Easy Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Bites Recipe

This easy air fryer frozen chicken bites recipe is the ultimate easy snack or appetizer. Simply toss store-bought breaded, pre-cooked chicken bites into the air fryer and you have restaurant style boneless chicken in minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces such as ranch, sriracha mayo, honey mustard, or ketchup. Not only are these perfectly golden brown and crispy but the centers are nice and tender.

Highlights of the air fryer chicken bites recipe:

• Super easy meal or snack
• Perfect appetizer
• Best way to cook frozen chicken nuggets or popcorn chicken so it stay crispy on the outside and tender on the inside
• A fun recipe for the whole family
• Can be served buffet style with favorite dipping sauce or as part of a snack tray
• Great for a quick lunch or quick dinner
• Small bites are perfect for kids

The boneless chicken bites are crispy and tender, without the mess of deep frying in oil. Air frying keeps the outside golden brown and crispy and makes the inside nice and juicy.

Grocery store list for the crispy chicken bites:

• Store-bought pre-cooked boneless chicken bites (could substitute chicken tenders or popcorn chicken, found in most grocery stores – alternatively you can bread your own boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs in egg wash and a panko crumbs)
• Olive oil spray
• Dipping sauces of choice

Variations & serving ideas:

• Serve with fun sauces like ranch dressing, marinara sauce, honey mustard, or bbq sauce
• Toss cooked chicken bites in lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, or buffalo sauce for extra seasoning
• Serve with air fryer Sweet Potato Fries, crinkle fries, or classic French fries
• Add to a salad or chop up as a pizza topping
• Top with black pepper and parmesan cheese

Quick Steps:

• Preheat air fryer
• Spray basket
• Place bite-sized pieces of chicken in a single layer
• Airy fryer until warm and crispy

Tools I used for this air fryer recipe:

• Glasslock Glass Food Storage Containers – the square containers are the perfect size for lunches, stain proof, and they are dishwasher safe. Great for storing leftovers or meal prep!
• Tongs – a must have kitchen tool!
• Instant 6 qt. Air Fryer – Sleek and functional, the perfect size for 2-3 people.

You can use an meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken, ensuring the tenders are warmed through.

If you like this Easy Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Bites Recipe, you’ll love these easy chicken recipes…

Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Homemade Chicken Patties in the Air Fryer

Air Fryer Sweet And Sour Chicken Recipe

Easy Crispy Air Fryer Sesame Chicken Recipe

Quick & Easy Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Bowls

Instructions:

• Preheat your air fryer using the “air fry” setting, at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Spray the basket with cooking spray, once preheated add in the pre-breaded, pre-cooked chicken bites. Cook for 12-15 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through. Enjoy immediately with your favorite sauce.

*These have the best flavor if served immediately, but leftover chicken bites can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated in the air fryer.

*I find 400 degrees to be the best cooking temperature to get crunchy chicken chunks and 12-15 minutes to be the perfect cooking time but you may need to adjust based on the size of the chicken or if you have smaller/larger pieces

*If you need to fry crispy air fryer chicken bites in batches or do a double batch, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep curds on there in between batches

How long do you cook frozen chicken bites in the air fryer?

Frozen chicken bites only need about 12-15 minutes in the air fryer depending on the size. As long as they are pre-cooked, I would error on less time to begin with so the chicken doesn’t dry out.

How do you cook frozen breaded chicken bites?

This is the best way to cook frozen chicken bites with out a deep fryer. To cook frozen breaded chicken bites without the mess of frying in oil, preheat your oven and cook the chicken in the air fryer until golden brown and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

What to serve chicken bites with?

Serve chicken bites with your favorite dipping sauce. Warm marinara sauce, honey mustard, homemade ranch dip, or sriracha aioli are all good options!

Did you make this recipe?

I would love to see it! Take a picture and post to Instagram with the tag @theheartylife and the hashtag #theheartylife – You can also leave me a question or comment below! If you’ve tried this recipe, feel free to give it a star rating on the recipe above.