The Secret to No-Mess “Fried” Chicken Is in the Snack Aisle

If you’re craving crunchy, craggy, salty fried chicken but don’t want to deal with deep frying, swing through the snack aisle instead. With a bag of kettle-cooked potato chips and your trusty air fryer at your side, you’re just half an hour away from super crispy, deeply seasoned “fried” chicken strips!

This recipe packs in flavor and texture in three key ways: First, the chicken tenders themselves are seasoned generously with kosher salt. Then they’re dredged in flour that’s spiked with seasoned salt (like Lawry’s) for another layer of depth. After a dip in some beaten egg, the exteriors are then coated with crushed potato chips, which mimic the crunchy coating from deep-fried chicken with none of the mess.

After just ten minutes in the air fryer, these chicken tenders emerge golden and shatteringly crisp on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Devour them as-is with ketchup or a fancy honey mustard, or use them to top a green salad or stuff into a wrap. 

Amp Up the Flavor

Want to build in even more flavor to your chicken? Play with different flavors of potato chips! Barbecue, salt and vinegar, pickle, or jalapeño-flavored chips would all work well in addition to plain. Just make sure you use kettle-cooked chips, which will offer a crispier exterior, better crunch, and a less greasy finish compared to traditionally-cooked potato chips, such as Lay’s.

Oven Method

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can make these tenders in the oven instead. Arrange the coated chicken on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Spray the tops evenly with cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes, flipping and spraying the other side of chicken with cooking spray halfway through baking.

Set up a dredging station:

In a shallow dish, stir together the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. In a second shallow dish, add the beaten eggs. Add the potato chips to a large zip-top bag and crush the chips with a rolling pin to make coarse crumbs.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dredge the chicken:

Season the chicken all over with the kosher salt. Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, then dip it in the beaten egg to coat, letting the excess drip off. Add the chicken to the zip-top bag with the crushed chips. Repeat until you have about 4 tenders in the bag.

Seal the bag and shake and press to coat the chicken with the chips. Remove the chicken from the bag and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Air fry the chicken:

Preheat an air fryer to 400°F if your air fryer requires preheating. If your air fryer has multiple settings, use the “air fry” setting.

Working in batches, arrange the coated chicken tenders in the air fryer basket so they’re not touching each other. Spray the tops of the tenders with cooking spray. Cook until golden brown, crispy, and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 10 minutes, flipping and spraying the other side of chicken with cooking spray halfway through. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste and serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F until hot.

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