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Plate of pickle brined chicken tenders with ketchup and pickles on the side
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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 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 310.6kcal
Author Yumna Jawad

Ingredients

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.
Pickle Brined Chicken Tenders Excerpted from The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook: The 75 Best Healthy Recipes for Your Air Fryer by Gina Homolka. Copyright © 2019. 

Nutrition

Calories: 310.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.11g | Protein: 37.73g | Fat: 7.19g | Saturated Fat: 1.84g | Cholesterol: 177.99mg | Sodium: 1860.23mg | Potassium: 634.71mg | Fiber: 1.07g | Sugar: 1.41g | Vitamin A: 192.75IU | Vitamin C: 2.21mg | Calcium: 60.85mg | Iron: 2.04mg