Wash away the excess oil from your diet with these crunchy air fryer chicken tenders. With their golden crunchy coating, you won't believe they weren't deep-fried!
If you love crunchy crumbed chicken as much as I do, this is the recipe for you. The chicken strips are great with a garden salad for dinner. Or serve them up as a tasty treat along with honey mustard dipping sauce.
These air fryer chicken tenders cut out the excess oil, and also the calories. Yes, you could make these in an air-forced oven if you don't have an air fryer. They just won't be as super crunchy as the air fryer version, but still delicious.
Sara xxx
Ingredients
- Bread Crumbs: Basic store-bought or homemade dried bread crumbs. Not fresh or Panko, but you can use dried wholemeal breadcrumbs if you wish.
- Chicken Tenders: Chicken tenders are the small chicken strip that is often still attached when you purchase whole chicken breasts. They can be purchased as a stand-alone cut at your local chicken shop, some butchers, or supermarket.
- Cornflake Crumbs: These can be found in the same section as breadcrumbs in the supermarket. Alternatively, make your own by crushing cornflakes.
- Thyme: Fresh thyme is used in the egg coating mixture as well as the crumb coating.
- Grated Parmesan: Parmesan adds a cheese element to the coating of the air fryer chicken tenders. It does not melt to the extent of some other cheese, making less mess in the air fryer.
- Eggs: Free-range is best, used for the egg coating.
- Garlic Powder: Used in the egg coating for some extra flavour.
- Sweet Paprika: Used in the egg coating for flavour and colour.
- Olive Oil: Added to the egg coating to help with crispiness.
- Flour (not pictured): Plain flour, you can also use spelt if you wish.
What to serve with chicken tenders
The great thing about crumbed chicken tenders is that they are versatile. They go with so many side dishes.
Recipe Walk Through
Place chicken tenders in a zip lock bag with enough plain flour to coat.
Zip the bag shut and shake to cover the tenders completely with flour.
You could also use a container with a tight lid. The shake method saves your fingers getting messy.
In a medium bowl mix egg coating ingredients, whisking well with a fork. Mix the crumb coating in a large bowl until evenly combined. I use shallower bowls than mixing bowls as it makes crumbing and coating easier.
Using a fork remove a chicken tender from the zip lock bag, shaking excess flour off.
Coat the chicken thoroughly in the egg coating. Let any excess coating drip from the tender.
Place the chicken tender in the crumb coating. Using your hands cover the tender completely in the mixture, pressing the coating on.
Place coated chicken on a plate while you crumb the rest of the chicken.
Place crumbed chicken in the air fryer basket, leaving space around each piece.
Cook at 190°C (374°F) for 4-6 minutes.
Time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the tenders you use.
After 4-6 minutes turn the chicken over and cook a further 4-6 minutes.
All up cooking time should be around 8-12 minutes total.
Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken pieces you are using.
Remove from the air fryer and place chicken tenders on a wire rack while cooking the remaining chicken.
Chicken can be kept warm in the oven on a low temperature.
Oven Cooking Method
This recipe can also be made using an air-forced oven. The results won't be quite as crunchy as the air fryer chicken tenders, but will still have some crunch and be just as tasty.
- Pre-heat oven 190°C (375°F).
- Line a flat baking tray (cookie sheet) with baking paper.
- Follow the instructions for crumbing in the recipe walk through section.
- Place crumbed chicken tenders on the lined tray, leaving space between each piece of chicken.
- Place chicken tenders in the oven on a middle shelf. Bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes turn the chicken tenders over and bake a further 10-15 minutes until cooked.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Special Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 500 grams (1 lb) chicken tenders
- plain flour | enough to coat the chicken tenders
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon (4 teaspoons) olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (8 teaspoons) fresh thyme for egg coating | finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
- ½ cup cornflake crumbs
- 3 tablespoons (12 teaspoons) fresh thyme for crumb coating | finely chopped
Instructions
- Place chicken tenders in a zip lock bag with enough plain flour to coat.
- Zip the bag shut and shake to cover the tenders completely with flour.You could also use a container with a tight lid. The shake method saves your fingers getting messy.
- In a medium bowl mix egg coating ingredients, whisking well with a fork.
- Mix the crumb coating in a large bowl until evenly combined. (I use shallower bowls than mixing bowls as it makes crumbing and coating easier.)
- Using a fork remove a chicken tender from the zip lock bag, shaking excess flour off.Coat the chicken thoroughly in the egg coating. Let any excess coating drip from the tender.
- Place the chicken tender in the crumb coating. Using your hands cover the tender completely in the mixture, pressing the coating on.Place coated chicken on a plate while you crumb the rest of the chicken.
- Place crumbed chicken in the air fryer basket, leaving space around each piece.Cook at 190°C (374°F) for 4-6 minutes.Time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the tenders you use.
- After 4-6 minutes turn the chicken over and cook a further 4-6 minutes.All up cooking time should be around 8-12 minutes total.Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the chicken pieces you are using.
- Remove from the air fryer and place chicken tenders on a wire rack while cooking the remaining chicken.Chicken can be kept warm in the oven on a low temperature.
- Serve with garden salad as a main and/or with honey mustard dipping sauce.
Notes
- Pre-heat oven 190°C (375°F).
- Line a flat baking tray (cookie sheet) with baking paper.
- Follow the instructions for crumbing in the recipe walk through section.
- Place crumbed chicken tenders on the lined tray, leaving space between each piece of chicken.
- Place chicken tenders in the oven on a middle shelf. Bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes turn the chicken tenders over and bake a further 10-15 minutes until cooked.
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
Nutrition
More Dinner Ideas
If you are after more dinner ideas check out our easy dinner recipes section, and the recipe index in general. Some of my faves below.
lethang
Hi Sara, I only have panko and don't want to go shopping for one thing.
Sara McCleary
Hi Lethang, panko crumbs are totally fine.
Cheers, Sara
Sue R
Hi Sara, I only have panko and don't want to go shopping for one thing. Is the reason you say no panko because it'd burn or ? Can I just crush the panko if it would make a difference?
I usually only use my airfryer in our caravan but I'll get it out to try these.
Sara McCleary
Hi Sue
Feel free to use panko crumbs. They are generally what I have in my cupboard too.
My recommendation not to use them was a safeguard measure against future complaints. The tenders won't look as brown and golden.
As you use panko crumbs you know it takes a slightly longer cooking time to get them to brown up. With thin tenders, they would dry out before getting the panko crumb to a gorgeous golden stage.
The coating will still be crunchy when the tenders are cooked, just not the same colour as in my photos.
The other reason is using the cornflake crumbs adds a taste element to the tenders.
I have been experimenting with non-crumbed fish in the air fryer, stay tuned for those recipes. Hopefully, you will have some new recipes up your sleeve for your next camping trip (or at home if the air fryer gets to stay in the kitchen).
Cheers Sara