It’s hard to beat classic chicken tenders, but this crunchy pretzel twist takes the beloved pub food to the next level. And the best part is, they’re cooked in the air fryer in under 15 minutes! This air fryer chicken tenders recipe is ideal for using up any stale pretzels, cereal or crackers that are in your cupboard. Simply crush them by hand or in a food processor, and you’ve got a perfectly salted (or sweet!) crunchy coating.
I love making chicken tenders with this recipe, but you could easily adapt this for chicken cutlets or your favourite cut of chicken, just be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Serve these air fryer chicken tenders with a quick honey mustard dipping sauce and a simple green salad for a speedy and scrumptious weeknight dinner.
Related: Easiest Ever Air Fryer Whole Chicken
ingredients
Pretzel-crusted chicken tenders
Honey mustard dipping sauce
directions
Pulse pretzels in a food processor until thoroughly crushed and sand-like, with some larger pretzel-chunks throughout.
Place crushed pretzels in a shallow bowl and mix together with garlic powder, black pepper and paprika.
Whisk the egg together with a splash of water in a shallow bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl or rimmed plate.
Season chicken tenders generously with salt, then dip into flour, followed by the egg mixture and then the crushed pretzel seasoning, shaking off any excess breading. Repeat with all remaining tenders.
Transfer chicken tenders to air fryer basket and coat generously with cooking spray.
Air fry for 12 to 14 minutes at 400°F or until tenders are cooked through, flipping midway through and spraying the other side with additional cooking spray.
Meanwhile, mix together all dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and plate alongside chicken tenders.
Enjoy chicken tenders with dipping sauce while hot.
