These air fryer lemon pepper chicken tenders bring a lemony flavor, crispy coating, and a luscious and dreamy lemon butter sauce for a crowd-pleasing chicken tender that will have everyone reaching for seconds or thirds.
Crispy, lemony, buttery. These air fryer lemon pepper chicken tenders are everything!
I’ve been on a chicken tender tear lately! Between my Galentine’s Day chicken tender party and all the chicken tender recipe testing that led up to it, I feel like I’ve eaten my body weight in chicken tenders.
After making air fryer lemon pepper chicken wings, I knew I wanted to make a chicken tender version of it. These air fryer lemon pepper chicken tenders are crispy, lemony, and coated with the most delicious sweet and spicy lemon butter sauce. I truly could eat these every day.
This recipe is part of my air fryer chicken tender series, so many of the steps are the same with subtle adjustments to the flavor profile and sauce recipes!
What you need
- Chicken tenderloins: You can cut chicken breasts into thin strips if you don’t have chicken tenderloins.
- Seasonings: You’ll season the chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. I love McCormick’s Lemon & Pepper Seasoning!
- Panko: I love Korean breadcrumbs, which I buy at H-Mart. They are very similar to Japanese-style panko. They’re light, airy, and crispy when pan-fried or air-fried. I recommend panko for this recipe instead of traditional breadcrumbs!
- Dredging: In addition to panko, you’ll dredge the chicken in flour with salt and pepper. You’ll also whisk two eggs to act as a binder for the dry ingredients.
- Sauce: The sauce is made with butter, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, sriracha, and lemon pepper seasoning. I like the extra kick from sriracha, but you can use hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne powder if you prefer.
- For serving: I finish the chicken tenders with minced parsley as the parsley just works really nicely with the lemony flavor!
How to make it
- Step 1: Start by preparing your dredging station. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set out three bowls. Add flour, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to the first bowl. Add the eggs to the second bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the panko to the third bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Dredge the chicken. Dip each tender in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the panko. Arrange them on an even layer of a lightly greased baking rack.
- Step 3: Air fry the chicken at 400ºF for 5 to 7 minutes per side. I recommend spraying the tops of the tenders very lightly with avocado oil to ensure they get nice and brown on top.
- Step 4: Arrange the chicken tenders on a second baking rack as you continue air frying the remaining tenders.
- Step 5: Melt the butter in the microwave. Add the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, sriracha, and lemon pepper seasoning. Whisk until smooth. Pour the lemon butter sauce into a large bowl.
- Step 6: Once all the tenders are air fried, transfer them to a bowl of your prepared sauce. Use a rubber spatula to toss gently in the sauce.
From there, transfer the sauced lemon pepper chicken tenders to a serving platter and sprinkle freshly minced parsley on top. Dig in!
What temperature to air fry chicken tenders
Air fryer the chicken tenders at 400ºF. Most air fryers have a max temperature of 400ºF which works perfectly for air fried chicken tenders. If your air fryer goes higher than 400ºF, you can air fry them at 425ºF for a slightly shorter cooking time.
How long to air fry chicken tenders
If you cook them at 400ºF, it will take about 5 to 7 minutes per side, or 10 to 15 minutes total.
How to reheat air-fried chicken tenders
If you guessed “air fry them!” you guessed correctly! Because the chicken tenders are saucy, I line the basket with parchment paper and cook them in the air fryer at 400ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. These chicken tenders are even better the next day since the sauce absorbs into the tender. Yum!
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (see Note 1)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (plus more)
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups panko
- Avocado oil spray (or olive oil spray)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (minced)
Lemon-butter sauce:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sriracha (or hot sauce of choice, more or less to taste)
- 1 lemon (juiced and zested; 2 ounces of juice total and 1 teaspoon of zest total)
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Pat the chicken tenderloins dry and season them with 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
Set up your dredging station:
- Set out three shallow dishes. To the first dish, add flour and a pinch of kosher salt. To the second dish, add 2 eggs and whisk until smooth. Add panko with a pinch of salt and pepper to the third dish.
Dredge the chicken:
- Dip a chicken tenderloin into the flour and shake off the excess. Next, dip it into the egg mixture and shake off the excess. Finish dredging the chicken by rolling it gently in the panko; gently press it into the tender to ensure it adheres. Transfer to a lightly greased baking rack. Continue until all tenders are dredged.
Air fry the chicken tenders:
- Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil. Spray the tops of the chicken tenders lightly with oil. Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF.
- Place the tenders in the basket and air fry in batches for 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and air fry for 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Once the tenders reach 165ºF, transfer them to a second baking rack. The tenders will air fry for about 10 to 14 minutes total. Continue air frying until all the chicken is cooked.
Prepare the sauce:
- Place the butter in a glass measuring cup and transfer to the microwave for 1 minute until completely melted.
- Add 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons sriracha, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning. Whisk until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the flavorings to your preference. The sauce should be a drizzling consistency. If it’s very thick, add a splash of water to thin it out. Set aside.
Sauce the tenders:
- Once all the chicken tenders are air-fried, pour the warm sauce into a large bowl.
- Add the chicken tenders to the bowl in batches and toss gently to coat in the sauce.
To serve:
- Transfer the sauced tenders to a serving platter and sprinkle with minced parsley. Enjoy!
Comments