Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders
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Air Fryer Doritos Chicken is a super simple dinner recipe that combines juicy chicken and the cheesy crunch of Doritos chips.
This tasty finger food is ready in under 20 minutes so it’s perfect for busy weeknights when you still want a filling and hearty meal!
Why you will love this Doritos chicken recipe
- Quick and easy: If you’re a fan of Doritos chips, this super easy air fryer chicken dinner is the perfect meal any night of the week because the prep time and cook time is minimal.
- Substitute different flavors: You can easily substitute your favorite flavor of Doritos, but my favorite is the classic nacho cheese flavor.
- Crispy on the outside juicy on the inside: The air fryer ensures the chicken is perfectly cooked and juicy, and the chips give it a crispy and satisfying “breading” on the outside.
- Meal prep: Great for meal prep, you can serve this chicken on top of a fresh healthy green salad, with pasta or rice, or with a side of your favorite veggies.
Ingredients you will need
Boneless skinless chicken breasts: If you can find chicken breast tenders it will help cut down on prep time, but you can also slice full chicken breasts into strips.
Doritos: I like to use the original nacho cheese flavor, but you could also use cool ranch Doritos or another flavor of your choosing. If you like spicy, the Flamin’ Hot flavor will knock your socks off!
To crush the Doritos, you can either use a rolling pin or food processor.
All purpose flour: Helps form the breading around the chicken.
Egg: The egg helps the breading adhere to the chicken by acting as a glue that holds the coating in place, while also adding moisture to the breading to make it even crispier when cooked.
Milk: Feel free to use a dairy free milk substitute, but traditional milk will provide a nice richness and flavor.
Ranch dressing: A perfect dipping sauce for these Doritos air fryer chicken tenders! Sometimes I like to make a homemade herb ranch for dipping.
How to make Doritos chicken in the air fryer
- Prepare the breading. In 3 separate bowls, mix the flour with salt and pepper, beat the eggs and milk, and in the third bowl add the crushed chips. Be sure to use a large bowl or a shallow and wide dish.
- Bread the chicken. Dredge each chicken tender in the flour, coat it well in the wet egg wash, then coat with the crushed Doritos.
- Air fry the chicken. Arrange the chicken tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket (make a second batch if not everything fits in the first) and spritz lightly with oil or cooking spray. Cook at 375 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Serve and enjoy! Pair the Doritos chicken tenders with your favorite dipping sauce like ranch or hot sauce.
FAQs
As long as you cook the chicken properly it’s fine to air fry raw chicken!
Depending on the size and shape of the chicken, it usually takes 10 minutes or less to air fry chicken. If you’re not confident it’s cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
Because the air fryer circulates hot air, it leads to a perfectly cooked result without overcooking the chicken. You’ll end up with nice juicy chicken tenders every time!
Storing and reheating chicken
To store leftover chicken, allow it to cool and transfer to an airtight container. It will last in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, and it can also be frozen for 3 months or more. To freeze it, you can also keep it in a large freezer bag.
Reheat your air fryer Dorito chicken tenders in the air fryer for a couple of minutes on either side. You can reheat chicken directly from frozen, it will just take a couple extra minutes! You can also bake the chicken in the oven or heat it up in the microwave if your in a pinch, but the Doritos will turn soft in the microwave.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Skewers
- Air Fryer Keto Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich
- Air Fryer Cajun Chicken and Vegetables
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Air Fryer Doritos Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
- 2 cups crushed nacho cheese Doritos (about 1 9oz bag)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup milk
- cooking spray
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- ranch dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F and lightly grease the basket with olive oil. In 3 separate shallow dishes, and in this order, add the all-purpose flour with the salt and pepper, eggs and milk together, and crushed Doritos.
- Dredge each chicken tender in the flour, then dip it into the beaten eggs, and milk mixture, and shake to allow the excess egg to run off. Finally, coat it with the crushed Doritos, pressing gently to make sure they stick to the chicken. Place the coated chicken tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket, with about a 1/2 inch of space in between.
- Lightly spray the chicken pieces with olive oil spray and air fry the for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken tenders to a serving plate and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce!
- Serve the Air Fryer Doritos Chicken hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and the ingredients are something we always have in our pantry. Great flavour, easy to make and a hit with our kids! Thanks so much!
Loved these cheesy tenders! They were a big hit! Definitely going to be using them in the air fryer again.
What a creative chicken tenders idea! I used the flamin hot cheetos and it was so spicy, but tasty!
I made these chicken tenders for lunch today and they were delicious! Definitely adding to my regular rotation!
My kids to feast on such amazing Crispies. These looks so tempting and delicious. Would love to have a platter every weekend.
If you ever have a problem with the coating falling off skip the flour step and go to egg and breading steps only.
My husband and I have made this twice now and love!!! He’s obsessed. Only difference is we found we had to cook ours longer, so have been doing 380 degrees (ours doesn’t do 5s) for about 10-12 mins and flip halfway. Perfect!!
So glad you loved them!