Air fryer chicken tenders
Crunchy, golden tenders with a parmesan crust and a quick honey mustard for dipping, with no pot of oil anywhere near the stove.
- 40 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.26 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken tenderloins, patted dry
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
From your pantry
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 470 calories, 41 g protein, 30 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $2.26 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken tenderloins? Chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
- No yellow mustard? Dijon mustard works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 5 min
Set out three shallow bowls: the flour mixed with the salt, pepper and paprika; the eggs beaten with a fork; and the panko mixed with the parmesan and garlic powder.
Dip each tender in the flour, then the egg, then press it into the panko on both sides and set it on a plate.
Dolly’s tip: Keep one hand for the egg and the other for the dry bowls, or your fingers end up breaded too.the oil over the tenders, then lay half of them in the basket in one layer, not touching.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Cook 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep and the thickest tender reads 165°F.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Pale, dry spots missed the oil. Brush a little oil on them and give them 1 more minute.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Cook the second batch the same way while the first waits on a plate.
Timer: 10 min
Wash your hands and anything the raw chicken touched with hot soapy water.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the honey, mustard and mayonnaise together and serve it with the tenders for dipping.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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