This is my favorite way to make air fryer frozen chicken strips so that they get perfectly crispy on the outside and stay hot and tender on the inside. Forget take-out, my kids request this meal on a regular basis and they can be cooked in less than 15 minutes.

The air fryer does such a great job of cooking frozen foods. Everything from frozen okra, frozen waffles, to frozen soft pretzels, the air fryer is super convenient, easy, and cooks food to perfection.

It’s no surprise that cooking frozen chicken tenders in the air fryer results in some darn good fried chicken. Hot, crispy, and so delicious without having to use any extra grease.

This is such a great recipe to have on hand for those busy nights. If I don’t know what to make, I know my kids will love having a plate of crispy chicken tenders. In fact, after making these at least once a week for the past few months, they still aren’t tired of eating them.

I also love making frozen chicken patties, chicken fries, and chicken nuggets in the air fryer for a fast meal.

What makes these air fryer frozen chicken tenders so good

• Cooking these in the air fryer produce delicious, crispy chicken without all the grease. You won’t want to cook them any other way after using this cooking method.
• All you need is the frozen chicken. No need to thaw or preheat and so much faster than cooking in the oven.
• Keep a bag in your freezer to use for a variety of different meals.

How to cook frozen chicken strips in the air fryer

You will need your favorite frozen breaded chicken strips, tenders or fingers, we used Tyson chicken tenders for this recipe but any brand will work great. Just keep in mind that the sizes of the strips may vary which could effect cook time.

1. Place the tenders in the air fryer basket. Be sure not to stack them. They need a little room so that they cook evenly.
2. Cook at 400 degrees F for 6 minutes, flip them over and cook another 6 minutes. You may need to add an extra 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.

I used a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer which can hold about 6 strips depending on the size.

Air fryer chicken tenders tips

• Place the chicken in a single layer in the basket. You want to make sure the hot air has room to circulate around the chicken for even cooking.
• No need to add extra oil for precooked breaded chicken because they were already cooked in oil before being frozen.
• There is not a need to preheat the air fryer.
• There are several different brands with different types of breading and chicken sizes. Exact cook time may vary for this reason. If they seem to be cooking quickly at the 6 minute mark, add 2-3 minutes and keep checking.
• These instructions will also work for frozen chicken nuggets. Just reduce the total cook time to 9-10 minutes.
• Print this air fryer cook times sheet for easy, quick reference.

What to serve with chicken tenders

These chicken tenders are great served with a dipping sauce like boom boom sauce, Polynesian sauce, Wingstop ranch, Red Ranch, or Chick-Fil-A sauce. They are also delicious used in a wrap, sandwich or on a salad.

Try serving them with sides like coleslaw, broccoli salad, air fryer onion rings, baked potato or air fryer corn.

Common questions

More air fryer chicken recipes

• Air fryer chicken drumsticks
• Air fryer chicken breasts
• Air fryer rotisserie style chicken
• Air fryer chicken thighs
• Air fryer frozen chicken patties

Let me know how you like this recipe below in the comments.