Make Air Fryer Chicken Tenders that are juicy and flavorful in less than 10 minutes! These chicken tenders have no breading making it perfect for low carb, keto and gluten free diets and so good for you.

air fried chicken tenders on a white plate with dipping sauce and a napkin on the side.

These air fryer chicken tenderloins are one of our go to weeknight dinners, and my boys love them. They come out juicy every single time, no breading needed, just simple seasoning and a hot air fryer doing all the work.

I always keep a bag of chicken tenderloins in the fridge or freezer, fresh or frozen, because they can be turned into a five minute dinner. This is just one of the many air fryer recipes I lean on constantly when life gets busy, the air fryer has genuinely become my most used appliance.

The secret to keeping these tenders juicy is simple: do not overcook them. An instant read thermometer is honestly your best friend here, it takes the guesswork out completely and means you pull them at exactly the right moment.

We love dipping these in ketchup or spicy mayo sauce. Pair them with my air fryer cauliflower without breading and dinner is basically done.

Ingredients

Chicken tenders: fresh or frozen chicken tenders. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts if tenders aren’t available. Slice the chicken breasts roughly the same size as tenders for best results.
Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil or any cooking oil you prefer.
Seasoning: Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Italian seasoning, Black Pepper and Salt. For spices mixes go with cajun seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning or any seasoning mix you like. Add cayenne pepper for extra heat.

How to Make Chicken Tenders In The Air Fryer

*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.

Air fryer chicken tenders with no breading comes together quickly. Preheat the air fryer at 390 degrees F for about 3 minutes or until you prep the chicken.

seasoning mix for chicken tenders in a small bowl.

adding oil to chicken tenders in a bowl.

In a small bowl, mix the spices together for the seasoning.

Pat dry the chicken pieces throughly with paper towel. In a large bowl, coat the chicken tenders with olive oil.

adding the spice mix to the chicken tenders.

Sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken and rub well to coat. Make sure that all the chicken pieces are coated with the dry rub.

chicken tenders in the air fryer basket.

air fried chicken tenders in the air fryer basket.

Place the seasoned chicken tenders on the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry chicken tenders for 8 minutes. No need to flip as they’ll be cooked on both sides. The chicken will be cooked when they’re no longer pink. You want the internal temperature of the chicken to be around 165˚F.

Remove the air fried chicken tenders and serve warm.

*Air fryers come in different sizes and models, and you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Recipe Tips

Remove the tendons(white muscle piece) from your chicken tenders if there’s any.
Dry the tenders thoroughly with a paper towel.
Preheat Air fryer. This helps the chicken cook faster.
It’s easy to overcook the tenders so keep an eye on the timer. Also using a meat thermometer to check the doneness rather than eyeballing it gives you perfect results every time!

Serving Suggestions

Air fried chicken tenders without breading are so versatile, you can work them into pretty much any meal.

Serve them as a main dish alongside crispy roast potatoes, roasted broccoli, or green beans straight from the air fryer. Cut them up and toss them over a salad for a light lunch, or drop them into a rice bowl, they work beautifully there too.

Need an easy filling for wraps or quesadillas? Look no further. Just place the cooked chicken tenders on a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese and your favorite toppings, and you are good to go.

Or keep it simple and have the tenders on their own as a snack, dipped in spicy mayo sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, or ranch, whatever you are in the mood for.

air fried chicekn tenderloin is being dipped in mayo sauce.

Can You Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in the air fryer?

Absolutely! Even though the purist in me would ask you to thaw the frozen chicken tenders first, my practical side wants you to go ahead and cook it from frozen.

You may need to adjust the cooking time. Air fry frozen chicken tenders for 10 minutes and check for doneness. If it’s not cooked yet, increase the cooking time to another 2 to 3 minutes.

chicken tenders cooked in air fryer with dipping sauce on a plate.

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