Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Forget about fried chicken strips from supermarket and prepare them from scratch at home! These crispy air fryer chicken tenders are made with simple ingredients and can be made ahead.
Servings: 8 pieces
Calories: 117
Ingredients
- 8 chicken tenders (about 1-pound/450-grams)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (110 grams), see note 1
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (85 grams), see note 2, 3 & 4
- 1 teaspoon salt (or less)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano
- oil in spray , preferably olive oil
Instructions
- Place chicken tenders in a container/bowl and pour yogurt over. Use kitchen tongs to cover all the pieces with yogurt (you can use a ziploc bag instead if you like).
- In a shallow bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, paprika and oregano.
- Now, preheat air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) for 5 minutes.
- Place one chicken tender in the middle of the bowl and cover it in breadcrumbs. Turn it over and repeat (note: panko breadcrumbs are chunky so when coating the chicken strips the seasoning can stay at the bottom of the bowl. Make sure to grab some of it with fingers and sprinkle it evenly all over both sides of the chicken pieces).
- Place breaded chicken strip onto a tray/plate and repeat with the rest of them.
- Transfer the strips in your air fryer and spray each with oil. Cook for 4 minutes (400 Fahrenheit/200 Celsius), then turn them over, spray with oil and cook for a further 4 minutes.
- When the time is up, check for doneness with food thermometer and take out when ready (see note 5). Enjoy as appetizer or main!
Notes
- Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted with natural (unsweetened) yogurt. Any fat content will work. 1/2-cup is plenty for up to 10 tenders.
- Panko breadcrumbs are the key to crispy coating. Substituting them with other type of breadcrumbs may not give you the same result.
- Note that sodium content in panko breadcrumbs vary from brand to brand. I used panko with 1% sodium per serving (1/2-cup/30-grams). If your package contains more, use less salt.
- To coat 8 chicken tenders you will need about 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs and you won’t end up with much of a waste. However, if you prefer to have more breadcrumb mixture, add extra 1/4 to 1/3-cup of panko.
- Cooking time can vary slightly. This depends on your air fryer as well as size of chicken tenders. Make sure your chicken tenders are cooked through before taking them out. If not sure, use a food thermometer. The internal temperature in the thickest part must reach 165 Fahrenheit/74 Celsius.
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Amount per Serving
Calories
117
% Daily Value*
Fat
2
g
3
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
37
mg
12
%
Sodium
439
mg
19
%
Potassium
267
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
9
g
3
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
15
g
30
%
Vitamin A
273
IU
5
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
47
mg
5
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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