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This Air Fryer “Grilled” Chicken recipe gives you moist, tender chicken strips that are delicious and versatile – serve as is for an entreé or add to salads, sandwiches, quesadillas, you name it!
Use these chicken strips whole or cut them into pieces, and the possibilities are almost endless. They taste great served alone as a main dish, or add them to salads, sandwiches, tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, pasta, or mixed veggie stir fries.
Cooked chicken strips also freeze well, so you can make them ahead of time on weekends and have plenty on hand to thaw for a quick dinner on a busy night.
Our basic marinade below is mildly flavored, so the cooked chicken will work for a variety of uses. Experiment with marinade ingredients to suite your tastes. For example:
- Omit the honey to remove any hint of sweetness.
- Add chile powder and cayenne pepper for some spicy heat.
- Add some liquid smoke to give it a bit of an outdoor grilled flavor.
Keep in mind that various air fryer models cook differently, so your total cooking time may vary. A meat thermometer comes in handy when checking for doneness, especially for new cooks.
Avoid overcooking and you’ll be delighted at how tender and juicy these chicken strips turn out. In fact, this could easily become one of those go-to recipes you use every week.
Chicken Strips
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cooking Time: 6 to 8 min per batch
- Total Time: 22-26 min
- Yield: 4+ servings
Recipe from The Air Fryer Bible – © 2017 Susan LaBorde and Elizabeth Hickman. All rights reserved.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- Marinade:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine all marinade ingredients and mix well.
- Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover tightly, and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Place chicken tenders in air fryer basket in single layer.
- Cook at 390 F for 3 minutes. Turn tenders over and cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer or until chicken is done and juices run clear.
- Repeat step 4 to cook remaining tenders.
Note: Some air fryers have an optional grill plate. If you have one, be sure to use it for this recipe and your tenders will turn out even better!
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Katie says
How do I know which setting to use? Many of the recipes do not specifically state.
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Katie,
Please explain what you mean by “setting”. Recipes give you cooking time and temperature, and that’s all you need for a standard air fryer. If you have a hybrid appliance (something like a combo air fryer/convection oven), or if your air fryer has “presets” that are pre-programmed with a set time and temperature, you might have “settings” that are unique to that particular model. In that case you’ll need to read your appliance’s instruction manual to learn how to use those features.
I hope that helps.
Susan