Go Back
+ servings
Logo of The Forked Spoon featuring a blue spork.
shot of sliced air fryer chicken tenders on a white plate with a pool of honey mustard sauce and a vintage fork holding a piece of chicken.
5 from 4 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Recipe

These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are perfectly crispy and golden on the outside, juicy on the inside, and so easy to make! A delicious weeknight dinner loved by all ages.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 550kcal

Tools

Ingredients

  • pounds chicken tenders - about 12-14 chicken tenders
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper - to taste
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • ¾ cup breadcrumbs - plain, not with Italian seasoning
  • Olive oil cooking spray

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Instructions

  • Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season both sides of the chicken tenders with salt, black pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Set aside.
  • Carefully combine the breadcrumbs on a large, shallow plate until they are evenly combined.
  • One at a time, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and coat it evenly. Allow any extra egg to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the chicken to the breadcrumbs. Gently press to coat, then flip the chicken over to coat the other side. Repeat until all of the chicken has been coated in breadcrumbs.
  • Preheat the Air Fryer to 400 degrees F. Spray the inside basket with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken tenders in the basket in a single later so that they are not touching. Spray the top of the chicken tenders lightly with nonstick olive oil spray.
  • Air fry at 400 degrees f for about 7-10 minutes total, flipping once halfway through cooking. The chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature registers 165 degrees f as read by a digital read meat thermometer.
  • Repeat until all chicken tenders have been cooked.
  • As the chicken tenders cook, whisk together the ingredients for the honey mustard dipping sauce in a small bowl.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • I like to line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the breaded uncooked chicken to the baking sheet until I'm ready to air fry them.
  • To keep the first batch of air fryer chicken tenders warm as the second (or third) batch cooks, place them in a regular oven preheated to 250 degrees f.

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 257mg | Sodium: 945mg | Potassium: 1094mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 494IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @theforkedspoon and hashtag it #theforkedspoon and please leave your star rating in the comment section on this post.

Copyright © 2026 The Forked Spoon

QR Code linking back to recipe