Keto air fryer chicken tenders made with real parmesan and almond flour turn out perfectly crisp in under 30 minutes. Seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, and paprika, they're an easy low carb lunch or dinner option.
Let's be honest. The kid in all of us still loves a good chicken tender. Maybe it's nostalgia. Maybe it's the crunch. Either way, these keto air fryer chicken tenders check all the boxes… crisp, flavorful, and made with real ingredients you can feel good about.
They're picky-eater approved and totally customizable. Serve them with your favorite dip, tuck them into a wrap, or slice them over a low carb salad. They're fast, family-friendly, and way better than anything from the freezer aisle.
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- Breaded with almond flour and parmesan for crispy, crunchy texture without carbs or gluten.
- Fits low carb, keto, and gluten-free eating styles.
- All the crunch of traditional tenders without processed ingredients.
- Cook time is just 8 minutes… faster than frozen and so much better.
- No air fryer? No problem. Oven directions are included below.
We love cooking healthy and low-carb chicken tenders in our home! Be sure to try our air fryer chicken tenders without breading, pan-fried chicken tenders, and baked chicken tenders recipes.
Ingredient Notes
Parmesan cheese, almond flour, garlic salt, pepper, and paprika are about to combine to create the best keto air fryer chicken tenders!
- chicken tenders -raw chicken tenderloins. You can buy them or make your own from chicken breast strips
- egg
- almond flour
- grated Parmesan cheese
- garlic salt - or a mix of salt + garlic powder
- ground black pepper
- paprika
- olive oil
- optional - dipping sauces such as ranch dressing, BBQ, mustard, or ketchup
Variations
- Seasoning - we love the classic flavor that garlic salt, pepper, and paprika offer, but feel free to opt for chicken rub, Italian seasoning, other herbs, or spices including cayenne to create a variety of chicken tender flavors.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese - Shredded can be used in place of grated parmesan but it will not stick as well.
Equipment
An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the dredging station
Set up 2 small bowls. Beat the egg in one. In the second, combine almond flour, grated parmesan, garlic salt, ground black pepper, and paprika.
Step 2: Coat the chicken
Dip each chicken tender in the egg, coating both sides and letting excess drip off. Then coat in the almond flour-parmesan mixture. Repeat with remaining tenders.
Step 3: Preheat the air fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. If your model doesn't have a preheat button, simply let it run for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Load the basket
Add the coated tenders in a single layer and spritz with olive oil to help them crisp.
Step 5: Air fry
Cook for 4 minutes. Flip, spritz again, and cook another 4-5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Step 6: Rest and serve
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy as-is or with your favorite dipping sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Preheat your air fryer so the tenders cook in 8-9 minutes and crisp up properly. If you skip the preheat, the tenderloins will take longer to cook.
- Spritz the tenders with oil for the best golden, crunchy coating.
- Don't overcrowd the basket. Space between tenders helps the air circulate and cook evenly.
- Use a meat thermometer to check doneness, the internal temp should be 165 F.
Common Questions
Serve your keto air fryer chicken tenders with this healthy coleslaw and air fryer broccoli to create a complete meal that is quick, easy, and super healthy!
Yes! You can use coconut flour in place of the almond flour to make our keto air fryer chicken tenders.
If you have left-over chicken tenders you can store them in the fridge for 4-5 days in a covered container, but they will lose their crispness.
To bake the chicken tenders, follow the assembly steps, and instead of air frying, bake them in a 400F oven for 10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes, until the internal temperature tested with a digital thermometer reaches 160F.
More Keto Chicken Tender Recipes
- Air fryer chicken tenders no breading
- Air fryer frozen chicken tenders no breading
- Pan fried chicken tenders
- Baked chicken tenders no breading
- Instant Pot chicken tenders from frozen
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Recipe
Keto Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 + lb chicken tenders 7-8 tenders in a package
- 1 egg
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.
- You'll need 2 small, low dishes to bread the chicken. In the first add the egg and beat it in the dish. In the 2nd dish, add the almond flour, grated parmesan, garlic salt, ground black pepper, and paprika and mix them together.
- Dip a chicken tender first in the egg, making sure to dip it on each side and let the excess egg drip back into the bowl.
- Next, dip the chicken tender in the almond flour parmesan mix, making sure to coat it well on both sides. Continue dipping the rest of the chicken tenders in the egg wash and coating mix.
- Add the chicken to the air fryer and spritz the top side of the chicken with olive oil.
- Air fry the chicken for a total of 8-9 minutes, after 4 minutes, flip the chicken over spritz the other side of the chicken with olive oil. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Eat them as is or dip them in your favorite sauce!
Notes
If you don’t have an oil spritzer, carefully brush oil on the chicken tenders If you're a garlic lover, sprinkle a little more garlic salt over the top after cooking. To bake the chicken tenders, follow the assembly steps, and instead of air frying, bake them in a 400F oven for 10 minutes, flipping after 5 minutes until the internal temperature tested with a digital thermometer reaches 160F.
Aloma says
Will coconut flour work instead of almond flour?
WholeLottaYum says
Coconut flour should work since it's just for breading but I've never tried it.