Post was Updated on February 10, 2022
These Air fryer chicken strips coated in panko breadcrumbs are so easy to make. They have a nice golden color a crunchy texture on the exterior and a juicy interior. Purely perfection from a few simple ingredients. You can make them even in larger batches and keep them in the freezer.
This recipe also comes great when you’re looking to cook something that your kids will adore and you are looking how to make a healthier version of their favorite dishes. The kids are crazy from these chicken fingers!
I like cooking the chicken strips in the air fryer because they are so much healthier and crispier than the traditional fried version. And the best part is that we don’t need to use a lot of oil to get this crispy crust on the exterior.
Quick Note: I made these chicken tenders for dinner along with some brussels sprouts in the air fryer and my entire family loved them. If you’re interested in the brussels sprouts recipe, please let me know in the comments and I will publish it on the blog.
What You Will Find in This Post?
- How to make sure that chicken strips are evenly cooked on all sides?
- What to serve with the chicken tenders?
- How to make the meat juicier?
- How to make the crust crispier?
- Storage Tips for the chicken strips
- And a lot more…
👩🍳How to Make Chicken Strips?
- Cut the chicken breast into chicken strips of similar sizes.
- Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, oil, and an egg.
- Cover the chicken strips evenly with panko on all sides.
- Arrange all the chicken strips in a single layer on the air fryer basket.
- Cook the chicken strips for 10 minutes at 400°F.
🥰 Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- It is an easy and quick recipe.
- A good and easy way to cook chicken breast without drying it.
- A dish that kids will always accept and will ask for more.
- You can prepare a larger batch, to freeze and to keep them for the days when you will have a time crisis and you will need to cook something quick and delicious.
- With the help of the air fryer, making these crispy chicken fingers is a breeze.
Quick Note: Are you in love with the chicken recipes in the air fryer? Make sure that you tried some of these:
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Schnitzel
- Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs From Scratch
- Easy Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast
- Easy Homemade Chicken Patties in Air Fryer
- Best Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
- Juicy and Easy Air Fryer Orange Chicken
🥘 Ingredients and Substitutes
- Boneless Chicken Breast. You can also use chicken tenderloins or any other chicken fillets cut into equal-sized strips.
- Panko breadcrumbs. I pick the panko because it has larger crumb pieces than the regular breadcrumbs. As a result, we will get a crispier breaded coating.
- Egg. We will need one egg that will help the breadcrumbs to adhere to the chicken meat.
- Seasonings. I used a mixture of salt, pepper, and oil. But you can use also other aromatic mixes that you prefer. A good option will be to add paprika or garlic powder.
👩🍳 Step-by-step Directions
Cut the chicken breast into strips about 1″ thick. Put them in a large bowl and add over them salt, pepper, oil, and an egg.
Mix all ingredients well and let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Quick Note: If you have more time and want the meat to be juicier, you can leave the meat to marinate for a few hours. You can leave it even overnight in the fridge.
The next step is to dip each strip of meat through panko bread crumbs. You can use put the breadcrumbs on a plate, or if you want to speed up the process, use a food bag.
In the case of the 2nd variant, put all the meat strips in a bag and pour the panko over the meat.
Tighten the bag tightly and shake it well until each piece of chicken is breaded evenly with panko on all the sides.
After that, arrange all the chicken strips on the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Quick Note: If you need to cook a larger quantity, consider cooking the chicken strips in a few batches for the best results.
Preheat the air fryer and cook the chicken strips for 10 minutes at 400° F / 200° C.
Quick Note: The cooking time is approximate only. It may vary depending on the amount of meat you are cooking, your air fryer model, its size, and how crispy do you want the chicken strips to be in the end. In my case, it took 10 minutes using the Cosori Air Fryer 5.8QT.
In the end, you should get a nice golden color with a crunchy texture on the outside and a juicy texture on the inside.
🏆 Expert Tips. What to Pay Attention On?
- Cut the chicken breast into strips of similar size to ensure that all of them are cooked the same.
- If you plan to cook a larger quantity, consider cooking them in a few batches because we need to have a single uniform layer in the air fryer basket. This will allow them to get crispy on all sides and it allows the hot air to circulate easily on all sides.
- If you want, you can add ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese into the mix of panko breadcrumbs if you are a big cheese lover.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy them as is, near your favorite dipping sauce. A few ideas for the dip sauces will be to serve these chicken strips with a delicious homemade sweet chili sauce, honey mustard sauce, or near the traditional marinara tomato sauce.
But of course, you can serve the chicken strips near some mashed potatoes, baked vegetables, salad of fresh vegetables and of course near baked potatoes in the air fryer. Here are a few ideas to consider:
French Homemade Parmentier Potatoes
Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chunks
Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
No Oil Air Fryer Carrot Fries
♻️ Make Ahead, Storage and Heating:
I would really advise you to marinate the meat ahead because it will get juicier at the end. For the best results, marinate the meat and move it to the fridge for up to 10 hours.
After the chicken strips have cooled down, you can keep them for up to 3 days in an air-tight container in the fridge.
You could prepare and marinate a larger amount of meat, roll them over in breadcrumbs and freeze them in the freezer. So when you will need to put something delicious and quick on the table, you can cook them in the air fryer directly from the freezer.
For the best results, reheat them in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 400° F / 200° C. I don’t recommend reheating them in the microwave because the crust will soften and lose its crunchiness.
Consider putting them on the air fryer basket in a single layer and to cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the chicken will become crispy and golden on the outside. The exact time may differ from one air fryer model to another and also by how much you crowd the air fryer basket and how big is your air fryer basket.
Yes! You can replicate the same recipe and cook the strips in the oven. Follow all the steps until it is time to cook. Place the chicken strips on a baking sheet and cook them for about 15-20 minutes at 400°F / 200°C.
📋 Recipe Card:
Air Fryer Chicken Strips Coated in Bread Crumbs
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breasts (3 pieces)
- 1 cup Bread Crumbs or Panko
- 1 Piece Egg
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Cut the meat into equal size strips.1 lb Chicken Breasts
- Marinate the meat with salt, pepper, oil, and one egg. Leave the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes.1 Piece Egg, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Roll over the chicken strips throught the panko until they will be well covered on all sides.1 cup Bread Crumbs
- Arrange the meat in a single layer on the air fryer basket.
- Cook chicken strips in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400° F / 200° C.
Notes
- Try to cut all the chicken strips into similar-sized strips. This will allow all of them to be cooked evenly.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. If you need to cook a larger amount of chicken strips, for the best results, consider cooking them in a few batches.
This recipe is a definite keeper! My kids loved it! Thank you!
Wow! They were so crispy and delicious that we eat all of them before I had a chance to serve them on the plate. Yummy!
Very, very good! Followed the recipe as written! The chicken was so tender!