Air Fryer Chicken Strips

I am obsessed with Chicken Strips and I won't even lie, a huge guilty pleasure of mine is frozen chicken nuggets. No shame here. I am allergic to gluten and I like to eat healthy, so those two combined make it tough to enjoy chicken strips. A while back, I came up with a Parmesan Ranch Chicken Strip recipe that I loved and was a huge hit in our house. I decided it was time to make over the recipe, but this time, use my air fryer! Was it possible to make a crispy chicken strip without frying them in oil? I was on a mission to find out!

These were a huge hit in our house and when my Dad tried them, he actually thought I had cooked frozen pre-made chicken strips in my air fryer and had no clue they were homemade. These hit the spot and feel like a cheat!

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup flour of choice (I used gf all purpose flour)
2 eggs
1 tbsp ranch seasoning + 1 tsp
1/2 cup of gluten free Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Cooking Spray

D IRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 teaspoon of ranch seasoning, then set aside.
In another small bowl, scramble two eggs and then slowly stir in 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning, then set aside.
In another small bowl, add breadcrumbs and set aside.
Take chicken strips and cover each one in the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture and then cover in the breadcrumbs. Be sure to shake of excess at each step. Season with salt and pepper.
Lightly spray with cooking spray (this step can be skipped if you don't want to use cooking spray).
Place chicken in your air fryer and cook at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Turn your air fryer up to 400 degrees for another 5-7 minutes. Flipping halfway.
TIP: My biggest recommendation is to babysit your air fryer the first time you cook these and check your chicken every few minutes. Cooking times can vary based on the size of your air fryer. If your chicken is browning too quickly and not cooked inside, turn down the temperature. If your air fryer fully cooks your chicken quicker, then crank up the temperature on your air fryer sooner to brown the outside.

If you are following the 21 Day Fix meal plan, each thin chicken breast counts as one serving. Our two chicken breasts filled up two red containers. Half of the recipe counts as 1 red and 1/2 yellow.