These crispy air fryer shake and bake chicken tenders are a quick, short-cut meal the whole family will love! Strips of chicken are coated in the pre-made coating mix and air fried until tender and slightly crispy. The breading on these is light and not over powering, serve with your favorite dipping sauce and homemade or frozen French fries for a easy weeknight meal.
You will also love my Air Fryer Orange Chicken or these Frozen Chicken Strips in the Air Fryer. Find all of my air fryer recipes here for more recipe inspiration and side dish ideas!
Highlights Of This Recipe
- Super simple meal or snack: these are so quick and easy they can make a fast weeknight meal or quick snack. Chop these up and use them in grain bowls, tacos, salads, in mac n cheese, or in quesadillas. Serve with veggie sticks and homemade ranch dip for a snack or lunch kids will love or a complete meal the whole family will love.
- Best way to cook chicken strips: these stay a bit crispy and golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside. They are not greasy or soggy after cooking in the air fryer!
- Can be served buffet style with favorite dipping sauce or as part of a snack tray: these would be fun for a game day snack platter or on an appetizer platter with other air fried snacks like cheese curds, fried pickles, potato fries, and potato skins! These are a true crowd pleaser, sure to work for everyone.
- Goes great with any sauce: these are great with ranch, of course! But they also go great with zesty barbeque, aioli, honey mustard, or buffalo sauce.
What is Shake and Bake?
Shake ‘n Bake is basically a seasoned breadcrumb-style coating that’s used to make baked chicken, pork, seafood, and vegetables instead of frying them. It’s isn’t as heavy as breadcrumb but coats more then seasoning itself.
You could make your own Shake ‘n Bake with fine breadcrumbs and your desired combination of seasonings. Anything can be coated in the mix as long as it contains a bit of moisture, simply moisten your item with water before coating it.
Recipe Variations
- Add shredded parmesan cheese to the shake and bake coating mix.
- Use pork chops or chicken drumsticks instead of chicken strips.
- Toss air fried chicken in buffalo or other wing sauce before serving.
- Bake your chicken tender in the oven instead of air frying.
Ingredient List & Substitutions
You just need to simple ingredients for this recipe, substitutions are listed below:
- Chicken: use boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or even cubes of diced chicken.
- Shake ‘n Bake: any flavor of shake ‘n bake will work here or make your own with the pointers above! I used the original chicken seasoning.
How To Make The Shake n Bake Chicken
Let’s talk a little about how to make Crispy Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken Tenders (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Add Shake and Bake to a large gallon bag.
- Moisten chicken strips and shake in the coating.
- Place in the air fryer and cook until golden brown.
- Enjoy with your favorite sauces.
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F and spray air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Add a packet of Shake and Bake seasoning to a gallon bag. Check that the outside of the chicken is slightly moist, if not, moisten with a bit of water. Add one chicken strip at a time into the seasoning and shake to coat evenly. Continue with the remaining strips.
3. Place the coated chicken tenders into the prepared air fryer. Air fry for 13-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Chicken is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
4. Enjoy immediately for best results with your favorite dipping sauces.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
Chicken is versatile and can be used to make so many different family friendly dishes. Looking for recipe inspiration, try these ideas below:
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Serve these chicken tenders on their own with your favorite dipping sauces of pair with some easy side dishes for a more balanced meal! Tenders can also be chopped up and used in salads or wraps, throw on top of pizza, or in rice bowls. Try serving your chicken strips with some of these sides:
- Sweet Potato Fries – another air fryer favorite
- Cheese Curds
- Chips or veggie sticks
- Assortment of dipping sauces
- Frozen waffle fries or steak fries
This easy weeknight dinner option is is great for busy weeknights and a simple way to elevate plain chicken. Use your favorite flavor of Shake ‘n Bake (or a homemade version) and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time. Add this to your meal rotation, with fewer calories and less oil than deep frying you’ll appreciate the healthier choice and the clean up!
Tools I Use For The Chicken
- Tongs – a must have kitchen tool! I love these for flipping things in the air fryer. They are stainless steel and clean up super easy.
- Instant 6 qt. Air Fryer – Sleek and functional, the perfect size for 2-3 people. I like this because it has a tray in the bottom which make cleaning easy and it allows for air to circulate evenly. It has a large tray so you don’t have to do so many batches and a window to see into the air fryer while cooking!
- Gallon Ziploc Bag – Shake ‘n Bake no longer contains a shaking bag in the package so I like to use a large gallon bag to shake my chicken tenders so they get evenly coated and it’s mess free!
Recipe FAQs
Can I use boneless chicken bites or chicken nuggets?
Yes, most types of chicken can be coated and cooked in the air fryer. Cook time will vary based on the size and cut of chicken.
How long do you cook coated chicken strips in the air fryer?
These strips take about 13-15 minutes to cook in the air fryer. You can cook longer if desired, for crispier tenders. Cooking time may vary on size and thickness.
How do I store leftovers?
Leftover chicken strips can be cooled completely and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. These are best reheated in the oven or air fryer so they do not get soggy.
Crispy Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Gallon zip top bag
Ingredients
- 1 packet Original Shake and Bake seasoning , any flavor
- 2 6-8 oz. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts , cut into tenders
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F and spray air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Add a packet of Shake and Bake seasoning to a gallon bag. Check that the outside of the chicken is slightly moist, if not, moisten with a bit of water. Add one chicken strip at a time into the seasoning and shake to coat evenly. Continue with the remaining strips.
- Place the coated chicken tenders into the prepared air fryer. Air fry for 13-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Chicken is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Enjoy immediately for best results with your favorite dipping sauces.
Notes
Nutrition
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