Ninja Foodi Chicken Tenders

Ninja Foodi chicken tenders wrapped in bacon and homemade are in air fryer are an easy 20 minute dinner idea kids will love. If you have only cooked Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer, these are from scratch and much better.

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Recipe

Have you gotten on the air fryer bandwagon yet?? We cook tons of easy air fryer recipes all the time now that we have this baby. Directions explain specific to this model but you could easily use the same timing and temperature for an AirWave or Cosori too.

We have this pressure cooker and air fryer but there are many models out there. Both big and small. It doesn’t really matter what brand you have. I have 3 different ones and they all work very similarly. Of course we love the Foodi because you can do all the things in it.

How Long to Cook Chicken Tenders in Ninja Foodi

The cook time depends. If they are frozen it is about 5 minutes but left in for another 8 to warm all the way thru. Made from scratch is about 12 minutes. If you made bacon wrapped like seen here you need 14 minutes. All of these vary slightly depending on how large and/or thick yours are but until the middle reaches 165F.

It’s one of our favorite Ninja Foodi chicken recipes. You can add a bit of heat if you like with some chili powder or keep them lightly breaded as you see here. There are no unusual hard to find ingredients used and I wrapped many in bacon which took them from good to over the top deliciousness. You chose which you like better. 😉

Ingredients

1. Chicken strips
   1. or breasts cut into small strips similar to chicken fingers
2. Egg to coat or olive oil as directed below
3. Bread crumbs – I used this, I think it’s easier than panko breadcrumbs
4. Bacon are optional if you want to wrap them
5. Dipping sauces if desired
   1. I keep leftovers from Chick Fil A and use those
   2. Ranch, BBQ, and fry sauce are good too
6. Oil spray if you want them really really crispy

Variations

You could use avocado oil if you’d rather, I use what I have on hand. The only accessory you will need is either the air fryer basket or a wire trivet. I used the basket that came with my machine. I used a different coating when making our air fryer fried chicken recipe the other night.

There are tons of possibilities for the breading. If you need to know how to bread chicken without eggs we have info. for you here. Breadcrumbs or Shake n Bake will work. As for bacon I wouldn’t choose a thick style. Regular slices will get a bit crispier, that is our preference anyway.

Tips

You always want to start by preheating your air fryer. Many times I will make frozen pot pie in air fryer in my other drawer since I have a dual style machine. With these I spray basket with cooking spray so that it doesn’t stick and you lose the coating.

You’ll want one bowl to whisk an egg into. Another bowl will have bread crumbs and some olive oil, this will be your breading. On a cutting board you’ll lay out your bacon strips if you’re using them.

This is how you’ll want to set up your workspace so you can make these homemade air fryer chicken tenders like an assembly line. I cut 8 pieces in half and wrapped 2 halves around each chicken tender once it was breaded. If you need an egg free version, follow our our Cheese It chicken tenders instead.

This is what our assembly line of sorts looked like. 1 slice cut in half and wrapped around works perfectly. Typically tenders aren’t very big. Or you could use one strip and start at the bottom wrapping it all the way up. I just thought it would be easier to secure the ends with toothpicks this way.

I made a few without as well to taste the difference and everyone enjoyed them. With and without the added meat.  If you just had chicken breasts handy you could use those too. I would cut them into strips similar to this size. You want them relatively thin and all of them to be the same size so they’ll cook evenly in the air fryer.

with Panko

• Dip in whisked egg, bread the chicken with Panko or Italian style crumbs
• Cook chicken at 350 degrees for 12 minutes minutes, flipping half way thru is ideal for the ultimate crispy outside texture you want
• If using bacon cook for a bit longer or until crisped.
• Always ensure your meat reaches a safe 165F before removing and enjoying

Serve these with our Ninja Foodi macaroni and cheese for the perfect family friendly meal. Or if you have leftovers I will dice those up and throw them right into the pasta which is fun.

This model has the air crisp function as well so if that is your model, go for it. You can make all the air fryer recipes you want to in any brand. The whole process should take 30 minutes including time to prep and preheat your machine. For a lower carb way, you can make air fryer chicken tenders no breading.

You can print recipe below and find more easy air fryer dinners here. Air fryer chicken tenders recipe with fry sauce and our air fryer frozen tater tots make the perfect crispy meal!