This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
I am seriously so excited about these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders! They are gluten-free, low carb, paleo-friendly, and SO delicious and easy to make! You will love making these for a weeknight dinner or for a weekday lunch. Made in partnership with my friends at Farmer Focus.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
I am so happy to partner with my friends at Farmer Focus (formerly Shenandoah Valley Organic) to bring you today’s air fryer chicken tender recipe! SVO is my go-to trusted chicken company because they pride itself in producing the highest quality chicken grown on family-owned farms.
Their chickens are humanely raised and fed a diet free from animal byproducts, pesticides, and antibiotics. On their website you can see where all of the farms are located, so you know just where your chicken was raised! Pretty cool if you ask me! Use their easy store locator to find where you can get this amazing quality chicken near you!
Let’s also talk about the air fryer!
- I have this one and I really like it, but one thing to keep in mind is despite the large size of the appliance, you can’t overcrowd the food you are frying so you have to cook in batches.
- It’s not a small appliance, so make sure you have space for it!
- I am really excited about the air fryer! It cooks things SO well. Really, I am super impressed with it and excited to make my chicken tenders and chicken nuggets in it moving forward!
Is air fried food good for you?
So you know I’m not at all afraid of healthy fats, but when I fry foods, I use avocado oil and it can get expensive. I really like that this is such a small quantity of oil, which means money saved! And if you are looking to cut down on some fats, this appliance definitely can help you achieve that. It’s also convenient and super easy.
Do air fryers use oil?
Yes, but a tiny fraction of the amount compared with traditional frying! I like using an avocado oil spray as it makes it super convenient to simply spray the basket, and sometimes the food itself. Make sure to find an avocado spray that lists only avocado oil as the ingredients.
How can I make these NOT in an Air Fryer?
Yes of course!
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Follow all the initial steps for coating your chicken.
- Place on your baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes then flip chicken over and cook for another 10-12 minutes until golden and crispy and fully cooked through (165ºF) .
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce!
For this recipe, we tested and loved two types of coating for the chicken to accommodate those with nut allergies! The first uses almonds as a base and the nut-free version makes a simple swap for ground flax seeds. I also LOVE serving these with the honey mustard dressing from my cookbook, or you can find it here.
Watch the video here:
My favorite ways to use SVO chicken:
- Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
- Low Carb Chicken Parmesan
- Apple Cider Braised Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs. chicken tenders*
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup fine almond flour see note for nut-free version
- 2 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Avocado oil spray
Instructions
- Pre-heat air fryer to 400ºF.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towel and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a medium bowl whisk eggs.
- In a wide shallow container, whisk almond flour, flaxseed, and all of the seasoning, until combined.
- Spray the air fryer basket generously with avocado spray, and place as many chicken tenders in the basket that will fit with plenty of space in between. Spray tenders with additional avocado spray to lightly coat.
- Fry for 10 minutes, flipping once at 5 minutes.
- Repeat with remaining chicken tenders until they have all been cooked through to reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
This post is sponsored by Farmer Focus.! All thoughts and opinions are always 100% my own! I love the integrity of their products and think you’ll love them too. Thank you for continuing to support LCK and the brands I work with!
Been looking for Paleo friendly option. My daughter loves chicken fingers. Now I can eat with her. Thanks!
We made these tonight for dinner and they were delicious! Wish I had knew about this recipe sooner. I made Lexi’s honey mustard recipe as well so it was perfect for dipping the tenders in!
Turned out great, they were a hit! Very excited to have healthier chicken tenders.
Tasted great but unfortunately it didn’t turn out crispy at all. Coating did however stick well to the chicken. I was dealing with a couple factors that could’ve impacted the outcome though. I was dealing with a brand new air fryer, literally the first time I used it. Plus I used old almond flour.
Sorry but this recipe was not good at aaaalll. The batter came out very dry and felt like pure flour. Had to take off the coating when it was cooked
Hi Lisa. I’m so sorry your tenders didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to. They shouldn’t be dry or taste like flour at all. Did you follow the recipe exactly?
Made these tonight and had specifically searched for chicken tender coatings for air fryers. The flavor of the coating was perfect.
I did experience the coating becoming wet again while the tenders rested. Any suggestions to prevent this?
I made these tonight with waffles. Oh my gosh, they were delicious! I’m on WW so I’m always looking for healthier options that are low in points for my plan too. These were crazy low in points and both myself and fiancé loved them. Definitely keeping this and will make again! Thank you!
Love it!
These turned out great my only recommendation is to prepare at least 3 eggs and double the dry ingredients for double dipping. 5/5
Which air fryer do you use?
Can I freeze these before frying? Does the almond flour hold up well?
SO GOOD! We eat these a lot in my house – with the almond flour. They are super crispy and delicious! My gluten free kid and grain free husband love them! Sometimes I get some paleo buffalo sauce and brush both sides of the chicken tender and bake them for 5 minutes at 350 after air frying to make buffalo chicken tenders – a trick I am pretty sure I learned from another Lexi recipe 😉
Hi!
I made this and it was great! It’s a keeper but I had one problem. My crunchy batter came off when I removed it from the air fryer. Any tricks to get it to stay on?
Thanks!
Greetings from Ireland. I’ve just made these in my Philips air fryer and they are delicious ?
These look so yummy. I have been thinking about getting an Air Fryer and these are feeling VERY convincing on why I should!
These chicken tenders look so perfect and delicious! The air fryer is a great appliance to have in the kitchen!
The quality of meat is SO important. I need to find this chicken (and get an air fryer too!)
These look so crispy and fresh! I want them!!
great postt thanks
These are bringing out the little girl in me! Chicken fingers were my fave!
I have never heard of an air fryer before, but it sure does look like something I would like to try! I love how it “frys” the food using so little oil. I too am not afraid of healthy oils, but the mess and expense of frying is always something to consider. Thanks for sharing!