These unbreaded chicken tenders in the air fryer are perfectly seasoned with herbs and spices and cook in the air fryer in just 10 minutes. Dinner has never been so good!
“I made these yesterday and they were amazing!”
Recipe Overview
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders without breading are much healthier than traditional breaded tenders. This recipe is also low-carb, keto, whole30 approved, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Perfect for a healthy diet or meal plan.
Our quick seasoning blend uses spices you probably already have at home!
Use air fryer chicken tenders paired with Air Fryer Broccoli to create healthy and delicious meal prep lunches.
Are you looking for the recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with a crispy breading? I have one for you! You might also want to save instructions for making Frozen Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer too.
Ingredients List
- Chicken Tenderloins – Start with raw chicken tenderloins for this air fryer chicken tenders recipe. I can almost always find these at the grocery store, but if you can’t, just buy regular chicken breasts and cut them into strips.
- Olive Oil – This helps our spices and herbs stick to the chicken and lets them brown up nicely in the air fryer.
- Garlic Powder – this warm, sweet spice is great with almost anything but is especially delicious on chicken and other meats.
- Kosher Salt – We want our chicken to be well seasoned. Adjust the amount of salt for your own preferences.
- Oregano – This warm, earthy herb is delicious with chicken and I add it to most of my spice blends.
- Paprika – Ground paprika does double duty here. It adds a warm spiciness and also adds color.
- Ground Black Pepper – I like a bit of pepper to give these chicken tenders a kick.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
How to make these tenders
- Pat the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel. Then, add them to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
- Combine the spices in a small bowl and stir until well mixed. Sprinkle over the top of the chicken tenders. Toss the chicken tenders with the oil and spice blend until completely covered.
- Place the chicken tenders in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Work in batches if need be.
- Air fry at 380F for 9-10 mins, flipping halfway through, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.
Recipe Tips
- Watch Your Food: I say this about almost every recipe, but it’s important to keep an eye on your food in the air fryer, especially if you’re making something you haven’t made before.
- Adjust the Seasonings: You can season these air fryer chicken tenders any way you like. Add some chili powder to make them spicy, or try a Cajun seasoning blend. Get creative!
- Store Leftovers: Leftover air fryer chicken tenders can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can enjoy them cold in salads or sandwiches, or reheat in a 350°F air fryer for a few minutes until warmed through.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: For safety, chicken needs to be cooked to at least 160°F – 165°F or 74°C. Using an instant-read thermometer is the easiest way to check the temperature of your meat.
Serving Tips
These naked chicken tenders are super versatile and delicious with just about any side dish. You can even use them for weekly meal prepping, or making sandwiches or wraps.
Turn these tenders into a Honey Mustard Chicken Salad, or make up your own chicken salad varieties.
My perfect dinner (that my family loves too) is these unbreaded chicken tenders paired with Air Fryer Potato Wedges and some steamed veggies. A side of Air Fryer Balsamic Mushrooms would be delicious too.
More air fryer side dish ideas: Air Fryer Tater Tots, Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in Air Fryer, Air Fryer Hushpuppies, and so many more in our recipe index.
I like to dip chicken tenders in my Homemade BBQ Sauce or Homemade BBQ Ranch Sauce. Yum!
What are Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are a cut of chicken that comes from the tenderloin, underneath the chicken breast. Each chicken has two tenderloins. I suppose we call them chicken tenders because it’s more fun to say!
Should I remove the Tendon from the chicken?
Everyone has different opinions about this, so you can do what you like! The thick white tendon inside of the chicken tenderloin is inedible, so if you remove it, the tenders will be easier to eat.
That said, the tendon can be hard to remove, so you might decide it’s easiest to air-fry chicken tenders with the tendon still in.
If you want to remove the tendon, take a knife and carefully separate the end from the meat. Then hold the tendon with a paper towel, and use a fork to push the meat away from you.
Tips from our readers 📝
“Substituted Chicken Drumsticks. Beefed up the Oregano and was liberal with Olive oil.”
~Benny on Pinterest
“Instead of dipping them in fatty oil, dip them in egg white for extra protein and a crunch!”
~Lemontuxedo on Pinterest
FAQs
These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders without breading are much healthier than other breaded and fried chicken!
You can! I find that it takes at least 3 additional minutes for the chicken to cook through if I start with frozen chicken.
Yes, you can cook raw chicken tenders in the air fryer.
I suggest preheating the air fryer when making unbreaded chicken tenders. This step helps to get the chicken cooked quickly and perfectly. If you decide not to preheat, you will need to cook the chicken tenders for an additional 3-6 minutes to get them to the correct temperature.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (Unbreaded)
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb Raw Chicken Tenderloins
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380°F/190°C for 5 minutes.
- Pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels. Then, add them to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
- Combine the spices in a small bowl and stir until mixed. Sprinkle over the top of the chicken tenders.
- Toss the chicken tenders with the oil and spice blend until completely covered.
- Place the chicken tenders in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Work in batches if need be.
- Air fry at 380F for 9-10 mins, flipping halfway through, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.
Notes
- You can typically find chicken pre-cut into tenderloins at the grocery store. If you can’t, purchase chicken breasts and cut them into long strips yourself.
- The spice blend for this chicken is so delicious, but if you’re looking for something a bit simpler, you can just use ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper for a basic recipe. Change around the spices to your liking!
- Depending on the size of your chicken tenders, they may cook quicker or slower than the times we have listed. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165F.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition Information
I made these yesterday and they were amazing!
So glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks for coming back and letting us know, it helps others who might be on the fence to try them!
I was looking for a different way to do my chicken tenders when I stumbled upon your site on Google. I’ve saved you as a bookmark, and will be visiting regularly! Thanks for the tenders recipe by the way – they’re DELICIOUS!
made these a week ago, they were wonderful. cooked off extra to put in the frig for topping salads. they were just as tasty cold. making them again tonight. love this zesty spice combo and love the no-breading!
Excellent! And so easy!