Air Fried Chicken Tenders
by Sommer Collier — on Jun 24, 2026 Who doesn’t love a hot, crispy and moist chicken tender? When I want all of that crunch and satisfying taste, but without all of the calories and work of deep frying, I make my no-fail air fried chicken tenders recipe. They’re easy to prep with a buttermilk, egg, and Cajun seasoning marinade, then coated in panko breadcrumbs and quickly air fried to golden brown perfection. Everyone agrees these healthier air fryer chicken tenderloins are scrumptious enough to enjoy on their own, but I almost always serve them with a creamy dipping sauces on the side.
I don’t have to tell you, chicken tenders are a beloved dinner time protein with children and adults alike! We have quite a few “breaded chicken” recipes on the site, like our popular baked chicken cutlets, that have alternative cooking methods if you hate deep frying. This air fried chicken tenders recipe has a phenomenal crispy crust and juicy meat, but is healthier for you and much easier to make! I love them because the quick marinade of buttermilk, egg, flour, and seasonings also act as the glue that holds the panko breadcrumbs onto the chicken. Soak the chicken in the marinade for just a few minutes, or all day if you prefer, then roll them in breadcrumbs and pop them in the air fryer. Then all you need is a little spritz of cooking oil spray over the top and you’ve got crunchy coated chicken to dip in all your favorite dipping sauce! I’ll share my personal favorites below.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Less is More – And that’s a great thing when you’re talking about cleanup effort and calories! My air frier chicken tenders have the crispy crust and juicy meat of deep fried chicken tenders with a lot less oil and mess.
Quick and Easy – I love that I don’t need to bust out a large pot and cooking thermometer and wire rack. Making chicken tenders in the air fryer requires just the one appliance, and they cook in under 10 minutes. The perfect dinner for busy weeknights!
You Know You’ll Love Them – I mean, c’mon. There’s nothing complicated or groundbreaking here… Which is exactly as it should be when you’re talking about a classic family-friendly protein! I’m showing you the easiest steps with my expert tips to make batches of crunchy and moist chicken fingers that are reliably delicious, every time.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Chicken tenders – To make this recipe super duper quick and easy, I buy packaged chicken tenders that are ready to go. However, if you have whole chicken breasts on hand, you can use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breasts into 1/-inch wide strips to use instead of tenders.
- Buttermilk – The acid in buttermilk is what makes these tenders, well, tender! It helps work the seasonings deep into the meat so they’re extra juicy and flavorful. I recommend saving money and making buttermilk from scratch with 2 ingredients. It’s easy!
- Egg, all-purpose flour, and Cajun seasoning – These additional marinade ingredients are what help the breadcrumbs bind to the chicken breast tenders, making a thick-but-not-too-thick and delicious coating.
- Breadcrumbs – I like light crispy panko, but feel free to use traditional unseasoned breadcrumbs.
- Cooking oil spray – I use a spray olive oil to lightly coat the chicken tenders in the air fryer before cooking. But you can use any high-heat cooking spay oil, like avocado oil or canola oil.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Marinate the Chicken – I start by quickly whisking an egg in small cup, and setting it aside. Then I get out a large plastic ziploc zipper bag and my measuring supplies to make the marinade. Into the bag first goes the chicken pieces, followed by the buttermilk, flour, whisked egg, and seasonings. Close the bag tightly… Trust me, you want to double-check to make sure it’s totally sealed. Then I take out my frustrations of the day and give the bag a good shaking, until every bit of the tenders are completely coated.
I pop the bag into the fridge, and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes to tenderize the chicken. But really, you can start this recipe anytime at your convenience! Prep is so quick and easy that I often get it going in the morning before heading out for the day.
Dredge in Breadcrumbs – Once the chicken has marinated and I’m ready to cook, I first preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and get out a wide, shallow bowl. Then I add the panko breadcrumbs to the large bowl and get the ziploc bag out of the fridge. Working one a time, I use one hand to pull a tender from the bag and gently plop it into the breadcrumbs. Pat on the breading, roll the tender around, and get it coated evenly on all sides. I shake the chicken tender ever so slightly to get off any excess crumbs, then add the piece to the air fryer basket.
I repeat this process with several more tenders, so the basket is full but the tenders aren’t touching.
Air Fry – Once the basket is full, I lightly spray the coated tenders with the cooking spray. Then I close the drawer, and air fry the chicken for 4 minutes.
Flip – Once the 4 minutes are up, I use tongs to flip the tenders in the basket. Then I lightly spray more oil on this side of the chicken, and pop the basket back in. Cook for another 4 minutes, until the coating is beautifully browned and crisp all around.
Expert Tips
Yes, you really should take the time to let the chicken marinate before air frying. As I mentioned, you can do this for as little as 15 minutes to get the meat tenderized and loaded with flavor… But the longer they marinate, the better! Well, up to several hours longer, but not more than 12 hours. After that point, the chicken will become over tenderized and start to soften a bit too much.
To cut back on mess even more you can line the bottom of the air fryer basket with a square of parchment paper. Let the fryer preheat first, then add the parchment along with the tenders when ready to cook, so the paper doesn’t fly around and catch on the heating element.
Take it easy with the breading. I dredge the marinated tenders well in the breadcrumbs, but only to lightly coat the outside versus trying to build a deep crust. Too much breading will make it harder for the chicken to cook thoroughly, and is likely to crumble off in the air fryer.
Be careful to leave room between the tenders in the air fryer. The heat needs to be able to work its way on all sides of the chicken so that each piece gets evenly golden brown and crunchy. This might mean working in batches, but trust me, it’s worth it! And yes, you do also need to flip them halfway.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these tenders casual restaurant style with a basket of baked fries or deep fried french fries, and a sauce or two for dipping. Not to knock the classics, but before you reach for that bottle of ketchup or bbq sauce, check out some of my favorite quick and easy homemade dipping sauces that are delicious with crispy air fried tenders…
- Honey Mustard
- Chick-Fil-A Sauce
- Remoulade – goes great with Cajun seasoning in the chicken breading
- Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Southern Comeback Sauce
- Magic Lemon Garlic Aioli Sauce
- French Fry Dipping Sauce
Storing and Reheating
Leftover fried food, even when it’s air fried, doesn’t taste as crunchy and delicious as when it’s fresh and hot. However, the tenders will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and are easy to reheat in a few minutes.
Air frying them again at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes is ideal. You can also heat them in a 350 degree over for about 10 minutes. I do recommend avoiding the microwave with these, as the outer coating will become softer instead of crisping back up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Another benefit of marinating tenders before breading and air frying is that it helps the breadcrumbs to stick well to the chicken. The marinade combination of milk, egg, and flour is a terrific binder!
One of the many things I love about the air fryer is how quickly it cooks, but that does mean you have to be careful to not over cook foods. Get them out of the basket as soon as the top layer is golden and the edges of the breadcrumbs start to look crispy. They’ll become a slightly darker color once they begin to cool.
You can usually tell by looking at the chicken tenders to see when they’re done… The breading will be set and gold-ish brown, and the meat inside should be completely tender, white and juicy. To be 100% sure you can use an internal meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
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More Chicken Recipes
Air Fried Chicken Tenders
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- ¼ cup buttermilk or ¼ cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons cajun seasoning or blackened seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Set out a large gallon size zip bag. Place the chicken tenders in the bag followed by the buttermilk, egg, flour, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Zip the bag tight and shake vigorously to mix the ingredients and coat all the chicken tenders. Allow the chicken to rest in the bag for approximately 15 minutes. *You can also place the bag in the fridge and leave them all day if needed.
- When ready to air fry, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Set out a shallow bowl, and pour the panko breadcrumbs into the bowl.
- One at a time, pull the chicken tenders out of the bag leaving a good even coating of spice mixture on the chicken tender. Roll the tender in panko breadcrumb, and place in the air fryer basket. *If your air fryer is small you may have to work in two batches, but for average sized air fryer, you should be able to fit all the tenders in a single layer.
- Once all the chicken tenders are coated in panko and placed in the air fryer basket, spray the tops of the tenders with cooking oil spray.
- Place the basket in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 4 minutes. Then use tongs to gently flip the chicken over, and spray again with cooking spray. Place back in the air fryer for another 2-4 minutes. That 6-8 minutes of cooking time total. *6 minutes for smaller tenders and up to 8 minutes for large chicken tenders.
- Use tongs to pull the chicken tenders from the air fryer. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. I personally like them with honey mustard, or our magic aïoli sauce
