Air Fryer Chicken Strips: From Frozen To Crispy

Cooking frozen chicken strips in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to get that crispy, juicy texture without the need for deep frying in oil. Air fryers are versatile, convenient, and healthy, making them a popular choice for cooking frozen foods.

To cook frozen chicken strips in an air fryer, you'll first want to check if your chicken is fully cooked or raw. Fully cooked breaded chicken strips can go straight into the air fryer, whereas raw chicken may need a couple of extra minutes to ensure it's cooked through.

Preheat your air fryer to between 360-400°F (180-205°C). Place the frozen chicken strips in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are in a single layer and not overlapping. There is no need to spray oil or preheat the basket.

Cook the chicken strips for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size and your air fryer model. For extra crispiness, you can flip the strips or shake the basket halfway through, but this is optional.

Once the strips are golden brown and crispy, remove them from the air fryer and serve immediately. You can enjoy them as a snack, lunch, or dinner with your favorite dipping sauces.

Preheat the air fryer

Preheating your air fryer is an important step in the cooking process. It ensures that your chicken strips will be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. While some recipes suggest that preheating is not necessary, others recommend preheating your air fryer to 360°F for 3-5 minutes. If you are using a Ninja Foodi, try preheating to 400°F for 5 minutes.

The preheating temperature and duration may vary depending on the brand and model of your air fryer, so it is always a good idea to refer to the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer. Additionally, if you are cooking multiple batches of chicken strips, the subsequent batches may cook faster since the air fryer is already preheated.

By preheating your air fryer, you create a hot environment that will help achieve the desired crispiness for your chicken strips. This initial heat will also impact the overall cooking time, ensuring that your chicken is cooked evenly and efficiently.

Remember, the key to successful air frying is often found in the preparation and understanding of your equipment. So, take the time to familiarise yourself with your air fryer's settings and adjust the temperature and timing accordingly.

Use frozen, pre-cooked chicken strips

If you're using frozen, pre-cooked chicken strips, you'll be pleased to know that cooking them in your air fryer is a simple process. There's no need to defrost the chicken strips beforehand—you can put them straight into the air fryer from the freezer.

First, set your air fryer to between 360 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't need to preheat the air fryer, but if you want to, five minutes should be enough. While that's heating up, you can prepare the chicken strips. Rinsing them under cold water will remove any ice, and patting them dry with a paper towel will ensure they cook evenly. You can also season them with salt and pepper, or any other spices you like, at this point.

Next, place the chicken strips into the air fryer basket. Make sure they're in a single layer and not overlapping or touching, as this will help them cook evenly and get crispy. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken strips in batches.

Cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer, but for pre-cooked chicken strips, you're generally looking at around 10 to 15 minutes. You may want to flip the strips halfway through, but this isn't necessary. The strips are ready when they're crispy and golden brown.

Once they're cooked, remove them from the air fryer and serve immediately. You can also reheat any leftovers in the air fryer for two to three minutes.

Oil the chicken

Oiling the chicken is an important step in the process of making frozen chicken strips in an air fryer. While some recipes suggest that you can cook the chicken without oil, adding a light spray of oil can help to make the chicken super crispy.

If you are using frozen raw chicken strips, where the breading is pre-cooked but the chicken is raw, you may want to add a spray of oil to ensure the chicken cooks evenly and has a crunchy texture. You can use avocado oil spray, or olive oil spray, for example. It is best to avoid non-stick spray.

If you are using frozen fully cooked chicken strips, these can go straight from the freezer to the air fryer and you don't need to add any oil. The chicken strips are already cooked and oiled, so adding more oil is unnecessary.

It is important to note that the oiling step is optional and depends on your personal preference for crispiness and the type of chicken strips you are using.

Season the chicken

Seasoning the chicken strips is an important step in the air-frying process as it adds flavour to the dish. Before seasoning, it is recommended to rinse the frozen chicken tenders under cold running water to wash off any ice. After rinsing, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

For seasoning, you can use a light spray of avocado oil or olive oil and season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. You can also use other seasonings of your choice, such as Italian-style breadcrumbs, gluten-free breadcrumbs, or keto pork rinds. Make sure the chicken tenders are evenly coated with the seasoning of your choice.

After seasoning, place the chicken tenders in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring they don't overlap. This arrangement allows for even cooking and helps achieve the desired crispiness.

Cook for 10-15 minutes

Now that your air fryer is preheated and your chicken strips are in the basket, it's time to cook them!

Set your timer for 10-15 minutes. The exact cooking time will depend on the brand and size of your air fryer, as well as the size of the chicken strips. For example, one source recommends cooking chicken strips for 11-12 minutes, while another suggests 8 minutes.

If you're using a raw chicken product, you'll need to extend the cooking time by a couple of minutes to ensure the chicken is cooked through. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer—it should be 165°F.

You may also want to flip your chicken strips or shake the basket halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning on both sides. However, this step is optional.

Frequently asked questions