Air Fryer Chicken Strips are made from scratch, crispy crunchy and delicious without frying! They are easy and fast to make and everyone will love them!
1 1/2lbsboneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
Breading/Coating for the Chicken Strips
1 1/2cupsall purpose flour
2/3cupscornstarch
2tbspseason salt *added to flour/cornstarch mixture
1tspgarlic powder
1tsponion powder
1tsppaprika
1/2tsp black pepper
1/2tspchili powder
Egg Bath for Breading
4large eggs, beaten/whisked
1tspseason salt *added to beaten eggs
Things Needed for Cooking the Strips
cooking spray to spray on the rack/tray of air fryer basket
1/4cupoil, or melted butter for brushing on strips as they cook*you will need a basting brush for brushing the butter on the chicken or use an oil spray bottle
salt, for lightly salting after cooking/"frying"
Dipping sauce of your choice for eating
Instructions
Cut your chicken into strips, and set aside. Make sure the strips are similar in size so they cook evenly.
In a large bowl, add your flour, cornstarch, and seasonings. Mix well. Taste a pinch of the flour mixture to make sure it is seasoned enough to your liking. Once the breading is on the chicken, the flavor will lessen a bit, so I always make it a touch saltier then I think is enough. Adjust seasonings to your liking.
In another large bowl, add your 4 eggs and 1 teaspoon of season salt. Beat the eggs and season salt.
Working in batches, take your chicken strips and dip them in the egg mixture and then in the flour/cornstarch mixture making sure they are evenly covered. Then dip them all again in the egg mixture and then again in the flour mixture. Double dipping is important to get the breading good and crispy. Set them on a plate or on a dish so they are ready to air fry.Repeat until all of the chicken is breaded.
Set your Air Fryer to 400 ℉. Spray the tray/rack of the air fryer with cooking spray. Put some of the chicken strips in the basket of the air fryer. Do not over crowd the basket. Cook in the batches as needed.Let the chicken strips "fry" for 3 minutes.
Flip the chicken strips and let them cook for another 2 minutes.
After the 2 minutes (they have only been cooking for 5 minutes at this point) brush the chicken strips with the oil or melted butter all over. Let the chicken strips cook again for another 3-5 minutes, turning them part way through the last few minutes if they are not cooking evenly.
Check the internal temperature of the chicken strip. They should be 156℉ internal temperature to be done and safe to eat. ***If your air fryer is cooking them too fast and the breading is cooking too fast before the internal temperature reaches 165° , turn your air fryer down to 375° and try another batch of chicken strips at the lower temperature.
Lightly salt the chicken strips after "frying".
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
Adjust the seasonings to your liking.Brush the chicken strips with oil or melted butter as they cook so they get a litttle crispier.See blog post above for the oil spray bottle I use with my air fryer.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.