Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are an upgrade from the frozen ones in a box. Made from scratch with herb-flavored breading, these crispy chicken tenders will become your favorite.

You will want to enjoy this snack often. Air frying chicken tenders makes them crunchy and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Dip in your favorite sauces from Ketchup to honey mustard, ranch, etc. These would be great served at lunch, as an appetizer, or a simple snack during the day.

Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Thanks to our favorite kitchen appliance- the air fryer, these chicken tenders are not greasy or oily at all. Made without oils and added fats and cooked with a convection-like heat, we get the crisp texture we want without deep frying anything. Perfect for a healthier diet, lighter meal, and a perfect excuse to place a couple of extra tenders on your plate.

Ingredients

• Chicken tenders
• Unsweetened corn flakes
• Breadcrumbs
• White flour
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Eggs

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Prepare breading

Grind the corn flakes in a food processor or in a mortar and pestle until a rough texture has formed. Do not process into a fine powder.

Combine the cornflakes with the bread crumbs, garlic powder, Italian herbs, and salt in a bowl until combined.

In another bowl, crack and whisk the egg until beaten.

Add in a pinch of salt and set aside to reserve.

In a third bowl, add your flour.

Assemble chicken tenders

Coat the chicken tenders in flour on all sides.

Dip the floured chicken into the egg mixture until coated.

Place the wet chicken into the bowl of breadcrumbs and cereal and coat it well on all sides.

Set aside and repeat until all of the chicken has been covered.

Cook tenders

Coat the basket of your air fryer with a bit of olive oil using a kitchen brush.

Place a few pieces of the coated chicken tenders inside, making sure not to overcrowd the basket.

Cook in batches for 10 minutes, flipping them after 5 minutes have elapsed.

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces of preference.

Recipe Tips

• These chicken tenders are the most crispy after they have been freshly cooked. I do not recommend making them in advance because the breading will soften. That said, they still taste great as leftovers.
• Make sure to use unsweetened and unflavored corn flakes, or else your breading might be a bit weird.
• You can prepare the breading mixture in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 months. Then it’s ready when you want it.
• Do not overcrowd or stack your air fryer chicken tenders because the air fryer works by circulating air around the food, and if the food is touching or too close, the air won’t circulate and cook that area well, resulting in longer cooking times.

Breaded Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer Using Chicken Breasts

If you don’t have or can’t find any chicken tenders available in the grocery store’s near you, then you can simply DIY some using regular boneless skinless chicken breasts. To do this, you will want to slice your chicken breasts into thin strips about ½ an inch thick. Also, remember to trim off any fat that may be on your breasts.

How to Make This Homemade Chicken Tenders Air Fryer Recipe in a Regular Oven

Don’t want to use your air fryer? That’s okay because we have a simple oven-baked recipe you can follow along with instead.

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F while you prepare the breading and tenders.
2. Ley them out onto a greased or foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until done.

What to Pair With Breaded Chicken Tenders

These chicken tenders taste great as-is but would also taste great in a sandwich or sliced into pieces over a green salad or pasta salad. For ideas on what to pair with these tenders, consider any of these ideas:

• Homemade buffalo sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Honey sriracha sauce
• Honey mustard
• Ranch dressing
• Ketchup
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Alabama white BBQ sauce

For tasty side dishes, here are a few great ideas:

• French fries
• Sweet potato fries
• Potato wedges
• Quinoa with Roasted Peppers

FAQs

Can I make them gluten-free?

A few simple substitutions can easily make this recipe gluten-free. Just use gluten-free corn flakes, flour (like almond flour), and gluten-free certified bread crumbs.

How long does it take to cook chicken in an air fryer?

The time needed to cook these chicken tenders will vary based on the size of the tenders. Larger tenders will take longer to cook than the smaller or thinner ones, so try to cook them in batches of similar size so that the tenders all cook at the same speed. On average, they should take about 4-5 minutes per side.

How long are air fryer chicken tenders good for?

You can keep your leftover tenders in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days in the fridge. You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To do this, freeze them on a baking sheet first before transferring them to an airtight container. You can cook them from frozen for about 12 minutes, flipping them over halfway.

For more delicious air fryer recipes check out these great suggestions:

• Air Fryer Pancakes
• Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
• Best-Ever Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes
• 50 Best Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes for Any Occasion
• Incredible Air Fry Carrots
• 35 Keto Air Fryer Recipes For Any Occasion

Continue to Content

Yield: 10

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Print

The crispiest and juiciest chicken tenders made in the air fryer. With a coating made with a secret weapon and lots of herbs these fried chicken tenders are going to be your favorite!!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 chicken tenders
• 1 cup unsweeted corn flakes
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Start with prepping the special and crispiest breading mixture:
2. In a food processor or mortar and pestle, grind the corn flakes until a rough texture is achieve. Do not process until a fine powder we want to keep some texture. 
3. In a bowl mix the corn flakes with the breadcrumbs, the garlic powder, the Italian herbs and the salt and mix well until combined. 
4. In another bowl crack and whisk the egg, add a pinch of salt too, reserve. 
5. In a third bowl add the flour. 
6. Start assembling the chicken tenders as it follows: 
7. Coat them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and corn flakes mixture. 
8. Set aside until all of them are coated. 
9. Coat the basket of your air fryer with a bit of olive oil using a kitchen brush.
10. Place a few of the coated chicken tenders in it, making sure to not overcrowd the basket. 
11. Cook them in batches for 10 minutes at 392F/200C, flipping them halfway. 
12. Serve hot with your dipping sauce of preference (mustard, BBQ, ranch..)

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