Now for the cooking. Although this chicken finger recipe can be prepared in an oven, an air fryer is the perfect device for achieving amazing crunch and golden coloring. If you haven’t worked with an air fryer before, its very simple to use. This model from Kalorik has a large basket and rack that can be filled with two layers of tenders. Just plug in the air fryer, arrange the chicken tenders in the basket, set the time and temperature.
Amazingly, that little spritz of oil added after dredging in panko is all that’s needed for crispy, golden results in the air fryer. We flipped our tenders halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning, but the tenders were completely cooked to a golden brown with a juicy crunch in just 16 minutes.