4-Ingredient Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins cook up super quick with this easy 3-ingredient marinade, which locks in the moisture and amps up the flavor. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The marinade is so quick to throw together and makes a wonderful sweet-savory combo.
Our family has been making this recipe for decades. We usually make it on the grill, but nobody wanted to grill during a 100F heatwave this summer, so we decided to try it in the air fryer.
It has been our go-to method ever since!
We usually serve this recipe with au gratin potatoes, cheesy hashbrown casserole, baked potatoes, or rice, along with a tossed salad or steamed veggies. It also makes an amazing base for a rice bowl, which is what we’ll often use leftovers for.
This is a really flexible recipe. Over the years, we’ve made it with ginger ale and with whatever lemon-lime soda was on sale. Our favorite version is with Cherry 7-Up, though.
Preparing the Chicken
Some stores use “Chicken Tenderloin” and “Chicken Tenders” interchangeably. It refers to a small piece of meat that is attached to the chicken breast. You can buy it either attached to the chicken breast or in its own separate pack.
However you buy it, you’ll want to check that the little white tendon is trimmed off before you put it in the marinade. (This will improve the texture when you eat it.) We usually just use kitchen shears to make quick work of this task.
If you can’t find chicken tenderloin at your store, you can always use a meat tenderizer to pound chicken breasts into even thickness and trim them lengthwise into strips.
Making the Marinade
If the chicken tenderloins are not submerged in the marinade, you’ll want to make sure that you flip it. (You can also double the marinade if you know you won’t be home to flip it.).
We tested the difference in marinating the chicken for 2 hours, 4 hours, and 8 hours. There was a small difference in the flavor of the chicken the longer it sat in the marinade. (The difference was small enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to cook it if I only had two hours.)
How to Cook Chicken Tenderloins in the Air Fryer
In our testing, we found that preheating the air fryer made a big difference. Definitely don’t skip that step—it only adds a minute or two to the total time.
Make sure the chicken isn’t crowded—if you’re making the full 2 pounds of chicken, you’ll likely need to cook the chicken in batches.
The cooking time does vary based on the thickness of the chicken tenderloins you’re using. Our recipe calls for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken tenderloins you’re using.
You’ll know your chicken is done when it’s browned around the edges and it reaches an internal temperature of 165F on your instant-read thermometer. We recommend checking at 6 minutes and then cooking for a minute or two as needed.
Note on Air Fryers:
✅ These instructions were tested in the Instant Vortex, Cosori TurboBlaze, and Instant Pot Pro Crisp. This recipe may require a little tweaking depending on the brand you use.
For basket style air fryers: Make sure to use the crisper plate on the bottom of your air fryer basket.
For toaster-oven style air fryers: I really hate a messy clean-up in these models, so I will always take a small baking sheet, line it with foil, and top with a wire cooking rack. Then I’ll place the chicken on top of the wire rack and place the whole thing on the wire rack.
(Note: In our experience, toaster-oven air fryers cook a little faster and pressure cooker/air fryer combos cook a little slower than basket-style air fryers. Keep a close watch on your meal and adjust the timing accordingly.)
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Easy Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Cherry 7-Up (3/4 cup)
- 3 ounces soy sauce we use low-sodium
- 3 ounces vegetable oil
- 1 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
Instructions
- In a gallon-sized ziplock, combine the Cherry 7-Up, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and chicken. Marinate for 4 to 8 hours, turning midway through (if possible).
- Select Air Fry and preheat the air fryer to 375°F. When hot, place the chicken tenderloins in a single layer on the Crisper Plate on the bottom of the air fryer basket. (Do not crowd the chicken; if you’re making the full 2 pounds, you’ll need to cook the chicken in batches.)
- Air fry for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken tenderloins you’re using. The chicken is done when the outside is caramelized around the edges and your instant read thermometer reaches 165°F. We recommend checking at 6 minutes and then going another minute or two as needed.
- Remove from the air fryer basket and serve immediately.
Nutrition
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
This recipe has a short ingredients list, but it’s packed with flavor!
- Cherry 7-Up: When we can find it in store, we prefer to buy canned soda or a 20-ounce soda. Often, however, we end up buying the 2-liter bottle and the kids get to have the leftover soda with dinner.
- Soy sauce: We use Kikkoman’s Lower-Sodium Soy Sauce in this recipe.
- Vegetable oil: Any oil can work, but other oils may change the flavor slightly.
- Chicken tenderloin: We love using chicken tenders because they are fairly uniform in size and they cook up quickly.
We really love our Oxo Liquid Measuring Cups. We’ve given the measurements in ounces for this reason. However, if you prefer, you can use
Variations
Skip the marinade and sprinkle each chicken tender with Ranch or Italian seasoning, your favorite spices, or even just salt and pepper. Spray them with an oil mister or Pam cooking spray, then add to the air fryer and cook as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Air Fryer Chicken Tenderloins
If you use the marinade, the oil from the marinade is enough to keep the chicken from sticking to the crisper plate.
Place leftover chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. (I like to dice the leftovers and use them in salads, tacos, or teriyaki bowls.)
You can double the recipe, but you will definitely have to cook it in batches. If you want to half the recipe, I still recommend making the original amount of marinade. (If there’s too little marinade, it’s hard to coat the chicken.)
MORE Chicken Tenderloin Recipes
Recipes you can make with this or other recipes you might like:
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would the cooking time be any different if I used boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Yes… what temp?
I can’t believe I left that off! It’s 375F, I’ve updated the recipe. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know!
At what temperature do you cook these?
Oh, I’m so embarrassed I left that off! It’s 375F, I’ve updated the recipe. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know!