Crispy Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders make a simple and easy dinner in the Air Fryer. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
My daughter loves chicken tenders.She’s funny about her food textures and because of that she likes when I make chicken fingers at home. She gets so excited when she sees me pull out the air fryer because she knows that means that she can get some crispy chicken or homemade fries.
I love to make these tenders because they cook up so quickly. Even if I’m in a huge hurry then I can still get these chicken tenders done in less than 20 minutes and on the table. I usually serve a vegetable like steamed or roasted broccoli and a simple starch like mac and cheese or fries with my chicken strips.
What are Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders?
These Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders are crunchy, cheese chicken strips “fried” in your air fryer. This recipe is so simple and requires only a few basic ingredients. If you do not have chicken tenderloins from your local grocery store you can take a boneless skinless chicken breast and slice it into tenders yourself. Usually I make my own tenders by slicing a chicken breast. I prefer not to spend the extra money on precut tenders. If you are in a hurry or don’t mind spending a little extra money to save some time, definitely buy the precut chicken tenders.
Does this recipe need bottled or dry ranch seasoning?
This recipe calls for a wet ranch. So, you will need ranch from a bottle or you own homemade ranch dressing. I like to make my own ranch dressing most of the time. But, if you want to save some time you can certainly use whichever bottled ranch that you prefer. If I buy bottled I perfect Hidden Valley or Litehouse ranch dressing to all the others.
What kind of bread crumbs do I need to use on these Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders?
You can use any kind of breadcrumbs that you have on hand for this recipe. My family prefers traditional breadcrumbs instead of Panko. So, I used traditional breadcrumbs. I do like to buy the garlic and herb breadcrumbs just to add a little extra seasoning to the crust of the chicken tenders. Plain will work just as well if that is what you want. The best thing about this recipe is that you can just use whatever you have on hand in the pantry to get dinner on the table in a flash
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Do I need to cook these Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders in the air fryer?
I personally prefer the added crunch that the air fryer gives these chicken tenders. However, you can use the oven if you prefer. If you want to use your oven I would bake on 350 about for 10 to 12 minutes until chicken is done. I find that the oven does not crisp things as well as the air fryer. The oven will work just fine if you don’t have an air fryer though.
You may enjoy these other recipes:
Cheddar Ranch Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lb chicken tenders
- 1/3 cup ranch
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 2/3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine egg and cold water and whisk.
- In a small bowl add ranch dressing.
- In a separate bowl combine bread crumbs and cheese and mix.
- Dip chicken tenders into egg wash, then into ranch, then into bread crumb mixture.
- Place in Air Fryer and cook at 390 for 6 minutes.
- Flip over and cook for another 6 minutes.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce
Nutrition
Okay, so cheddar, ranch, and chicken are three of my favorite things and this recipe looks simple so you can prepare it quickly! I’m keeping this in my recipe box so I have some delicious to run to that doesn’t take forever to fix! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Looks so easy and yummy! I’m sure my son will love this recipe.
Two things we love at my house–chicken and ranch. Wonderful combination. Thanks for the recipe. Looks like something I just might have to try this weekend.