These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and perfect for a quick & easy lunch or dinner meal.
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I’m on a roll with these air fryer recipes y’all! And since I loved how well my air fryer chicken nuggets turned out, I wanted to try some air fryer chicken tenders next. This time I combined panko and regular breadcrumbs for the perfect texture and I used chicken breast tenderloins to make things super easy. They’re perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and a lot fresher than frozen chicken tenders! So get your favorite dipping sauce ready, because these air fryer chicken tenders are perfect for a quick & easy lunch or dinner meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make these crispy air fryer chicken tenders:
- Chicken Breast Tenders: I like purchasing the chicken that is already cut into tenders or tenderloins. But you can also make your own tenders by cutting a boneless, skinless chicken breast lengthwise into strips.
- All Purpose Flour: A light coating of flour helps the egg coating adhere to the chicken.
- Eggs: Eggs help the breadcrumb mixture adhere to the chicken tenders. You can also use buttermilk instead of eggs like we did for these air fryer chicken nuggets.
- Panko and regular breadcrumbs: I used a combination of panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs. The regular breadcrumbs are finer in texture and provide a more even coating. The panko breadcrumbs give the tenders that crispy crunch that I love. Combined they provide the perfect balance.
- Seasoning: A mix of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic & onion powder, flavors the chicken and the breadcrumbs.
Homemade Dipping Sauces
Wanna make your own dipping sauce for these chicken tenders? Well here are some of our favorites:
Recipe Tips For Success!
- When adding the breading, roll and press the chicken tenders into the breadcrumb mixture making sure it’s completely coated evenly all the way around.
- Don’t crowd the basket. Making sure there is enough space around each chicken tender allows the hot air to circulate evenly and helps the tenders get nice and crispy. So cook the chicken tenders in two separate batches if you need to.
- Don’t forget to preheat the air fryer. Similar to preheating your oven, it’s a good idea to preheat your air fryer so the chicken tenders can cook evenly and get crispy on the outside.
- Spray the tops of the chicken tenders with cooking spray and repeat when it’s time to flip the tenders. This also helps the tenders to get crisp