer is small and you need to work in batches, keep the finished chicken tenders on a plate. Add them all into the Air Fryer - stacked up  - for an additional 1 minute of cook time so they get hot and crispy again.)
  • Check the chicken tenders with a digital thermometer to ensure they have reached 165. (If not, add another 1-2 minutes of cook time.)
  • Serve immediately with desired dipping sauces and enjoy!

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Notes

Panko breadcrumbs are a must here to get the amazing crunchy crust on the chicken tenders.
Chicken tenders: Don’t have chicken tenders? You can slice up boneless, skinless chicken breasts to use for this recipe. Just make sure the strips are similarly sized so they cook in the same amount of time. And you may need to adjust the final cook time if they are larger or thicker than regular chicken tenders from the store.
I have, use and very much recommend a digital thermometer to test meat to ensure it’s properly cooked.
Spraying the tops of the chicken tenders helps them get a bit of an extra crisp on them. Turning them over halfway through also promotes even cooking and a crunchy exterior all around.
If your Air Fryer is small and you need to work in batches, keep the finished chicken tenders on a plate. Add them all into the Air Fryer - stacked up  - for an additional 1 minute of cook time at the end so they get hot and crispy again.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g
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