I've tried several recipes for healthy-ish chicken fingers, trying to avoid ones cooked in lots of fat. Most recipes were roasted in a hot oven, and while they were good, they lacked the crunchiness of deep-fried chicken fingers. Enter the air fryer, which fries food with hot air instead of oil.
In this recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com, I coated chicken tenders in a combination of Panko breadcrumbs and regular seasoned breadcrumbs and air-fried them in single layers for about 10 minutes total. They came out just as crispy as deep-fried fingers, but they were low in fat, calories and WW Points. What a revelation!
Enjoy these with the sauce of your choice: barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, honey mustard, even a simple squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
12 chicken tenders ( 1 1/4 lbs.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko
Olive oil spray
Lemon wedges or your favorite dipping sauce for serving
Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place egg in a shallow bowl. In a 2nd bowl combine breadcrumbs and panko.
Dip chicken in egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off excess and place on a large plate. Spray both sides of chicken with olive oil spray.
Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.
Cook tenders in single layers in batches 5 to 6 minutes per side, until chicken is crispy and golden. Serve with dipping sauce and/or lemon wedges.
Serves 4