Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins
Learn to cook chicken tenderloins in the air fryer perfectly juicy, delicious and easy. Ready in just 8 minutes, a secret trick ensures they never dry out!
We love cooking chicken in our air fryer. Its fast, requires minimal prep, and honestly, turns out perfect every time. Weve done it with drumsticks, chicken breast, thighs, and even wings. Our favorite way, though, is cooking up chicken tenders.
How To Store Your Air Fryer Chicken Fajita
Once you have made the chicken fajita kebabs, you can store them in the fridge for over seven days if you use an airtight container.
However, you need to store the veggies and chicken separately because they can get soggy and ruin the chicken along with them.
As far as the veggies are concerned, its best that you dont store them because they dont remain fresh.
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
This air fryer recipe is designed for chicken breasts that are boneless, skinless, and approximately 1 1 1/2 inches thick.
You can certainly cook bone-in or thin boneless breasts, however the cook time will need to be adjusted accordingly.
Prepare the chicken by trimming the fat from the refrigerated chicken breast and place the trimmed chicken in a large resealable plastic bag.
Then in a small bowl, add the oil and the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, Kosher salt and pepper to the bowl and mix well until incorporated.
Pour the oil and seasoning mixture in the bag with the chicken and seal. Then massage the outside of the bag so that the chicken breast are coated with the marinade.
Let the chicken and marinade sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. If you will not be cooking the chicken breast directly after the 30 minutes, then place the bag in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to make it, simply let the chicken sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
Cooking Instructions
When you are ready, preheat the air fryer at 375°F. Although some brands of air fryers state that preheating is not necessary, it is crucial for this recipe.
Not only will the chicken cook better, but the hot basket will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the surface. However, because there is oil in the marinade, you will not need to spray the air fryer basket with non-stick oil.
Enjoy!
Total Time:
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How Do You Make Sure Your Chicken Breast Is Not Dry
The reason chicken breast goes dry is usually because it is overcooked. Avoid overcooking by using a meat thermometer to check for a safe internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the breast.
Making grilled chicken in the air fryer is also an excellent way to avoid drying out your chicken. The air fryer cooks the meat quickly and evenly, ensuring that moisture isn’t lost.
What To Serve With Your Air Fryer Chicken
- Air Fryer Green Beans If youve never cooked green beans in the air fryer, now is the time! So good!
- Broccoli Mac and Cheese Theres no doubt that this will be a family favorite time and time again!
- Chopped Green Goddess Salad Salads are a great side option that is a light and delicious recipe.
- Air Fryer Vegetables: You can throw some chopped vegetables in the air fryer before or after cooking the chicken for an easy meal all made in the air fryer.
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What Dishes To Serve With Air Fryer Bbq Chicken
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:
Please note that nutrition information you see is provided and automatically calculated by Nutritionix. This may vary depending on the specific ingredients that you use. To ensure the most accurate information, I suggest entering your specific ingredients into a nutrition calculator.
How Long Does It Take To Grill Chicken In An Air Fryer
My favorite part about this recipe is that it only takes 10 minutes to cook to perfection! Including preheating and seasoning, the entire dish can go from refrigerator to table in about 15 minutes.
Using a gas grill to cook grilled chicken breast will take around the same cooking time. However, gas grills take much longer to warm up. Plus, you have to go outside.
So if its raining, windy, or cold outside, I definitely prefer using my air fryer!
If you want to make grilled chicken cutlets, keep in mind that these will take less time to cook.
Cutlets are just chicken breasts cut into smaller strips, so be sure to check on them more frequently. An Instant Read Thermometer can be a big help to know exactly when they reach 165 degrees F!
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Here Are Some Of My Most Popular Chicken Recipes
Breaded Air Fryer Chicken | One of my top posts ever. This chicken is crispy on the outside and super juicy as you bite into it! Give this air fryer breaded chicken a try! Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders | Amp up the heat with these Nashville tenders. These are flavorful, delicious, and so tasty. You will enjoy this recipe. Bang Bang Chicken | If you have tried bang bang shrimp, you might enjoy this chicken version. Breaded chicken, creamy and spice sauce, all waiting for you to dive in. Copycat Chilis Cajun Chicken Pasta | Skip dining out and try this Chilis inspired cajun chicken pasta. This recipe is one of my favorites and so popular.
How And Why Do I Brine My Chicken Breasts
- Why: During brining the salt helps the meat to absorb extra liquid through the process of osmosis. Soaking the chicken in salted water, results in a juicier and more flavorful final dish, because the is able to hold on to more of its moisture. This is particularly great for lean cuts of meat, such as chicken breast and turkey breast that tend to dry out during cooking.
- Formula: Basic brine ratio: The basic ratio of salt to water for a brine is 4 tablespoons of salt per 6 cups of water. But size of the salt crystal and type matter. Use Kosher salt because although it dissolves faster and easier in water, its slower to dissolve on the surface of meat so less sodium is absorbed by your meat.
- How: Fill a large bowl with about 4 cups of lukewarm water and add ¼ cup kosher salt, stirring to dissolve. Although this may sound like a lot of salt, only a small amount is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts to the water and let them sit at least 1 ½ hours or up to 6 hours to brine. Remove from water, pat dry with paper towels and discard the water.
- Continue with the recipe as directed rubbing with oil and spices then baking.
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How To Cook Chicken Breast
Cooking chicken breast is a simple task, and a large number of recipes can be found on the internet. Some popular methods include grilling and pan frying. There are several ways to cook chicken breast, but perhaps the easiest way is to cook it in the airfryer. The airfryer is a useful kitchen appliance for various reasons. It can cook foods at a faster rate than a regular pan or grill. It also allows you to cook multiple items at once. And, of course, it helps you to cook healthier foods. Its simple to cook chicken breast in the airfryer. All you need is a frying pan, a chicken breast, and a cooking guide. Once the chicken breast is cooked, simply flip it over and cook it on the other side. Follow the cooking guide and your chicken will be ready in 15 minutes.
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Grilled Chicken Tenders In The Air Fryer
This chicken tenderloins recipe is one the whole family will enjoy. Serve this as a main dish and make it a complete meal with french fries or tater tots. Or get fancy and serve them with baked potatoes, air fryer corn on the cob, and a simple side salad.
Youre going to love this homemade chicken tenders recipe that uses simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Looking for more easy peasy air fryer recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES:
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What To Pair With Chicken Fajita Kabobs
While bell peppers and red onion lacing taste exceptional, you can also serve these skewers with Mexican or Mediterranean rice.
In fact, the cilantro lime rice will perfectly complement the flavors of chicken fajita.
In addition to this, opt for guacamole, nachos, corn like this Mexican street corn, fritters, black beans, and pico de gallo, along with some summer drinks, like this Non-alcoholic sangria!
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How Do I Remove The Tendon From The Chicken Tender
If the tendon is thick, you will want to remove it from the tender. Ive found the best way is to pierce the nub of the tendon and pull it out with a fork. However, removing the entire tendon can make the chicken fall apart. If the tendon is not thick, just remove the thick nub with a knife and leave the rest of the tendon alone.
Air Fryer Grilled Chicken Recipe
Last Updated on by Susan LaBorde
This Air Fryer Grilled Chicken recipe gives you moist, tender chicken strips that are delicious and versatile serve as is for an entreé or add to salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, you name it!
Want more?
Use these chicken strips whole or cut them into pieces, and the possibilities are almost endless. They taste great served alone as a main dish, or add them to salads, sandwiches, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, pasta, or mixed veggie stir fries.
Cooked chicken strips also freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time on weekends and have plenty on hand to thaw for a quick dinner on a busy night.
Our basic marinade below is mildly flavored, so the cooked chicken will work for a variety of uses. Experiment with marinade ingredients to suite your tastes. For example:
- Omit the honey to remove any hint of sweetness.
- Add chile powder and cayenne pepper for some spicy heat.
- Add some liquid smoke to give it a bit of an outdoor grilled flavor.
Keep in mind that various air fryer models cook differently, so your total cooking time may vary. A meat thermometer comes in handy when checking for doneness, especially for new cooks.
Avoid overcooking and youll be delighted at how tender and juicy these chicken strips turn out. In fact, this could easily become one of those go-to recipes you use every week.
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Tips For The Best Juicy Air Fryer Chicken
- Olive Oil: This helps to crisp the skin and helps the spices and herbs to adhere to the meat.
- Space: Make sure you create room between the chicken breasts to ensure even cooking. Dont overcrowd. Cook in batches if you need to.
- Check: Check the temp earlier than you think so you dont accidently over cook the chicken. Appliances can vary so go by temperature of your chicken to ensure its done.
- Rest: Let the Chicken rest before cutting into it. About 5 min at least. This allows the juices to reabsorb into the chicken instead of spilling onto your plate.
- Spices: Mix it up depending on your menu. You can use Mexican spices, BBQ spices and sauce, Indian spices etc. Whatever your menu calls for this is a quick delicious way to cook your chicken.
- Moist: Want to make sure your chicken is super moist and tender? Try marinating or brining your chicken for even greater juiciness and flavor.
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts How To Make Grilled Chicken Breasts
One of my favorite things to make in my air fryer are chicken breasts. Not only are they easy to make, but they taste absolutely delicious.
They have a slightly grilled taste, but the inside is so moist and juicy that the meat literally almost melts in your mouth.
But best of all, there is no need to heat up the kitchen or stand over top of a hot grill to make delicious chicken breasts.
Simply season the meat and put them in the air fryer. Then use the chicken as the main dish for your next meal. Or use it as the protein ingredient for your next wrap, salad or a plate of chicken nachos!
Air fryer chicken breast that is nice and juicy on the inside.
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How Many Calories Are In Grilled Chicken
According to the USDAs food database, a piece of boneless chicken breast loses 47 grams of mass and 56 calories when cooked. This is due to the loss of moisture and fat during the cooking process, leaving you a leaner piece of meat.
Although this means a reduction in saturated fat and calorie levels things that a healthy diet regulates it is still quite insignificant. By itself it does not make grilled chicken healthier than other meat choices. Plenty of other factors contribute to the nutrition profile.
Ninja Foodi Frozen Chicken Breast
Yes this is a healthy air fryer recipe, so if youre following a keto or low fat diet this will be great.
We didnt use any bread crumbs this time to keep the calories down, and if theyre rock hard nothing is going to stick anyway.
- If youre looking for something more like air fried chicken with a coating follow this recipe, or the one for homemade Ninja Foodi chicken tenders.
BUT this basic chicken in the air fryer recipe is great for everyone, even my 11 year old loves it. Were using medium to large chicken breasts found in a bag in your local grocery store freezer.
Timing is set for the size and thickness you see here, it may vary slightly depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
Lets start with putting 2 into your air fryer basket. Then youll want to sprinkle with seasonings like garlic powder and anything else youd normally use.
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How Do You Cook Chicken Thighs In An Air Fryer Video
Cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer is a great way to get them cooked evenly and quickly. You can also use this technique to cook other meats, like pork or bacon. First, preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then, put your chicken thighs in the bottom of the air fryer. Place towels on top of the chicken so they dont touch the ground. Pour oil onto your stovetop and heat it up until its hot enough to start frying your chicken. When the oil is hot, add your chicken thighs and cook for about 8 minutes per side or until golden brown.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
I know its hard to imagine something that tastes so incredible only takes 20 minutes to cook, but it does! And its worth every second.
First, you will need to get the air fryer preheated to 390 degrees F.
Start whisking together the seasonings in a small bowl until they are combined.
Then take the chicken breasts and pound them out, so the chicken has an even thickness. Rub each side of the chicken with olive oil and add on the spices.
NOTE: You can skip pounding the chicken, but it allows the chicken to cook more evenly.
Next, place the seasoned chicken breasts in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes on each side. Its done once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Take the chicken out of the air fryer and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into it and enjoy it!
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What Does Putting Tin Foil At The Bottom Of Your Airfryer Do
Put Tin foil at the Bottom of Your Airfryer to Remove Fat and Polluting gases
If youre looking to reduce your air fryer clean-up time and improve your food quality, put tin foil at the bottom of your airfryer. By doing so, you can remove anycombustible objects that may be causing pollutants to escape from the fryer. Additionally, tin foil helps keep heat evenly distributed throughout the unit, which prolongs fryer stability.
How To Trim Chicken Tenderloins
Chicken tenders can be a little annoying because of that thick, white tendon they have in the middle. While its totally acceptable to cook chicken tenders with the tendon in, eating them is much more enjoyable if the tendon is removed. I personally like to remove the chicken tendons, and strongly recommend that you do too.
Heres how you do it:
- Use a very sharp knife. This is the method that I personally use, but it does require patience. The tendon usually runs along the chicken tender, so just remove it carefully with a knife leaving the rest of the meat intact.
- Use a knife, a fork, and paper towels. First, using the knife cut around the top of the tendon so that you can get a hold of it. Then with one hand, use a fork or knife to hold the chicken in place, and with the other hand, pull the tendon out. I recommend using a paper towel to grip the tendon as it can be slippery!
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