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AIP Air Fryer Naked Chicken Tenders Recipe

It is no secret that I love to cook easy and delicious recipes. And my AIP Air Fryer Naked Chicken Tenders Recipe ticks both those boxes.

Even better, it is a fraction of the cost to make these naked chicken tenders at home compared to what you would pay at a restaurant. Plus, there are no iffy ingredients that are so common in restaurant tenders.

And the best part is that these naked chicken tenders are so delicious that even your non-AIP family members will love them!

5 Air Fryer Cooking Tips

Let me be completely honest with you. The first few attempts with using an air fryer did not go well. 

The food was either overcooked or undercooked. A few times, it was overcooked and undercooked at the same time!

However, through some trial and error, I learned a few tips that make my food turn out perfect every time. And I’m going to share these tips with you!

Always preheat your air fryer. Typically, I turn on my air fryer before I start prepping my ingredients so it is ready as soon as the food is ready to be cooked. 

However, if I’m cooking something that takes a bit of time to prepare, I turn on the air fryer after I’m finished prepping and start to clean up while the air fryer is preheating. 

And it just takes a few minutes for an air fryer to preheat. So, even if you forget to preheat your air fryer, just turn it on and wait for 2 to 3 minutes before putting your food in it.

Give your food space. Air fryers cook by circulating extremely hot air around the food.

So, if you overcrowd your air fryer’s basket or tray, the hot air won’t be able to circulate very well and your food will cook unevenly.

That is why it is important for recipes like this one that the chicken is placed in a single layer and without touching each other. This allows the hot air to circulate around each chicken tender to cook each one perfectly.

If you have a smaller air fryer or are cooking a large amount of food, it’s best to cook in batches to make sure your food is perfectly cooked.

Lightly grease your air fryer basket or tray. Most air fryers come with nonstick baskets or trays. But you should still always lightly grease your air fryer basket or tray to help prevent food from sticking.

All you need to do is put a bit of avocado oil or melted coconut oil on a clean paper towel and lightly rub it over your air fryer’s basket or tray. But an oil mister works just as well without using any paper towels.

However, do not use aerosol cooking sprays to grease your air fryer. Aerosol sprays contain caustic additives that can harm the nonstick coating on the air fryer’s basket or tray. 

Turn over your food halfway through the cooking time. This helps to ensure your food cooks evenly on all sides. 

Even non-breaded food, like these naked chicken tenders, need to be turned over so both sides will brown and cook evenly.

And if you are cooking food that is breaded, it helps to make the breading crisp on all sides so you don’t have one side with soggy breading.

But if you are cooking smaller foods, like these AIP Air Fryer Crispy Brussels Sprouts, you can simply stir the food halfway through the cooking time. 

Always clean your air fryer between each use. And if you are cooking a lot of batches, you should wipe and regrease your air fryer’s basket or tray in between every batch or every other batch. 

You should consult your owner’s manual for the best practices for keeping your air fryer clean and in good working order.

And if this AIP Air Fryer Naked Chicken Tenders Recipe has you hungry for more chicken recipes, be sure to check out all of my AIP Chicken Recipes that are sure to please even your non-AIP family and friends.

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