Crispy BBQ flavored Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are seasoned, coated in smoky potato chips, and cooked to tender and juicy perfection on the inside. They’re a great dinner or lunch option for something quick, delicious, and satisfying!
Guaranteed to be a hit with the entire family, these tenders are so easy and delicious. Serve them alongside Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes, Cucumber Tomato Salad, or a simple side salad for a complete meal. And check out our air fryer pork chops and other air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
With a simple seasoning and coating, Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are a delicious, quick and easy way to cook chicken. Serve these with pasta salad, a leafy green salad, or a dipping sauce – suggestions below. Finger food is the best!
Ingredients needed:
- Chicken: boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
- Seasoning: onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt
- BBQ Sauce: use your favorite brand or make your own
- BBQ Kettle Potato Chips: for great crunch, flavor, and color
- Parsley: freshly chopped, for garnish and a little extra flavor and color
*Be sure to see the printable recipe card below for full ingredients & directions!
How to Cook Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
- Trim & Pat Dry: if the chicken tenderloins have any excess fat, carefully trim it off. Pat dry.
- Season: mix together the seasonings and sprinkle over each piece of chicken until fully coated.
- Baste: lay the tenders out on a tray or plate and brush with BBQ sauce all over.
- Coat: crush up the potato chips finely and place in a shallow bowl. In batches, coat the tenders in the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
- Air Fry: if your air fryer requires preheating, set it to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray the basket with cooking spray and place as many tenders that will comfortably fit without touching. Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray. Air fry, carefully flipping once, until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached. Repeat with remaining chicken.
How long do you cook chicken tenders in the air fryer? These chicken tenderloins air fry at 400 degrees F for 8-9 minutes, gently flipping halfway through. They’re done when an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was made and tested using a Phillips model Air Fryer. If you own a different model air fryer, I would suggest doing a test run with just a couple tenders and then adjust the time/temp, if necessary. Air fryers are all similar, but just like ovens, cooking times can vary.
Recipe Tips for the Best Chicken Tenders
- Pat dry: make sure your chicken is dry before basting it with the BBQ sauce, so the sauce sticks.
- Press: gently press the tenders into the BBQ crumbs, so the coating adheres.
- Don’t overcrowd: to ensure even cooking, there needs to be proper air flow, which means the chicken pieces should not be overlapping or touching at all.
- Don’t overcook: nobody wants dry chicken. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness, which is an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: any cooked leftover chicken tenders should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep up to 3 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze air fried chicken tenders, too. Make sure they are completely cooled. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for a few hours (this will prevent sticking together), then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze completely. They will keep for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: to crisp leftovers up again, place them back in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through.
What to Serve with Chicken Tenders
You can’t go wrong with dipping these in more BBQ sauce, but they’re also so delicious with Sweet Chili Sauce, Tzatziki sauce, or make your own Ranch dip with this homemade ranch seasoning mix. For more of a full meal, they go great with pasta salad, a leafy green salad, or fruit salad.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
{BBQ} Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins , carefully trimmed of excess fat, if necessary and patted dry
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce , plus more for dipping
- 2 cups finely crushed BBQ kettle potato chips (from an 8 ounce bag of chips)
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish , optional
Instructions
- Mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt; sprinkle evenly over each piece of chicken until fully coated.
- Lay the chicken tenders out onto a tray or plate and brush with the BBQ sauce all over.
- Place the crushed potato chips into a shallow bowl; working in batches, coat the tenders in the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
- If your air fryer requires preheating, do that now. Set to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Spray the basket with cooking spray and place as many tenders that will comfortably fit without touching. Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.
- Air fry for 8-9 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, carefully flipping halfway through and coating with additional spray. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Serve with more BBQ sauce or some of the dipping sauces I suggest in the article. Enjoy!
- NOTE: This recipe was made and tested using a small Phillips model Air Fryer. If you own a different model air fryer, I would suggest doing a test run with just a couple tenders and then adjust the time/temp, if necessary. Air fryers are all similar, but just like ovens, cooking times can vary.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Notes
My kids enjoyed this
I’d like to use plain kettle chips. Instead of bbq sauce for coating …. Other options ? Mayo ? Oil ?
Mayo would be fine. Or maybe Ranch or buffalo sauce so you have more flavor.
Really liked the recipe. I’m new at using an air fryer. I didn’t pat the chicken dry. Maybe that’s why the chips didn’t stick to the chicken. Or, maybe I didn’t crush the chips fine enough. Any suggestions?
Hi Sherrill! The recipe and tips do specifically say that the potato crumbs should be fine and to pat the chicken dry for that exact reason.
Amy my family really enjoyed this recipe!! The recipe was easy to follow and the end result was delicious!!
I’m so happy to hear it, Ellen!