Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 2 days marinating time
Cooking time: 13 minutes
Serves: 2-3 people
Ingredients Needed
- 600g/1.3lbs chicken tenderloins (around 9 tenderloins)
- 200ml/7ozs natural Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper (black or white)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 100g/3.5ozs cornflakes (gluten free ones if you are GF)
- 60g/2ozs very finely grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons of oil for drizzling
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Step-By-Step Cooking Instructions
Marinating the Chicken
Step 1 - Mix the yogurt with the mustard, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix the chicken tenders in this yogurt mix so that each tender gets a good amount of yogurt coating around it (this tenderises it). Place in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Preparing the Coating
Step 2 - Take the cornflakes and bash them around so that they are crumbled but not completely pulverised. Thermomix directions: place in the bowl and set to 15 seconds, speed #5 for perfect texture. Make sure that the parmesan is finely grated too. Mix the two together in a medium bowl and preheat the airfryer and have some liners ready and add another layer of parchment (I found that the breading still stuck to the paper liners so I add parchment).
Air Frying the Chicken
Step 3 - Dip the yogurt coated chicken tenders in the cornflake and cheese mixture and coat on all sides. Place on the parchment lined air fryer liner and drizzle with a little oil. Airfry for 13 minutes (I find that they're a bit too delicate when hot to turn over). Cool for 5-8 minutes. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
Personal Note
Dear Reader, we were recently offered a new addition to our family! On the night that I first made these I had just come back from getting my nails done. I was at the nail salon and I asked the owner where her dogs were. Sometimes they run through the salon when they come home from day care and I always pick them up for a cuddle because they are absolutely adorable.
"Where are your dogs?" I asked her looking around. She leaned in and pointed a nail file at me. "I'm selling Chanel, do you want to buy her?" she asked. "Hang on, what?" I asked confused.
She explained that having one dog was easy but having two was harder. Her father often looked after them but as he was elderly he found two too much to look after. We went through the exact thing with Tuulikki - she would happily look after Teddy but both Teddy and Milo were too much for her. The salon owner offered to sell Chanel for $800. She is the cutest little dog and very friendly and she is also an apricot toy cavoodle so she would almost help me complete my dream line up of a white, brown, apricot and black oodle family. She also has a very similar face and long legs just like Teddy.
I messaged Mr NQN excitedly. We had already arranged for him to pick me up from the salon with the dogs so he said that he would come and meet her. Ten minutes later he walked into the back of the salon with Teddy and Milo and they played with Chanel. She had pink ribbons in her hair and was a real girly girl dog and Teddy absolutely adored her. They have the same delicateness and light touch. Milo who is a bit bigger and a lot stronger gave her a hello but wasn't really interested - Milo is more about balls and humans. We watched Teddy and Chanel play together so beautifully and it was almost like they were long lost siblings. I could easily picture them sleeping in the same bed companionably.
But then Mr NQN reminded me that having a third dog adds a lot of expense as we travel so much. You have to pay the dog sitter per dog per night and that really adds up a lot. So I had to sadly have to let the idea of Chanel go although I do catch Mr NQN now and then sighing and remarking on how besotted Teddy was with tiny Chanel.
So tell me Dear Reader, how many pets would be your maximum? And what is your favourite fast food?