Air Fryer Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders

Air Fryer Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders are juicy and flavorful with a crispy exterior.

Because they are air fried there’s only a scant amount of oil to use. Crispier and quicker to make then baked chicken and much healthier than deep-fried. You are going to love these chicken tenders. Serve with Ranch, BBQ Sauce, or Honey Mustard as a dipping sauce.

Brining the chicken tenders in pickle juice for 6 to 8 hours not only adds great flavor to them, it helps keep them tender and moist when they air fry. Since pickle juice is salty and helps season the chicken, you don’t have to add much salt. With the pickle brine, these chicken tenders taste just like Chick-fil-A.

A combination of bread crumbs and Panko crumbs gives the chicken an extra crispy coating. I add a little salt, pepper, and paprika to the bread crumb mixture, but that is really the only seasoning they need.

Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders Recipe Tips:

Don’t let the chicken brine for much longer than 8 hours or it will start to effect the texture, plus the pickle juice flavor might get too strong.

When I flip the chicken over, I like to give it another spritz of oil. If you forget to flip them over- no problem. They will still get browned on both sides. Flipping them just helps them brown a little more evenly.

Air Fryer cooking times can vary quite a bit. Use the cooking time as an estimate. The great thing about air fryers is it’s easy to take a quick peak inside the air fryer to see how the cooking process is progressing.

Try These Other Air Fryer Chicken Recipes:

• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Bites
• Air Fryer Hasselback Fajita Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets

Print

Air Fryer Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders

Air Fryer Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders are juicy and flavorful with a crispy exterior.

Course Appetizer, main dish

Cuisine Southern

Keyword fried chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 306 kcal

Ingredients

• 12 chicken tenders
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2/3 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• olive oil spray

Instructions

1. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add pickle juice. Cover and marinate for 6 to 8 hours. If chicken is not completely submerged, stir it once or twice during this time.

2. Drain chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, and milk.

4. Combine Panko crumbs, bread crumbs, salt, paprika, and pepper in a pie plate or shallow bowl.

5. Dip chicken tenders in egg mixture and then coat in bread crumb mixture.

6. Generously spray both sides of chicken with oil.

7. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.

8. Place 6 tenders in air fryer basket and air fry for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

   Repeat with remaining tenders.

Nutrition Facts

Air Fryer Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 143mg48%

Sodium 1703mg74%

Potassium 632mg18%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 38g76%

Calcium 62mg6%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Vitamin A 236IU5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Info is provided as an estimate only and can vary based on brands of products used, measuring techniques, and cooking methods.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.