This tender air fryer chicken tenders no breading recipe is my kids’ favorite meal! Barbecue strips of chicken breast cooked to perfection in no time.
We made this air fryer chicken tenders no breading recipe to see if it was as delicious as the frozen ones we bought for years. OH MY were they so much better! If you too are looking for an easy air fryer recipe that’s egg free without breadcrumbs, this is it. (originally published 3/20, affiliate links present)
You may have already tried air fryer frozen chicken nuggets for your kids. I mean that is fine but homemade is so much better.
You’re probably looking for more flavor and healthier choices too huh? Well this is it y’all.
Let’s talk about a few specifics, and the kitchen appliances we have at home;
- We have both the Ninja Foodi and a Cosori unit.
- You can grab a cookbook here. 😉
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- You’ll find more Ninja Foodi air fryer recipes here too.
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You only need a few items to make these homemade chicken strips yourself.
The ingredients to make chicken tenders in air fryer are
- Olive oil cooking spray
- oil spray will help it not stick to your air fryer basket
- Fresh chicken tenders
- Brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Salt and pepper
Or you can use this teriyaki air fryer marinated chicken recipe instead of this bbq sauce.
If you just wanted to use a bottled sauce instead of making your own homemade barbecue sauce we share below you could use that too. With just 6 ingredients I am sure you have in your cupboard already though, it’s kinda’ a no brainer.
Yes we have breaded chicken similar to this and made bacon wrapped Ninja Foodi chicken tenders before. Those were good for the fry food taste we were looking for, this is a gluten free version though since we’re skipping the breadcrumbs.
- NO flour, Panko, or almond flour are used in these.
- That makes them really quick to throw together and are a much healthier air frying recipe to boot.
- All in just 10 – 12 minutes time too!!
I will tell you that my girls loved these maybe more than the laborious process of whisking an egg, dipping into several different shallow bowls to coat the outside, and then cooking.
- I would try them both and see which you prefer.
- Then you’ll be ready to air fry everything like us!
- My oven is crying now, I hardly use it anymore except for cakes!
Ok here is how we made these air fryer chicken breasts pieces. Yes you can just slice breasts thinly if you cannot find “tenders” in your meat section.
Can I eat chicken tenders on keto?
This is not necessarily a Keto chicken tenders recipe but you could make it as such. You would need to omit the sugar and maybe just use seasonings as we did with our frozen chicken breast in air fryer recipe here.
- Just use timing here and seasonings from the other to make it low carb. That one only has ONE carb per serving!
- You can find even more low carb air fryer recipes here too, bookmark that while you’re at it. 😉
I bet you’re thinking “man The Typical Mom blog has a lot of Ninja Foodi chicken recipes!” You would be correct.
It used to be the only meat my girls would eat. Now that we live in Idaho and buy half a cow every year we tend to eat a lot more beef, but chicken legs (and other parts) still remain a fave.
Let’s jump to the recipe shall we?
Here is a run down of how these air fryer chicken tenders were made
Time needed: 14 minutes.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders No Breading
- Prepare
Rinse and lay pieces on paper towels to remove excess moisture from outside. Set your meat aside and mix together other ingredients for your sauce in a bowl.
If you’re using bottled bbq sauce you can skip the mixing that. Scoop out 1/4 cup of your sauce and set aside. Marinate your tenders in the rest of the sauce in a bowl for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees and spray inside of basket with non stick spray.
Use tongs to remove chicken from sauce and place inside basket overlapping as little as possible. If you have a smaller unit you may need to make 2 batches. - Air Fry
Cook for 10 minutes, then flip each piece over on to the other side and continue cooking for 4-6 minutes until internal meat temperature is 165 degrees.
Use pastry brush to add more sauce to the outside before serving!
How many pieces of chicken can you put in an air fryer?
2 full breasts work, smaller tenderloins can be closer to 12 depending on how large your basket is. 7 wings fit nicely without overlapping. Y
ou can fit 6 frozen air fryer chicken tenders, or 1 whole chicken. Keep them separated to get really crispy.
Do you flip chicken in air fryer?
Almost always the answer is yes. The only time I wouldn’t is if there is a type of breading that may fall off if moved around too much. I have yet to encounter that yet though.
- The whole philosophy on why you do this is simple. This machine works to make food crunchy because of the hot air circulating around the food.
- If you overlap each piece you’re impeding the air flow from hitting those areas, thus they won’t get crisp.
- For chicken tenders with no breading however you won’t get that real crunch anyway so it isn’t all that important.
Can I use PAM in an air fryer? Some say it could damage the coating of the basket, I have yet to see this. I personally prefer olive oil spray instead but most times it is necessary to use something so the food doesn’t stick.
- If you’re using the Ninja Foodi Grill you need to use avocado oil instead or it will smoke.
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Air Fryer Chicken Tenders no Breading
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- 1/2 c ketchup
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Combine ketchup, brown sugar, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl.
- Set aside 1/4 cup of sauce for later. Add chicken tenders to the sauce making sure they are completely covered.
- Allow to soak in marinade/sauce for 15 minutes. Place chicken tenders in a greased air fryer basket. Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes once they're marinated.
- Spray inside of basket with olive oil spray. Air fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip tenders over and air fry for an additional 4-6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees in the middle. (timing will depend on how thick your meat is)
- Brush with remaining BBQ sauce prior to serving.
Dana Kirkwood says
I found this recipe and made these today. The chicken was so tender and tasty. I used Kraft BBQ sauce and it did the trick. After taking them out of the fryer, I brushed a little hot sauce on the outside. Yummy!
The Typical Mom says
Yay!
Steve McGee says
Excellent!
The Typical Mom says
Glad they were a hit
Lauren Kleiman says
I love that this chicken tender recipe is a healthier option that everyone enjoys.
Sydnie says
Air fryer recipes are my favorite and this is a good one!
Katie says
So good! Can’t wait to make it again
Sara says
These look so great and super juicy! I love that they aren’t crumbed, such a great recipe.
Anita says
This is a great chicken tender recipe. No mess since there’s no breading, and tastes delicious.
The Typical Mom says
So glad it was a hit!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
So convenient to make! my family loved these.
Sue says
Chicken tenders are a guaranteed hit with the kids in my family! Love that these can be made in the air fryer. Great recipe!