Pickle Brined Chicken Tenders

5 from 191 votes

Pickle Brined Chicken Tenders

Pickle Brined Baked Chicken Tenders are a juicy and flavorful chicken dish - similar to Chick-fil-A chicken recipe; includes air fryer and oven instructions

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Total Time 28

Servings servings

Calories 310.6kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

12 chicken tenders 1 ¼ pound total
1 ¼ cup dill pickle juice plus more for serving
2 eggs
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
black pepper
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil Spray

Instructions

Place chicken in a shallow bowl and cover with the pickle juice. Cover and marinade for 8 hours in the fridge.
Drain chicken and pat completely dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade.
In a medium bowl, beat together the whole egg, egg white, salt and pepper to taste. In a shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs.
Working with one piece at a time, dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs, gently pressing to adhere. Shake off any excess and place on a work surface. Generously spray both sides of the chicken with oil.

Oven Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spray the top generously. Bake in oven until the bottom is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and bake 6 minutes, until golden.

Air Fryer Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Working in batches, arrange a single layer of chicken in the air fryer basket. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through, crispy and golden. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Video

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, in a skillet with a little olive oil, or in an air fryer before serving.

Freezing Instructions: You can also freeze the chicken tenders before or after cooking them.

To freeze them prior to cooking, lay them on a flat baking dish in the freezer for at least 4 hours. When frozen, place them in an airtight bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and cook per instructions.
To freeze them after cooking, simply store them in an airtight bag after they've cooled. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.

Equipment: I have been using the NuWave Air Fryer all this year, but I just received the SkinnyTaste by Vremi Air Fryer and it has excellent reviews, so I'm excited to try it!

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

Instead of eggs, you can use a flax eggs. For each regular egg, use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water. You can also use lowfat buttermilk
If you prefer not to use breadcrumbs, you can use a gluten-free flour like almond flour or oat flour, or you can also use only panko breadcrumbs.

Nutrition