With a golden, crispy, gluten-free coating and tender, juicy meat, these air fryer chicken tenders are incredibly easy to throw together, and with far less oil than deep-frying. They’re ready in 20 minutes, perfect with a side of dipping sauce!
For another easy chicken dinner, make crispy air fryer chicken thighs or this extra-juicy air fryer chicken breast.
My favorite air fryer chicken tenders have been a back pocket recipe for eons. Whenever I need a fast, delicious weeknight meal, I know that I can throw a batch of chicken strips in the air fryer, serve them with pommes frites or sweet potato fries, and everyone at the table will love it. Chicken tenders might be a quintessential kids’ dinner, but even adults happily scarf these down. Just thinking about this juicy, golden, crunchy chicken triggers a serious craving.
I make my breaded chicken tenders with a simple, gluten-free coating. I’m willing to bet these taste even better than the ones from your favorite restaurant! You’ll never scour the internet for another chicken tender recipe.
Make the Crispiest Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
- High-crunch gluten-free breading. It’s as easy as using gluten-free flour and panko in the breading. Of course, you can use regular flour and breadcrumbs if you aren’t making them gluten-free.
- Less oil than frying. The air fryer is wonderful for cooking food to a perfect, golden crisp without the excess oil of deep frying. These tenders come out super crispy, without the mess or greasiness.
- Enjoy them with anything. We love to serve this with a side of fries, air fryer sweet potatoes, or garlic parmesan Brussels sprouts. But I don’t think I’ve met a meal that wasn’t made better by crispy chicken! The air fryer also makes it super quick to fry up a batch of chicken to add to a Caesar salad, tacos, sliders, wraps, and more.
What You’ll Need
Gather up the ingredients below to make these easy homemade chicken tenders. See the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Chicken Tenders – Or boneless, skinless breasts cut into small strips.
- Mayonnaise – Helps the breading mixture stick to the chicken while tenderizing the meat in the process. If you don’t wish to use mayo, you can use Greek yogurt instead.
- Dijon Mustard – Yellow mustard would also work.
- Garlic – Freshly minced, or you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder per fresh garlic clove.
- Panko Crumbs – I use gluten-free panko, but you can use regular panko breadcrumbs if you’re not gluten-free.
- Flour – Gluten-free flour acts as a primer and locks in the moisture from the wet ingredients. Feel free to use all-purpose flour as needed.
- Dried Herbs – Dried oregano and basil, or you could swap the individual herbs for Italian seasoning.
- Seasonings – Garlic powder and smoked paprika for extra flavor in the breading.
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How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Here’s how to make flawless, crispy chicken tenders in the air fryer.
- Coat with the wet ingredients. First, stir together the mayo, mustard and garlic to a small bowl. Add the tenders and toss to coat, then set them aside.
- Dredge. Next, add the panko, flour, herbs, and seasonings to a separate bowl. Dredge both sides of the tenders in the panko mixture. Press firmly to coat each tender in the mixture, then set them on a plate.
- Air fry. Heat your Air Fryer to 400°F. Spray the inner basket with non-aerosol cooking spray. Working in batches, cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side, until it’s cooked through, crispy and golden on the outside. Garnish the tenders with parsley and serve them with lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.
Can I Bake These Instead?
Yes! I adore how crispy these tenders get in the air fryer, but they’re also easy to cook in the oven. Here’s how:
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Prep the chicken. Coat and dredge the chicken tenders as usual.
- Bake. Place the prepared chicken tenders onto a lightly greased baking sheet and cook them for 15-20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through, until they’re nice and golden on the outside. Serve the tenders with a sprinkle of parsley, some lemon wedges and your favorite dipping sauce.
Expert Tips
- Use evenly sized tenders. I like to use pre-cut tenders for this recipe so that all of them are relatively the same size. If you’re cutting out your own tenders from a chicken breast, try to make them as even as you can so that some don’t cook faster than others.
- Work in batches. Don’t try to stuff all of the chicken tenders into your air fryer at once. This will cause them to cook unevenly – there should be a little space between each tender.
- Avoid aerosols in the air fryer. Be sure to spray the air fryer basket with a non-aerosol cooking spray or olive oil spray so you can flip and remove your tenders with ease. Do not use aerosols like PAM, as they may damage the non-stick coating on the air fryer basket.
- Use tongs to handle hot chicken. Take care when opening the fryer to flip your chicken tenders. I always recommend using tongs to handle the hot chicken.
What to Serve With Your Chicken Tenders
You can’t go wrong with golden-fried chicken and a delicious dipping sauce as an easy appetizer on game day. And to turn them into dinner, add some tasty sides. Here are some family favorites:
- Dipping sauces: Try ketchup, honey mustard, sweet and savory mango BBQ sauce, or ranch dressing. I’ve been loving this tangy homemade Romesco sauce lately.
- French fries: We love these oven-baked garlic Parmesan fries or garlic ranch potatoes.
- Salad: Pair your crispy chicken tenders with a fresh arugula salad or ramen noodle salad. Or, have this chicken on a chicken Cobb salad or on top of fresh romaine with Parmesan, croutons, and homemade Caesar dressing.
- Veggies: Make an easy vegetable side, like air fryer carrots or crisp air fryer green beans.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. These tenders should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not store them until they’ve cooled completely.
- Reheat. Reheat the chicken tenders within 3 days. To keep them crispy, I recommend warming them up in the Air Fryer or the oven. Heat them at 350°F until they’re warmed through.
- Freeze. These chicken tenders are freezer-friendly. First, freeze them on a baking sheet for 1 hour, or until they’re frozen solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and store them for up to 3 months. Reheat them directly from frozen for the best results.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
These golden and crispy air fryer chicken tenders are ready in 20 minutes or less, without the excess oil that comes with deep frying. Serve them with dipping sauce for an easy, kid-friendly weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 12 chicken tenders
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup gluten free panko
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- To a small bowl, add mayo, mustard and garlic. Stir together.
- Add tenders to the bowl with wet ingredients. Toss to coat all of the tenders.
Set aside. - To a medium bowl, add panko, flour, oregano, basil, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Stir to mix everything together.
- Dredge both sides of tenders in panko mixture. Press firmly to coat and set on a plate.
- Heat an Air Fryer to 400°F. Spray with cooking spray.
- In batches, cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and crispy and golden on the outside. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- To Store: Keep cooled tenders in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat: Heat tenders in a 350°F oven or Air Fryer until warmed through.
- To Freeze: Freeze cooled tenders on a baking sheet for 1 hour, or until frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen.
