Air Fryer Chicken Strips Recipe (2024)

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Air Fryer Chicken Strips Recipe – juicy, tender, crispy and delicious strips of chicken breast, air fried to perfection and served with your favorite honey mustard dipping sauce. Kids favorite, perfect for an appetizer or a quick lunch.

Air fryers are small countertop convection ovens designed to simulate frying without submerging the food in oil. In fact you need just a little bit of oil or you can “fry” foods without any grease. A fan circulates hot air at high speed, producing a crisp layer via browning reactions such as the “Maillard” reaction. Besides fries, my second most favorite thing to make using my Philips Air Fryer is chicken strips. Kids love them and so do I.

These are so much healthier than deep fried chicken fingers. And the amount of oil to produce these crispy tenders is minimal. All you need to do is lightly spray them with a cooking spray on both sides just once before cooking.

How to make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breast or pre cut chicken tenders
salt and pepper to season the chicken
flour (or cornstarch)
Italian seasoning (optional)
eggs (if you don’t like to use eggs for personal reasons, like diets or allergies, you can skip the cornstarch/flour and brush the chicken with regular or egg free mayo)
bread crumbs (regular, seasoned or Panko)
cooking spray
additional seasoning you can add to the breadcrumbs (paprika, oregano, basil), optional

Directions:

If you are not using store bought chicken tenders, you can make them yourself from boneless skinless chicken breast.

Cut each chicken breast into 4-5 strips vertically (they will be about 1/2 inch wide).

Beat the eggs. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and add the Italian seasoning (optional).

Season with salt and pepper.

Place the cornstarch in a shallow bowl and dip each chicken strip in cornstarch.

Next dip in the beaten eggs. Toss in bread crumbs.

Spray the basket of the Air Fryer with cooking spray.

Add the chicken strips and spray with oil on top. Cook for 7 minutes, then turn and cook for 7 more minutes on the other side. The tenders will be golden and crispy on the outside and the internal temperature should be 165 F.

Can you make these in the oven?

No Air Fryer, no problem! Although I recommend you get one, if you could. French fries taste amazing and they are not covered in oil.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).

Bake the chicken strips for 10 minutes per side, until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Since ovens are a lot bigger than an Air Fryer, it takes longer time to cook chicken fingers compared to Air Frying, but you will achieve a good effect.

At what temperature and for how long to cook chicken strips in an Air fryer?

Preheat an Air Fryer for 2 minutes at 400 F (200 C). Fry for 7 minutes per side, turning once.

More Air Fryer Recipes:

Stuffed zucchini boats
How to make chicken wings in Air Fryer
Corn on the cob in the Air Fryer
Did you know you can also make desserts in your Air Fryer? These Air Fryer Brownies from Texan Erin are perfect, if you just don’t need a whole batch of brownies.