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Air fryer chicken tenders ready to serve
Vagner Carvalho

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with a Golden Panko Crust

Chicken tenderloins make naturally narrow strips, so they cook quickly beneath a crisp crumb coating. This recipe uses a standard flour, egg and panko breading rather than wet batter, which would drip through an air fryer basket.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 270
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound (450 g) chicken tenderloins
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 cup (60 g) plain panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g), divided
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Three shallow bowls
  • Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

  1. Trim exposed tendons and pat the chicken dry. If using breast strips, cut them to approximately 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick.
  2. Put flour and half the salt in one bowl. Beat egg and water in another. Mix panko, paprika, garlic powder and the remaining salt in a third.
  3. Coat each strip lightly with flour, then egg, then crumbs, pressing so the coating adheres. Brush or spray lightly with the measured oil. Discard contaminated breading mixtures.
  4. Preheat to 390°F (200°C) according to the manual. Arrange half the tenders without touching. Air fry for 9–11 minutes, turning after 5 minutes.
  5. Insert a thermometer from the side into the thickest strip. Chicken must reach 165°F (74°C); add a little time if needed. Move to a clean plate and repeat with the remaining strips.

Notes

Planning times depend on batch size, thickness and appliance. Two batches need about 18–22 minutes of cooking. Extra-thick breast strips take longer than small tenderloins; the thermometer overrides the time estimate. Nutrition is an ingredient-based estimate per serving (one-quarter of the batch). Counts all the offered flour, egg, crumbs and oil, so discarded breading can lower actual intake. Dips and sides are excluded. Illustrative images are generated, not a record of a personal cooking test.