Name: Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 6 frozen chicken tenders (boneless, skinless); 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder (optional); 1/8 teaspoon ground thyme; 1 tablespoon olive oil; juice of 1 large lemon (plus more for serving if desired)

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Forget to thaw the chicken strips again? No big deal! I will show you how long to cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer with this delicious recipe. Made with simple pantry staples and, of course, frozen chicken tenders. Delicious, healthy, and full of protein, these naked chicken tenders are ready in just 25 minutes.

Easy air fryer recipes like these air fry chicken strips are a much have recipe for an easy meal. You could also make our Air Fryer Chicken Breast without Breading or Air Fryer Cornish Hen, perfect for a keto dinner. Or make this London Broil in the Air Fryer, full of flavor.

A close up of a stack of chicken tenders served with ketchup and a sprig of parsley.

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Tenders without Breading

How many times have you forgotten to thaw out your frozen chicken strips in time for dinner? It happens to me all. the. time. Our lives are busy! Between work, school, and kid activities, who has the time to remember all of these little details?

Luckily, we possess one of the best kitchen gadgets, the air fryer. The air fryer saves the day once again with its frozen chicken fingers cooking superpower. Air frying chicken tenders from frozen is no longer a “mistake,” now it’s done on purpose! This is the best way to air fry chicken strips.

Healthy Chicken Tenders

These are “naked” chicken tenders meaning they are made without breading on the outside. This makes this healthy air fryer chicken recipe perfection for a gluten-free or low carb diet since there is no breading to worry about. They are so full of flavor, so easy to make, and cook in less time than in the oven.

You just need a little oil, some dried spices, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to make the chicken marinade to coat the surface of the chicken. Then just pop them into your air fryer basket or oven and air fry away. There is very little prep work so dinner will be done in no time!

A cooked chicken tender being dipped in ketchup.

It’s easy to incorporate these tenders to a variety of healthy meals. Here are our favorite ways to eat them! Add them into a tortilla with some lettuce, tomatoes, and a little of your favorite sauce to make a chicken wrap.

Put them on a bun or wrap in lettuce and make a chicken sandwich. Top a huge delicious salad with air fryer chicken tenders from frozen. Mix them into a red sauce and serve over pasta. Or eat them on their own, dipped in some delicious sauces.

Why we love this Recipe

Healthy recipe. An easy chicken recipe that makes a really healthy dinner, much healthier than fast food, that is low in fat and calories but packed with protein which will keep you full longer.
Easy to meal plan/meal prep. You can make a lot of these air fryer chicken tenderloins at once and plan recipes to use it through out the week.
Eat them with your hands. You can eat these frozen chicken strips with your hands if you are eating them alone. Just pick ’em up and dip ’em in your favorite sauce like bbq sauce.
Family friendly. Kids love them because they are plain and don’t have any weird flavors.
Easy meal. This is easy and quick to make.

PRO TIP! If you don’t like the tendon that comes in fresh chicken tenders, pull it out before you put them into the freezer. Place the chicken tender flat on a surface with the tendon side facing up. Place a fork upside down and with a paper towel grab a hold of the tendon and pull it through the fork while pressing the fork down. It will pull the whole tendon out of the tenderloin.

Or you can also just snip as much of the tendon as you can from frozen tenders with scissors or a knife.

How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer?

Frozen chicken tenders cook quickly in the air fryer. They only need about 15 minutes of marinating time and 10 minutes of cook time.

Can You Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in an Air Fryer?

Luckily, yes you can cook frozen chicken tenderloins in the air fryer! It is an easy way to make a quick weeknight dinner since the air fryer cooks faster than the oven. These are not breaded chicken strips so they make a healthy alternative to the crispy air fryer chicken tenders.

An above view of chicken tenders with a small bowl of dip.

Do you Need to Spray Oil in Air Fryer Basket

Nope, you do not need any non stick spray.

Since these chicken tenders have a little bit of oil added to them, there is no need to spray the basket of the air fryer.

Are these Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Keto?

Since they don’t have any breading, any dairy and no eggs these air fried frozen chicken tenders really work well for any diet. Make them for the low carb diet, keto diet, gluten free diet, dairy free, Whole30 diet or just as a great option for a healthy dinner. My kids love ’em!

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Tenders Ingredients

Chicken Tenders: Boneless, skinless chicken tenders.
Garlic Powder: Make sure it is not expired garlic powder.
Paprika: I use smoked paprika, but regular will work too.
Onion Powder: Make sure it is not expired onion powder.
Chipotle Chili Powder: This is optional, there is just a tiny bit for a little spice.
Salt: I use sea salt or kosher salt.
Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper.
Thyme: I like to use ground thyme but dried will work.
Oil: Any vegetable oil will work, I use extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Lemon: The juice of a lemon, I recommended not using the bottle lemon juice. Lime juice can also be used.
Favorite Dipping Sauce: The sky is the limit, choose your favorite. I have included some ideas below!

All of the ingredients needed to make frozen chicken tenders in the air fryer.

How to Make Frozen Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

Pull the chicken fingers out of the freezer.
In a gallon sized zip bag, add in all the seasonings. Shake the bag to mix all the dry ingredients together. Add in the oil and lemon juice. Zip the bag closed (just to make sure nothing leaks out) and mix it all around.
Add in the frozen chicken and re-zip the bag. Mix it all around to completely coat chicken tenders and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. If you want to marinate it longer, it will need to go in the fridge.
After 10 minutes of chicken sitting out, preheat the air fryer.
Once air fryer is ready, break apart the tenders through the zip bag (if they are all frozen together) and add it to the air fryer.
Flip over half way through cooking time. Squeeze on more lemon juice if desired. Season with salt and pepper and serve with your favorite dip or use in recipe.

Step by step instructions to make frozen chicken strips.

How to Make Frozen Breaded Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer

If you have the breaded chicken tenders that are frozen, they also can be cooked in the air fryer. Just follow these easy directions.

Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees F.
Put the frozen breaded chicken tenders in the air fryer in a single layer.
Cook them about 12 minutes. Flip over halfway through cooking time.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or in a recipe.

What to Serve with Chicken Tenders

It’s easy to make these frozen air fried tenders into a complete meal by adding a side dish. Here are some sides we like to serve with our chicken tenders.

Potatoes. Potatoes always make a yummy side dish. Try out salt and vinegar smashed potatoes, frozen air fryer French fries or sweet potato fries, cheesy mashed potatoes, or air fryer tater tots.
Dips. There are so many dipping sauces to use for chicken. There is ranch, honey mustard sauce, chipotle mayo, buffalo sauce, chick-fil-a sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup or cheese dip.
Vegetables. We love these air fryer squash and zucchini, air fryer brussels sprouts with bacon, or roasted broccoli in air fryer.
Bread. Make homemade rolls or french bread, cornbread, or air fryer dinner rolls.

Tips & Variations

Single layer. Make sure to keep frozen chicken fingers in a single layer in the air fryer. Over crowding will result in them not cooking correctly.
Batch cooking. Cook in batches if you have more frozen tenders than will fit in the air fryer or if you are meal prepping. I can fit 6 chicken tenders in my Cosori basket style 5.8 quart air fryer.
Check temperature. Use a digital meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to make sure it is cooked through.
Use chicken breast. Slice up fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts in advance and pop them into the freezer to make cook up chicken tenders at a later time.
Switch out flavors. Try using lime juice or some of your favorite herbs or spices instead of what I have listed in the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put raw chicken in an air fryer? Yes, you can put raw chicken in the air fryer, whether it is frozen or thawed.

How long to cook frozen chicken tenders in air fryer? Frozen chicken tenders cook quickly in the air fryer. They only need about 15 minutes of marinating time and 10 minutes of cook time.

What temperature to cook air fryer tenderloins to? The best way to make sure that the tenders are cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. The chicken needs to be at least 165 degrees F to be safe to eat.

Storage Instructions

How to refrigerate air fryer chicken tenders no breading? Let the chicken tenders cool and put in an airtight container. They should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat chicken tenders in an air fryer? Preheat the air fryer to 400° F. Add cold chicken tenders heating them for 2-3 minutes until warmed to your desired temperature.

How to freeze air fryer chicken tenders? Let tenders cool completely before putting into an air tight, freezer safe container. Tenders can be frozen for 3 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.

A close up of a chicken tender served with ketchup and a sprig of parsley.

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