These crispy chicken fingers will be your new favorite air fryer recipe. So crispy on the outside and cooked to perfection on the inside. This recipe is perfect for back-to-school lunches and just as amazing for adults as well. I love to cut these into strips and enjoy them on top of a salad, but they’re also delicious on their own with a side of ketchup.
I used my Cosori air fryer for this recipe which saved me so much time. I love using my air fryer if I am in a rush, or simply don’t want to deal with a huge mess. As you know, frying in oil can be messy and time consuming and air frying takes that away as it uses 95% less oil to achieve that similar crisp.
Variations and Substitutions
There are a few ingredients that are optional or can be substituted:
- Panko bread crumbs can be substituted with Italian store-bought or homemade bread crumbs. I like Panko here for its larger crumb and the crunchiness it imparts.
- You can use any neutral, high smoke point oil here.
- Parmigiano reggiano cheese is optional but so delicious.
Best served with
- These would be incredible served with a side of Crispy Parmesan Crusted Smashed Potatoes and their yogurt dipping sauce.
- Try dipping these chicken fingers in Homemade Spicy Mayo.
Common Questions
You can shallow fry these chicken fingers in any neutral oil, such as avocado oil. You can also bake them at 425F for 15 to 20 minutes, but they won’t be as crispy. If you bake them, be sure to spray them on each side and flip them halfway through baking so that they get an even crisp. You can also bake them on a wire rack so that the air can circulate.
Yes, you can easily use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
Crispy Chicken Fingers
Ingredients
- 1 pack of thinly cut chicken fillets (700grams) I bought thinly cut chicken breast fillets and cut each one into strips
- 2 eggs, whisked
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- salt and pepper
- avocado oil spray
Instructions
- Working with one chicken cutlet at a time, cut it into 2 to 3 strips, depending on how large it is.
- Assemble three bowls and prepare the dredging station in this order: flour in one bowl, whisked eggs in the second bowl, and the breadcrumbs and grated cheese in the last bowl. Season each bowl with salt and pepper.
- Take each chicken strip and dip it into the flour, shake off the excess, proceed to dip into the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumbs. Continue to do this with each chicken strip until they are all breaded.
- If your air fryer has preheating instructions or a preheat button, please be sure to do that. Spray each chicken strip with avocado oil spray on each side and place it in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 415F for 9 to 10 minutes, flipping the chicken strips over once halfway through the cooking time. Enjoy warm!