These Air Fryer Chicken tenders are not like your regular Crispy Chicken Tenders. These are crispier, Juicier, and so satisfying.
I have used crushed Nacho Cheese Dorito to coat chicken tenders. They make a crispy crust along with the usual seasoning - onion powder, garlic powder, Kosher Salt. To make it even better I have brushed them with BBQ sauce and then cooked them in an air fryer at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes. Do Check out the recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breasts. and the recipe for Crispiest Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken Recipe with Buttermilk
Using Air Fryer for the first time -You'd want to know - Is Air Frying Healthy?
Planning for a quick snack or a lunch that you can grab and go? These smoky, crispy, and juicy, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are your best bet.
Serve them with Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges or Crispy Carrot Fries or Crispy Cajun Air-Fryer Sweet Potato Fries (Zero Oil) or Creamy Cucumber Red Onion Salad with Dill and Sourcream and your dinner is sorted.
Sometimes I like to serve them with my favorite Deli-style Macaroni Salad. I like the combination of smoky chicken tenders with creamy salad.
Let's Talk Taste
These Air fryer Chicken Tenders crisps up like a dream. The chicken tastes extra good with the Nacho Cheese Dorito crust and ofcourse that BBQ Sauce. Its serisouly soo good. It lends a sweet and sticky taste to these Chicken Tenders and the Nacho Cheese Dorito Crust makes this extra crispy and delicious.
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Ingredients
These are the ingredients required to make Air fryer Chicken Tenders
To make these chicken tenders you will need the following ingredients:
- Chicken Tenders
- Seasoning - Onion powder, Garlic Powder, Kosher Salt, and a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
- BBQ Sauce
- Rice wine vinegar - can also use cider vinegar.
- Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos
- Freshly chopped Parsley for garnish
See the recipe card for quantities. And, check out the video for a quick visual.
Instructions
This is a complete step-by-step guide on how to make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
Step 1: Coat Chicken in Seasoning
In a bowl mix Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Kosher Salt, and cayenne pepper. Coat each chicken tender in this seasoning. Make sure the chicken is completely coated.
Step 2: Brush BBQ Sauce & Vinegar
Lay chicken tenders on a plate. Brush both sides with BBQ Sauce & vinegar. You can use any brand of BBQ sauce that you like or you can make BBQ sauce at home.
Step 3: Coat Chicken Tenders in Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos
I have used Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos to coat my chicken. Instead of this, you can use BBQ Potato Chips or Dorito Sweet Chili Nacho Crisps or Jalapeno and Cheddar Doritos.
Step 4: Spray Chicken Tenders with Cooking Spray or Brush with Oil
Don't use regular cooking spray. Rather use Olive Oil or Avocado oil. Spray both sides of chicken tenders with oil. You can also brush them with oil.
Step 5: Air Fry Chicken Tenders
Air Fry Chicken Tenders at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve with BBQ sauce.
HINT: Every Air Fryer Works differently. So, make sure you test with your Air Fryer before serving. It also depends on the wattage of your Air Fryer.
Variations
- Choice of sauce - You can replace BBQ Sauce with Sriracha and Honey or Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Its soo good and shall taste so amazing
- BBQ Potato Chips - Replace Nacho Cheese Dorito Crumbs with BBQ Potato Chips for better BBQ Flavors.
- Pretzel Crust - Replace Nacho Cheese Dorito Crumbs with Pretzel crumbs. Don't forget to add some honey for amazing flavors.
Make Ahead
To Make-ahead Chicken Tenders, coat them with Nacho Cheese Dorito crumbs and store them in a freezer-friendly bag.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and deep fry or air fry and serve.
Storage
I don't recommend storing cooked Chicken strips. They won't remain crispy.
Top tips
- Its important that you brush the Chicken Tenders with olive oil or avocado oil before placing them in the air fryer basket
- Never use cooking spray in the air fryer basket, because the Air fryer Basket has teflon coating and the chemicals from the cooking spray will destry it
- Every air fryer works differently. If you have an air fryer with higher wattage, then it might take less time. So its advisable to test this recipe before you serve to your guests.
- There is no need to Preheat your Air fryer before cooking this, because preheating can even burn your chicken.
- You can freeze the coated Chicken Tenders for 5-10 minutes before you place them in the air fryer basket for even crispier tenders.
- Do not overcrowd the Air fryer Basket - I know you'll feel the urge to cook a large batch at once. But, that's a BIG NO. Be patient and cook in batches. Don't overcrowd the basket.
Can you cook Frozen Chicken Tenders?
Yes, you can use Frozen Chicken Tenders. Just put them for a longer duration. or simply thaw them out in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for few hours before cooking.
Can I Cook Chicken Strips without Flour?
Yes, that's the beauty of an Air Fryer. No Flour. No Buttermilk and still you get the crispiest fried chicken. See the recipe for Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
Should I coat Chicken Strips in Aluminium Foil before cooking?
No. You shouldn't do that. I have made so many chicken recipes in Air fryer -
Crispiest Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan (ZERO OIL),
Extra Crispy Cajun Dry Rub Chicken Wings in Air Fryer,
Firecracker Chicken Meatballs in Air Fryer,
Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Air Fryer
but I have never used Aluminium foil in an Air Fryer. Although if you are thinking about heat loss then you can cover your Chicken with Aluminium foil.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Extra Crispy Popcorn Shrimp in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Eggplant Fries Recipe
- Healthy Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Crispy Honey Sesame Shrimp in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Firecracker Shrimp
- Coconut Shrimps in Air fryer with Pineapple Chili Sauce
- Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa (just 10-minutes)
- Keto Chinese Lemon Chicken in Air Fryer (Crispy - without Breading!)
- Orange Tofu (in Air Fryer)
- Parmesan Zucchini Fries in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Bagels
- Air Fryer Crispy Potatoes
- Air Fryer Chickpeas
- Crispy Fried Green Beans in Air-Fryer
- [2-Ingredient] Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli
I hope you liked this recipe. If you happen to make this recipe, then comment below and rate this recipe. Also, tag me with #recipemagik on Instagram.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenders
Seasoning for Chicken
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Other Ingredients
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce storebought or homemade
- 1 pack nacho cheese Doritos crushed (9 oz) {can you any other flavor}
- olive oil or avocado oil brush or spray on chicken tenders
Garnish
- Fresh Chopped Parsley OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Pat dry chicken tenders. Coat them with seasoning - onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Make sure you coat both sides of chicken tenders evenly.
- Brush BBQ sauce & Vinegar on chicken tenders. Make sure you coat both sides of Chicken tenders with BBQ Sauce and Vinegar.
- Dredge Chicken tenders through crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos. Coat both sides evenly.
- Place them into the Air Fryer basket. If you want you can line your Air Fryer basket with Parchment paper. It will help you clean up. Air Fry at 400 degrees F or 200 degrees C for 7-8 minutes. After 8-minutes flip over and brush some more oil. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until Chicken tenders reach an Internal temperature of 165°F. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve right away with any dipping sauce that you like.
Video
Notes
- Every Air Fryer works differently. It took me 8+3 = 11 minutes to cook my chicken. Your timing might vary. So, try one batch and then follow with the rest.
- Instead of Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos, you can use BBQ Potato Chips (crushed)
- Although you can refrigerate these crispy Chicken Tenders in an Air Tight Container for up to 3-days. But, I certainly don't recommend it. What happens is, that the cold air of the refrigerator kills the crispiness of the chicken. And, no matter how much you try, you cannot get them back to crispy again.
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