Make the best Gluten-Free Air Fryer Chicken Tenders in just 12 minutes with simple ingredients!
Get ready to make an easy weeknight dinner with this air fryer chicken recipe and these chicken strips or chicken tenders. This easy meal is ready in 10-12 minutes and it’s an easy way to make a gluten-free meal too with simple ingredients!
I think it’s one of the most common foods to use in the air fryer, immediately many people think of chicken wings; however, I have found that chicken tenders and chicken nuggets are just as tasty!
Can you stack chicken in the air fryer?
Chicken tenders MUST be placed in the air fryer basket in a single layer. A nice coating of grapeseed oil spray can be sprayed on the air fryer basket first, but in order to get the chicken evenly cooked a single layer is necessary.
Always leave room around the chicken too so that hot air circulates around it to properly cook it.
Can you cook frozen chicken in the air fryer?
I don’t recommend cooking frozen chicken in the air fryer, it does need to be defrosted first. If you have a pressure cooker or Ninja Foodi, you can pressure cook it to defrost it fast, then move on to the air fryer function.
Otherwise, always defrost the chicken first.
How long do you need to marinate Air Fryer Chicken Tenders?
I would suggest preparing the chicken the night before you plan to serve them or the morning of and letting them marinate throughout the day or overnight. This allows the flavor to soak in and helps create juicy chicken tenders.
This is also going to depend on what type of tenderloins you are making, if you are doing naked chicken which is simply chicken tenders with nothing added then you would not need to marinate.
What do you use to make these gluten-free?
These chicken tenders are easy to make gluten-free by switching out the flour. I use Better Batter Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour to make mine; however, you can use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Other good flour options are King Arthur, Bob’s Red Mill, and Cup for Cup.
Making Gluten-Free Air Fryer Chicken Tenders:
Once you have your chicken marinated and coated with flour, place it in the greased air fryer basket. This should be coated with grapeseed oil spray, olive oil spray, or avocado oil spray. Remember that grapeseed oil spray has the highest smoke point, which makes it the best choice.
Once you are ready to cook the chicken tenders, cook them at 390 degrees F for 12 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. This can be checked with an instant-read thermometer.
If you have a large air fryer, then they may fit in one batch but many times this will need to be done in batches to get through all the chicken tenders. This will be dependent on the size of your air fryer.
If you want to keep them warm while doing the next batch. Each piece of chicken can be placed on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees F to stay warm.
If the chicken tenders look a little floury, simply coat them with grapeseed oil spray and it will give them a crispy texture with a golden brown color.
Best Dipping Sauces:
Make sure to choose your favorite dipping sauce too for those tasty chicken fingers!
- Honey Mustard (Our personal favorite!)
- Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Barbecue Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
Serve the chicken tenders with Air Fryer French Fries or Air Fryer Onion Rings.
If you enjoy these then you will also love these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders too!
Enjoy these delicious chicken tenders made with less oil and with the best method too! This is certainly a recipe to add to your easy air fryer recipes.
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 15-20 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins Thawed
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 1/4 Cup Dill Pickle Juice
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour or Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- Grapeseed Oil Spray
Instructions
- In a Ziploc bag, combine the milk, pickle juice, and egg. Depending on the amount of chicken, 2 bags may be needed. Each bag fits about 8-10.
- Place the chicken inside the bag and seal it up, lay it flat so all the chicken is covered. It’s best to place inside another pan in case of leaks.
- Let this sit in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Once you are ready to cook the chicken, combine the flour, salt, paprika, and ground pepper in another bag.
- Take the chicken out of the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip off it and then place it inside the bag with the flour mixture.
- Seal and shake the bag so all the chicken is well coated in the mixture.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the bag, shaking off the excess and place in the basket of the air fryer.
- Coat with grapeseed oil spray.
- Cook at 390°F for 6 minutes.
- Carefully turn the chicken, coat it with additional spray, and cook for an additional 6 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
- Repeat the process for the remaining chicken.
- To get the golden brown look, spray with grapeseed oil spray just before serving.
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