These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with Flour are meaty, crispy, and addictive. They’ve got a nice crunch on the outside, are seasoned to perfection, and are super soft and juicy on the inside -- just as a good chicken tender should be.
Putting them together is super easy too and this is one of those dishes that everyone loves and that gets me in and out of the kitchen in a flash.
I love experimenting with air fryer appetizers in particular, simply because they turn out just as crunchy and flavorful as their deep-fried versions, with only a fraction of the oil and calories to boot.
Whenever I make these, I pair them with lots of different sauces, especially my spicy jalapeno hot sauce, my all-time favorite dairy-free buffalo sauce, and even my creamy buffalo ranch sauce.
These tenders are the healthier version of my all-time classic favorite. Pile on some French fries or potato chips on the side and go to town!
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with Flour Recipe
- Kid-friendly: These tenders are a hit with kids too, making them a great recipe you can enjoy with the whole family.
- Super easy: Making chicken tenders in the air fryer takes just under 30 minutes, and it’s super easy too!
- Health(ier): They’re so much healthier than their deep-fried counterparts. Super crispy and flavorful, but yet, coming together with so little oil.
- Meal prep friendly: You can also make them in a large batch and store them for later- perfect for meal prepping!
Ingredients
Just a handful of ingredients is all it takes to make tasty chicken tenders. Ingredients that are likely sitting in your pantry anyway.
- Chicken tenders: You can easily find these at any supermarket or grocery store and may be labeled as chicken tenderloins. You can also make air fryer chicken breast tenders by sliding the tenders off the underside of chicken breasts.
- Flour: I used the regular all-purpose flour here.
- Egg: This helps the flour coat the chicken tenders nicely, and also keeps the tenders juicy and moist while they’re being cooked.
- Hot sauce: I also added a dash of hot sauce to add extra flavor and lend a bit of heat to the tenders.
- Seasonings: I used a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. You can experiment with different seasoning mixes of your choice too.
- Cooking spray: I used my favorite olive oil spray to grease the air fryer basket. Feel free to use any kind of nonstick cooking spray.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Extra crunchy: Use panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs for the second coating to make these Air Fryer fried chicken tenders extra crunchy.
- Cheesy twist: If you’re using breadcrumbs, add in some grated Parmesan cheese to lend these tenders a delicious cheesy twist.
- Gluten-free: Use any gluten-free flour and/or gluten-free breadcrumbs to coat the chicken tenders.
- Extra hot: Love spicy food? Add an extra pinch (or two) of cayenne pepper, jalapeno powder, or red pepper flakes into the flour.
- Mild: The tenders are very very lightly spicy, if you do not like spice at all, leave out the hot sauce and use an additional 1 tablespoon of water.
How to Make Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
Get all the ingredients ready and preheat your air fryer if needed.
Step 1: Prepare seasoned flour. Combine the seasonings and flour in a shallow bowl.
Step 2: Make the egg wash. Combine the egg, water, and hot sauce in a bowl and whisk until combined.
Step 3: Coat tenders. Begin coating the chicken tenders in the flour mixture.
Step 4: Dip in egg. After the flour, dip in the egg wash and then again in the flour.
Step 5: Get ready to cook. Transfer them to a greased air fryer basket and arrange them in a single layer, leaving a little space between each tender.
Step 6: Air Fry. Air fry the tenders for 10 minutes, then flip them and continue cooking for another few minutes until they’re golden brown and ready.
Hint: The key to crispy chicken tenders is to coat them just enough to cover them well, but not drown them. Too much batter leads to a soggy coating and not enough crunch.
If you love air fryer chicken recipes like this one, you may also enjoy these air fryer chicken kabobs, Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken or our Air Fryer Chicken Katsu.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Leftovers remain fresh for three to four days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: You can reheat the chicken tenders in the microwave if you want to do it quickly, or in the Air Fryer if you want that perfect crunchiness.
- Freezing: If you want them to last longer, transfer the chicken strips to an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag for up to a year.
Serving Suggestions
What I love about these tasty chicken strips is that they'll fit any occasion. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauces for meals, game nights, or when binge-watching those favorite shows or movies.
I love teaming them up with my favorite healthy honey mustard dip or my easy bagel dip. They're even great tossed in your favorite barbecue sauce or teriyaki sauce -- the possibilities are endless.
You can also serve the tenders with a salad on the side to make it a healthy meal. Pick a simple salad like a tortellini caprese salad or stick to a classic pasta salad.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid overcoating: While making chicken tenders in an air fryer, it's important to remember not to overcoat them. Putting a thick and drippy coating on the chicken will make them less crispy.
- Grease & prep: Make sure you evenly coat the Air Fryer basket with cooking or olive oil spray before cooking the tenders.
- Use a spatula: Expect a bit of sticking when cooking breaded chicken tenders in Air Fryer. Instead of tongs, suggest using a spatula to flip the tenders over. This will ensure that most, if not all of the coating stays on the tenders.
- Experiment: Try using different seasonings like Cajun spice mix, Italian seasoning and even just some chili powder if you’d like.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you certainly can! I actually tried them too and they turned out insanely delicious and are great as a low carb option. Here’s how you can make air fryer chicken tenders without breading.
Yes, you can! Preheat your air fryer, grease the basket, and reheat the leftovers for about 5 minutes.
The best way to check for the doneness of the chicken tenders is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature- it should ideally be 165 degrees.
More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes
Do you like cooking meals in the air fryer? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer (with flour)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1-2 large eggs 1 is usually enough
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- Olive Oil or Cooking Spray
- Sauce for serving BBQ, buffalo, ranch, teriyaki, or your favorite dip.
Instructions
- If air fryer requires preheating, preheat to 400°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Set aside. Place egg, water, and hot sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk egg mixture until scrambled.
- One at a time, dredge the tenders into the flour mixture, coating all sides and shake off any excess. Place the tender into the egg mixture until fully coated and let any excess egg drip off. Put tender back into the flour mixture and pack it on to form a crust. Shake off the excess.
- Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray, place tenders in the basket and make sure they're not touching. They may need to be done in batches. Spray the tops of the tenders well with more olive oil spray, as you want to ensure there are no dry patches.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. After flipping, spray them with more olive oil spray.
- Chicken tenders are ready when they're golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. If looking for suggestions, here is a roundup of all of our favorite dips.
- Don't forget you can toss chicken tenders in sauce! Simply mix chicken tenders in the sauce of your choice or have a look at our suggestions below. We LOVE them ALL!
Notes
- Avoid overcoating: While making chicken tenders in an air fryer, it's important to remember not to overcoat them. Putting a thick and drippy coating on the chicken will make them less crispy.
- Grease & prep: Make sure you evenly coat the Air Fryer basket with cooking or olive oil spray before cooking the tenders.
- Use a spatula: Expect a bit of sticking when cooking breaded chicken tenders in Air Fryer. Instead of tongs, suggest using a spatula to flip the tenders over. This will ensure that most, if not all of the coating stays on the tenders.
- Experiment: Try using different seasonings like Cajun spice mix, Italian seasoning and even just some chili powder if you’d like.
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