Golden, crispy, perfectly juicy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders couldn’t be easier to make and can be served in so many ways.
I have so many great air fryer recipes, including Air Fryer Grilled Cheese, Potato Wedges, and Chicken Wings!
I love a good chicken basket and fries as much as my kids do, and these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders win everyones approval! Serve them with baked or air fryer french fries and any favorite dipping sauces, like BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, ketchup, or Chick-fil-A sauce! If you are still a beginner, let me help you learn how to use an air fryer!
How to Make Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer:
Marinate: Place chicken tenders in a bowl or ziplock bag with pickle juice and marinate for 30 minutes.
Make Breading: Add flour, powdered sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, salt, and baking powder to a ziplock bag.
Prep Egg Mixture: Add milk, and egg to a separate bowl and mix together. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees.
Coat the Chicken: Remove chicken from pickle marinade and add to the bowl with the egg mixture. Spoon out tenders and place them in the ziplock bag with the dry seasonings. Seal and shake bag to evenly coat all of the chicken tenders.
Cook: Spray bottom of the fry basket with nonstick cooking spray. Take each tender from the bag and place tenders in a single layer in the bottom of the fry basket. Space them out so they don’t stick together. Generously spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking spray so that flour is not visible. Then flip the chicken over in the fry basket and spray the other side.
Air Fry: Cook chicken tenders for 6 minutes at 360 degrees. Open air fryer, flip chicken to the other side, and spray tops again with cooking spray. Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until crisp and cooked through.
Serve With:
- Dipping sauces: BBQ Sauce, Ranch, Chick-fil-A Sauce, or Ketchup
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Fresh fruit or Applesauce
- Veggie tray and Dip
- On a Salad
- In a wrap.
- Roasted Vegetables
Freezing Instructions:
To Freeze: Freeze cooked chicken tenders in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in air fryer at 380 degrees until golden, crispy, and warmed through.
Recipe Variations:
- Healthier Chicken Nuggets: leave out the powdered sugar, and use wheat flour or panko instead of all-purpose flour.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten free flour or breadcrumbs.
- Spicy Chicken Tenders: add 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper to the flour mixture.
- Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets: prepare the same, and bake on a baking tray at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
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Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb raw chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup pickle juice
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large eggs
Breading for chicken tenders:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Marinate: Place chicken tenders in a bowl or ziplock bag with the pickle juice and marinate for 30 minutes.
- Make Breading: Add flour, powdered sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, salt, and baking powder to a ziplock bag.
- Prep Egg Mixture: Add milk, and egg to a separate bowl and mix together. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees.
- Coat the chicken: Remove chicken from pickle marinade and add to the bowl with the egg mixture. Spoon out tenders, letting any excess egg mixture drip off, and place them in the ziplock bag with the dry seasonings. Seal and shake bag to evenly coat all of the chicken tenders.
- Air Fry: Spray the bottom of the fry basket with nonstick cooking spray. Take each tender from the bag, shaking it well to get rid of any excess flour, and place tenders in a single layer in the bottom of the fry basket (you will likely need to do two batches). Space them out so they don't stick together. Generously spray the top of each piece of chicken with cooking spray so that flour is not visible. Then flip the chicken over in the fry basket and spray the other side.
- Air Fry the chicken tenders at 360 for 6 minutes. Open air fryer, flip chicken tenders to the other side, spray tops again with cooking spray. Increase air fryer temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until crisp and cooked through. (Exact cooking time will vary depending on the size of your tenders, your air fryer, etc.).
Notes
Nutrition
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I liked the ease of this recipe and your instructions were very clear and appreciated! The spices on the other hand did not hit the mark. Having read the previous comments I added what I thought would help, but it still came out a bit bland, I’ll have to tweek a little more. I wasnt sure about the powdered sugar, so I only used 1 tɓsp, I will leave it out all together next time. The tenders came out nice and crispy and using the pickle juice was really helpful in getting the chicken tender! All in all it was a successful afternoon treat, thank you for sharing!!
Unfortunately this was not a favorite for our family. The chicken was tender however, the flavor was bland.
wasn’t crispy enough and the flavors didn’t come across the way I thought they would
Hi Lauren
I follow and make lots of your recipes and this Chicken tenders looks amazing but please tell me what you mean by pickle juice. Is that a mixture of vinegar water and salt and in what quantities?
Thanks
Hey there! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Yes, pickle juice in the chicken tenders recipe refers to the liquid that pickles are stored in, straight from the jar. There’s no need to mix anything extra—just use 1/2 cup of the juice from a jar of dill pickles. It adds a fantastic flavor and tenderizes the chicken.
I really appreciate your adding the oven directions!! I got so excited when I found them. Thanks!
Can I use almond flour instead?
We’re an egg free house. Any suggestions on substitutes for the egg?
Try heavy cream!
Love this and the touch of sweetness! My new favorite.
These were delicious! Crispy and tender. So easy.
SOOOOO good! Will definitely be using this recipe again