Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 21 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders (or boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

¼ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 large eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

olive oil or avocado oil spray

optional dipping sauce: marinara or pizza sauce, barbecue sauce, or ranch dressing

Directions

Preheat air fryer at 400ºF for 2 to 3 minutes.

Season Chicken

Season both sides of chicken tenders with salt and pepper.

Prepare Breading

Set out three small shallow bowls. In the first bowl, place flour, paprika, and garlic powder; mix lightly. In the second bowl, add eggs and beat lightly. In the third bowl, combine panko and parsley flakes.

Bread Chicken

One at a time, coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat with the panko mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating adhere.

Arrange in Air Fryer

Place chicken tenders in basket of air fryer, in a single layer (you may have to cook them in batches). Spray the tenders with olive oil spray (this helps them get golden brown and crispy).

Air Fry

Air fry each batch of chicken tenders for 7 to 11 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken tenders, or until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Do not overcook.

Keep Warm

If desired, keep chicken tenders warm and crispy in the oven. Put the cooked tenders on a wire baking rack placed on top of a sheet pan in a warm oven (175-200ºF). This will keep them warm and crispy while you finish cooking the rest.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauces. Refer to the post for lots of ideas.

Nutrition

• Calories: 312 kcal
• Total Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 191 mg
• Sodium: 630 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 17 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 42 g