Juicy and crispy air fryer chicken tenders are breaded with panko crusting for a delicious homemade kid-friendly dinner the whole family can enjoy.
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You don’t know chicken tenders until you’ve made homemade air fryer chicken tenders. Making them with a crispy breaded panko crust in an air fryer that only takes 15 minutes to make brings it to a whole new level.
Typically deep frying fresh chicken tenders would require almost a gallon of oil. Imagine how much oil will soak up in your breadcrumbs and chicken!
These super easy Air Fryer Panko Breaded Chicken Tenders are oil-free. It’s basically like breaded grilled chicken tenders, but with the taste of fried chicken. You can even make them in the oven.
Don’t want to make them homemade? Try these delicious frozen air fryer chicken tenders! They come out super crispy.
My favorite part of this recipe is how family-friendly it is. My toddler is in love with chicken lately and devoured these air fried chicken tenders within minutes of placing them on her plate.
She tells me they’re the best chicken tenders she has ever eaten, so, it’s officially approved for kids!
And if you love this recipe, you will love our Buffalo Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer too!
What you’ll need for Panko Chicken Tenders
- Chicken tenderloins – or chicken breasts cut into smaller strips
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Panko breadcrumbs – Italian breadcrumbs will work as well
- Onion and garlic powder
- Paprika
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
How to make Air Fryer Panko Chicken
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
It’s best to buy chicken tenderloins for this recipe, but raw chicken breasts work as well. If your chicken has skin on it, you will need to remove it before cooking.
STEP ONE: Take your raw chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch wide pieces. It’s okay if they are a little long, as long as they fit in your air fryer flat. If you’re using chicken tenderloins, they should be already sized appropriately for this recipe.
If your chicken is a bit thicker, you will want to pound it a little thinner until it’s a little thinner. Think about ½ inches.
Making the chicken fingers Batter
STEP TWO: You will need 3 separate shallow bowls for your batter. Place your eggs in the first bowl and the flour in the second. If you are low on bowls, feel free to use a plate for the flour. Whisk your eggs.
In the third shallow bowl, put the panko breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix in the herbs and spices until combined with the breadcrumbs.
STEP THREE: Coat the chicken tenders with flour, then eggs, then cover with the panko mixture and place in your air fryer on one single layer. Do not overcrowd the chicken.
Using the batter in this order allows for crispy chicken on the outside and is still juicy and tender on the inside.
How to cook Breaded Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
One of my favorite things about an air fryer is the time it takes to cook. You don’t need to wait for an entire oven to heat up and it takes 25-50% less time than cooking in an oven.
STEP FOUR: Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. It’s important to always preheat your air fryer for even cooking. You can learn more about preheating your air fryer here.
STEP FIVE: Place the homemade breaded chicken tenders in the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 7-10 minutes, flipping halfway until golden brown. The tenders are done when the thickest part reads 165 degrees F.
I recommend using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer, like the Kizen thermometer I use, or using your thermometer probe that comes with your air fryer (my Ninja Smart XL Pro Air Fryer Oven has one!).
If you notice the outside of the chicken strips turning brown quickly, turn your air fryer down to 350 and continue to cook until they hit 165 degrees F.
Each air fryer, just like any oven, distributes heat differently. Checking on your chicken fingers every 5 minutes helps eliminate the chances of overcooking your food.
Eat immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days. These chicken tenders can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Variations & Substitutions for Panko Chicken Tenders Air Fryer recipe
Can I Use Italian BreaDcrumbs Instead?
Yes! You can make this recipe using either Panko or Italian breadcrumbs for the breading.
If using Italian breadcrumbs, I recommend spritzing the top of the chicken lightly with oil using an EVO Oil Mister to keep the breading from drying out.
How to make Air Fryer Panko Chicken tenders keto
It’s fairly easy to change up this recipe to a delicious low-carb meal.
Simply make the following two switches:
- Swap the flour for almond flour
- Swap the breading for pork rinds
Honestly, you could even make these unbreaded or naked chicken tenders by just dipping them into some butter and adding the seasoned ingredients minus the breadcrumbs. You can also use my Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Tenders recipe here!
You can also use my Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe with different flavors!
What can I pair Panko Chicken Tenders with?
Chicken tenders are never complete without a dipping sauce. Try our homemade buffalo sauce recipe, 2 Ingredient BBQ sauce, or honey sriracha sauce that both pair perfectly with these air fryer chicken tenders.
You can dip them or even coat them completely to make Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders.
Finish out your dish with another one of these delicious air fryer recipes:
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Frozen Waffle Fries
- Garlic Bread in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Frozen Onion Rings in the Air Fryer
How to Store
How do You Reheat Chicken Tenders in an Air Fryer?
Leftovers geet nice and crispy on their own, but also work great in our buffalo chicken wraps!
- Preeheat your air fryer 350 degrees.
- Place your leftover chicken tenders in the air fryer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until heated thoroughly.
If reheating cooked chicken tenders from frozen, follow our frozen chicken tenders in the air fryer directions.
See more information on reheating chicken tenders in the air fryer here!
And check out these other Air Fryer Side Dishes too!
Other Air Fryer Dishes You Will Love:
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- 45 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with Flour
- Air Fryer Keto Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Bone-in Chicken Breasts
- Marinated Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
- 65 Kid-Friendly Air Fryer Recipes
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FAQS for this Panko Chicken Air Fryer recipe
Yes, just cut the chicken breasts into thin 1-inch wide strips before dipping them.
Yes! Simply stick them on a baking tray spaced out and not touching and cover it with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. This allows you to pull out the chicken tenders as you need them without sticking together.
Reheat by preheating your air fryer to 360 degrees and cook for about 12 minutes.
Yes! I highly encourage you to open your air fryer while cooking this recipe and any other one you cook. An air fryer is designed to hold heat, so you can frequently open it and move the food around.
Should you have it open every minute to check on it for 30 seconds each time? Well, no. Aim for opening your air fryer about every 5 minutes for 5-10 second intervals to allow just enough time to shake the basket or flip your food.
This is why I recommend a quick-read thermometer like this Kizen Instant-Read thermometer I use to get a 3-second read to know when your chicken strips are done.
When cooking from fresh, it’s not recommended to stack chicken tenders in an air fryer. It can make the chicken cook unevenly and even pull some of the breading off the tenders.
If cooking from frozen, you can stack your chicken fingers a bit more. There is no fresh breading to worry about coming off. It will just take a little longer to get that crispy breading.
Never fill your air fryer basket more than halfway full and shake the basket while cooking every 5 minutes or so to allow for even cooking.
To double this recipe, you can use a wired rack to keep this recipe under 30 minutes easily.
Although each air fryer cooks a little differently, this recipe can be made in any type of air fryer. This means if you have the Power Air Fryer Oven, GoWise, or Air Fryer XL, you can make this air fried recipe with no issues.
But since all air fryers do cook differently, it’s important to keep an eye on the breading. If you see the breading getting darker, check the temperature of the chicken, and lower the heat if needed.
I personally cooked these breaded chicken tenders in the 6.8QT Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer. Feel free to read my review on the Cosori air fryer here.
No! That’s what I love about this recipe! You can change up this recipe to your liking and still end up with nice crispy chicken tenders!
Substitute the egg for buttermilk to turn these into air fryer buttermilk chicken tenders
Substitute the egg for mayo to create like a shake n bake recipe similar to my delicious Air Fryer Breaded Pork Chops recipe!
Crispy Panko Chicken Tenders Air Fryer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins or breasts
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.
- If using chicken breasts, cut them into thin 1-inch strips.
- Set up the batter by putting the flour and eggs in separate bowls. Whisk the eggs.
- Fill a third bowl with panko breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine.
- Dip chicken tenderloins or breasts into flour, then the eggs, and lastly the breadcrumbs.
- Place coated chicken in the air fryer. Do not overcrowd. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until 165 degrees F at the thickest part.
- Enjoy immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
How to Reheat Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer:
1. Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees. 2. Place your leftover cooked chicken tenders in the air fryer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until warmed thoroughly then enjoy!Nutrition
This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.
If you use chicken breasts, it is a chicken strip, not a tender. You have to use the tender for it to be chicken tenders.
Hi BJ. Yes, this is completely true, although some people may not have chicken tenderloins easily available, so a chicken breast is the next best option to make this recipe. I appreciate the feedback!
I just purchased frozen chicken breast tenderloin. Isn’t it the same?
Hi Shannon, great question! Yes, chicken breast tenderloins are chicken tenderloins. You will know if it’s an actual tenderloin if it’s long and narrow as opposed to a bigger piece of meat, which is a chicken breast.
I cut the breast into large (2 inch) nuggets, seasoned the flour as well as the Panko, and flipped them halfway through. They came out great and looked very impressive.
I used chicken tenderloins with this recipe and they came out so crispy and delicious! I put them in the air fryer for 6 minutes and then flipped each chicken and put it in for about 5-6 more minutes. I paired it with some pasta and asparagus and thought it was wonderful! I will definitely be using this recipe again in the future. Thank you!
A great air fryer chicken recipe
Nothing better than crispy, flavorful chicken. The air fryer is perfect for it.
These chicken tenders are so good!
So crispy and easy, my boys love these
My family and I love it. I will definitely make again. Super easy and great flavor!