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Boneless skinless chicken breasts are easily transformed into the most delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with an easy to make honey mustard dipping sauce! A simple egg wash and flavorful coating quickly cook into crispy tender pieces of chicken that are so much easier and less oily than frying.
If you’re a fan of chicken tenders for dinner, you will also love my Parmesan Herb Crusted Chicken tender recipe.
Why this recipe is so great:
- Less oil: Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are very similar to tenders that are deep fried in oil, but these use much less oil to cook!
- Easy to make: A quick dip in an egg wash, coat in the crumb mixture, spray with oil, and they’re cooking!
- Kids love them: So much better than frozen processed chicken tenders. Feed your kids something delicious and more wholesome.
- That dipping sauce! It couldn’t be easier to make and adds the best flavor to these tasty chicken tenders.
Ingredients needed to make the chicken tenders:
- Chicken: You can buy a pack or chicken tenders or you can buy boneless skinless breasts and cut them into tenders (instructions below).
- Eggs: These help the bread crumbs stick.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: Help create the crispy outer coating.
- Parmesan: Shaved with a Microplane from the block is best. This adds great flavor and helps them turn a nice golden brown.
- Garlic Herb Seasoning: Adds all the salt and flavor you need. You can substitute with garlic powder and salt.
- Olive Oil Spray: This helps the air fryer chicken tenders form a nice crispy outer coating. If you don’t have a spray, you can brush on olive oil, but take care not to brush off the crumb coating.
How to cut chicken breast into chicken tenders:
You can easily buy a pack of chicken tenders to skip this step, but if you are using boneless skinless chicken breasts, this is how you cut the pieces to make tenders.
- Turn breast upside down on cutting board: Boneless skinless breasts actually do come with a tender. You can see it easily once the chicken breast is turned over.
- Separate: The tender can easily be pulled away. Pull back any membranes and slice away the long pieces that easily separate.
- Tenderize: Thick chicken breasts can either be sliced thin to create tenders, or they can be tenderized first. Use a rolling pin or a meat tenderizer to flatten the remaining breast to a thin, uniform thickness.
- Slice: Once the thick part of the breast is an even thickness, slice it into strips that are the same size as the tenders you cut away.
How to make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders:
Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
- Egg wash: Slightly beat egg in a flat bottomed dish. Have two eggs ready, but start with one. That way you don’t have to use the second egg if not needed.
- Crumb mixture: Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, and garlic herb mixture in a flat bottomed dish.
- Dip and coat: Submerge each chicken tender in the egg wash to coat, shaking off any extra. Then dredge in crumb mixture to fully coat.
- Arrange in air fryer basket: Chicken tenders must be placed in a single layer. if your air fryer isn’t big enough, you’ll have to cook them in batches.
- Spray with olive oil: Spray the tops of each chicken tender so that they have a thin layer of olive oil on top.
- Cook, flip, spray, cook: Cook the tenders for about 5 minutes, flip, spray the other side with oil, and continue cooking until done.
Note: The model of air fryer I used for this recipe was the Breville Smart Oven. Although each model air fryer cooking in a similar manner, basket sizes and cooking times may vary greatly from model to model.
Honey mustard sauce:
This quick and easy sauce is basically an aioli that tastes great as a dipping sauce for these chicken tenders. Easy to mix up while the air fryer chicken tenders are cooking.
- Ingredients: Mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt.
- Mix: Simply combine all of the ingredients, taste, and adjust according to taste.
Cooking tips for best results:
- Cooking times: How long your air fryer chicken tenders take to cook will vary depending on the thickness of your tenders as well as your air fryer model and how crowded they are. To determine doneness, look for the golden brown color as well as reaching an internal temperature of 160°F as determined by an instant read thermometer.
- Crumb coating: I love panko bread crumbs because of the crunch but you can use regular bread crumbs or even crushed up crackers. As far as the parmesan, the finer it is grated, the better it will stick. If you don’t have a garlic herb seasoning blend, you can substitute with your favorite herbs and spices.
Other great air fryer recipes:
Whether you’re new to air frying or have fallen in love with your air fryer and are looking for recipe inspiration, you’ll want to try these favorites:
- Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Crispy Parmesan Asparagus
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Boneless skinless chicken breasts are easily transformed into the most delicious Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce!
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts you can buy chicken tenders or chicken breasts
- 2 large eggs I only used one but you might need two
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded from a block
- 1 Tablespoon garlic herb seasoning
- olive oil spray
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Tobasco recommended, amount can vary
- pinch salt amount varies according to taste
Instructions
To make the Air Fryer Chicken Tenders:
- If using chicken breasts, first remove the tender from the under side of the breast. Then, flatten the remaining breast to an even thickness using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Slice into long strips that are similar in size to the tender your already removed. Alternately, you can skip this step by buying a pack of chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts.
- Add egg to a flat bottom container and slightly beat. I reserve the second egg and will only crack it if the first egg runs out. In another container, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, and garlic herb seasoning.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg wash and fully coat. Shake off any remaining egg and dredge in bread crumb mixture. Set chicken strips in a single layer in air fryer basket.
- Spray tops of all the coated chicken tenders generously with olive oil spray.
- Cook in preheated 400°F air fryer for 5-7 minutes. Flip each piece of chicken, cover with olive oil spray, and return to air fryer for another 7-15 minutes. Final cooking time will depend heavily on how thick your chicken is along with how browned and crispy you want them to be. Doneness can be verified with an instant read thermometer and internal temperature should be at least 160°F.
To make the dipping sauce:
- While the chicken is cooking, combine the mayo with the Dijon and honey. Add a dash of hot sauce and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking. If too tart or sweet, add more salt. If you want more heat, add more hot sauce.
- Serve warm chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cooking times: How long your air fryer chicken tenders take to cook will vary depending on the thickness of your tenders as well as your air fryer model and how crowded they are. To determine doneness, look for the golden brown color as well as reaching an internal temperature of 160°F as determined by an instant read thermometer.
- Crumb coating: I love panko bread crumbs because of the crunch but you can use regular bread crumbs or even crushed up crackers. As far as the parmesan, the finer it is grated, the better it will stick. If you don’t have a garlic herb seasoning blend, you can substitute with your favorite herbs and spices.
Nutrition
Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 60g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 257mg, Sodium: 820mg, Potassium: 924mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 362IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 272mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave me a comment below
Such a quick and easy recipe. I don’t use my air fryer enough, but with this, I will be using it a lot more. All the ingredients make this so tasty and the olive oil spray really does a great job of crisping everything up, without over-the-top oil or grease. Loved it.
I made these chicken tenders for our lunch today, and the meal turned out amazingly delicious! OMG! The sauce is with making!!!
What a fabulous chicken tender recipe. Healthier and very tasty. I need to find that Garlic and herb spice.
My children loved these chicken tenders, and I LOVED them because they aren’t fried! This recipe is a keeper!
The kids will love these I can see them asking for them over and over again! they look wonderful
I recently got an air fryer so I need to try making these! They look so simple but sooooo good. Love that you added parmesan to the coating – I’ll bet that creates so much flavor!