Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (Low Carb)

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Recipe is a delicious, yet healthier version of America’s favorite home cooked food, deep fried chicken.

This air fryer recipe is one you will want to keep close at hand because it produces time and time again, quick to make, yet perfectly fried chicken tenders. And it is low carb because I use pork panko instead of bread crumbs to coat them!

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are dipped in a deliciously well seasoned pork panko and almond flour batter, giving these chicken tenders a fabulous taste and perfect, crispy outer coating without the extra carbs that come from bread coating. Wait no longer to make these tasty chicken tenders in the air fryer.  The finished product will be mouth watering good.

Low Carb Chicken Cutlets

I have been trying to eat more keto friendly, or low carb foods of late, and while I love these, chicken taco lettuce wraps, and these chicken enchilada bowls, or a delicious chicken marsala. sometimes I just want chick-fil-a! You know, like a battered and fried piece of chicken.

So I decided to make my own, and to make it low carb I used pork panko instead of regular breading. The results were so good!

How Do You Cook Frozen Chicken Tenderloins In The Air Fryer?

I am so excited about this air fryer chicken tenders recipe.  It is so easy and yet so delicious.

Cooking chicken tenders or chicken tenderloins in the air fryer does not have to be an intimidating task.  It’s really quite easy, actually.

You start with the chicken tenders, or even take chicken breasts and cut them into smaller pieces. Then you dip them in an egg batter, and coat with the breading. Which, in this case, isn’t bread at all, but pork rinds.

I can’t wait for you to try these chicken tenders.  They are delicious, the spices used compliment the chicken and pair nicely with each other, and the batter provides a nice crispy outer coating.

However, if you are wondering how to simply cook frozen chicken tenderloins that come pre-breaded, it’s just as easy as cooking chicken for this chicken tenders recipe.

How To Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders In The Air Fryer:

• Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees.
• Lightly grease the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
• Place frozen chicken tenderloins in the basket.  Do not over crowd.
• Cook for a total of 12+ minutes.  (check internal temp)

Note: You will probably want to flip chicken at about 6 minutes or frequently shake the basket to ensure an even cook.

That’s it.  It is that easy.  Don’t you just love that you don’t have to defrost chicken to cook it in the air fryer?

Sometimes life is crazy and that extra step of having to defrost something can be a deal breaker.  Thankfully you are in luck when it comes to the air fryer.

You can just throw chicken in frozen.  I love that.

Can You Stack Chicken In An Air Fryer?

Once you air fry one thing, trust me you are going to want to air fry again and gain.

Because the food is so good and you know that everyone is going to want to have their fair share of delicious food, the temptation is going to be to try to get as much food as possible into the air fryer.

With that said, the question is, can you stack food in the air fryer?  Can you particularly stack chicken in the air fryer?

The answer is yes, you can stack some food in the air fryer, but not all food and yes you can stack some cuts of chicken in the air fryer, but not all.

It all depends on the size of the food and in this case in particular it all depends on how big the chicken is.  Large pieces of chicken, like chicken breasts cannot be stacked in the air fryer.

Smaller pieces of chicken like chicken nuggets or chicken wings probably can be successfully stacked in the air fryer. However, because you want the outside to be crunchy, you should probably avoid it for these tenders. 

What you need to remember when deciding whether you can stack food in the air fryer or not is how the air fryer works.

Hot air circulates in the air fryer and that hot air needs to make contact with the whole outer part of the chicken.  

So, if you stack something and it is a large food item, then there won’t be space in between all the pieces of the food, resulting in some of the food being left unexposed to the hot air.  

If the hot air can’t get to all of the area of the food, then the food won’t be evenly cooked. And definitely won’t result in crispy food. 

Therefore, stacking tightly together chicken breasts in the air fryer will prevent the air fryer from being able to evenly fry all of the chicken.  

I would personally avoid stacking food in the air fryer. The results are just so much better when you don’t. 

How Long Do You Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets In Air Fryer?

Different pieces or cuts of chicken will cook for different times in the air fryer.

For example in this recipe for chicken tenders, I cook the chicken tenders in the air fryer for about 10-12 minutes with the air fryer being preheated to 400 degrees.

However, for chicken nuggets that are frozen, they can take up to 12 minutes to cook at a temperature of 400 degrees.

When determining how long to cook any type of chicken, a good rule of thumb is to use your knowledge of how long it takes to cook that type of chicken in the oven and then lessen that time by 20% for the air fryer.

That is one of the many things that I love about the air fryer.  Not only does it fry your chicken in a healthier way than deep frying, it typically takes less time than in the oven to cook.

I also love that you can reheat food.  You don’t have to rely on your microwave to  reheat all of your food now. And reheating something breaded in the air fryer means you get a crispy outside, instead of soggy like it would with the microwave. 

Have some chicken cutlets or tenders you want to reheat?  Throw them in the air fryer.

What Temperature Should Air Fried Chicken Be?

When you are cooking chicken it is important to remember that you want it fully cooked through.  No one wants to risk eating raw chicken.

Just like with oven baked chicken you want the the internal temperature to be 165 degrees.  

So, if you are cooking a typical boneless 4 ounce chicken breast in the air fryer, plan on cooking the chicken for about 12 minutes at a temperature of 380 degrees.

There Are So Many Great Sides To Go With This Dish!

I can’t wait for you to try this air fryer chicken tenders recipe.  It is such a nice change of pace to how you typically eat chicken. Plus, it is healthier than the traditional way of deep frying chicken.

And lastly, another great thing about this air fryer recipe is that there are so many sides that would compliment this dish and make it a fantastic, complete meal.

Try Honey Braised Carrots, Herb Butter Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Baked Beans, or Sweet Potato Casserole.  The possibilities are endless as to what side would make a good companion to this dish.

Any of these fantastic sides will make a great partner to these great Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer, chicken, chicken tenders, keto, low carb

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 299kcal

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs. chicken tenders
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup almond flour fine
• 2 tablespoon pork panko
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sea salt fine
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Avocado oil spray

Instructions

• Pre-heat air fryer to 400ºF.
• Pat chicken dry with paper towel and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl whisk eggs.
• In a wide shallow container, whisk almond flour, pork panko, and all of the seasoning, until combined.
• Dip sliced chicken into the egg, then dredge in flour mixture. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
• Spray the air fryer basket generously with avocado spray, and place as many chicken tenders in the basket that will fit with plenty of space in between. Spray tenders with additional avocado spray to lightly coat.
• Fry for 10 minutes, flipping once at 5 minutes.
• Repeat with remaining chicken tenders until they have all been cooked through to reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
• Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

If using boneless, skinless breasts just cut into strips about 1-1/2" by 5". For a nut-free version, omit almond flour and use all ground flax seed instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 815mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7.6% | Vitamin C: 0.8% | Calcium: 8.2% | Iron: 11.2%

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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