It only takes a few ingredients and around 25 minutes to make these delicious pretzel-crusted chicken air fryer, which makes it an ideal quick meal on a busy weeknight. As I always tried in this blog to share healthy recipes with you, this is one of the most amazing dishes, and I will show you an easy way to prepare this meal. The best thing about this air fryer pretzel chicken recipe is that it doesn’t need a deep fryer, which makes it a lighter and healthier alternative to conventional chicken tenders.
Ingredients for air fryer dots pretzel chicken :
- Pretzel (2 cups)
- Panko Breadcrumbs (3/4 cups)
- Smoked paprika (1/2 tsp.)
- Cajun seasoning (½ tsp.)
- Eggs (2)
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders ( 1 Pound)
- Oil spray ( olive oil is recommended)
Equipment:
- Air fryer
Additional kitchen hardware tools:
- Meat thermometer
How to air fryer pretzel chicken tenders?
Step 1: Preheat your air fryer and line the cookie sheet with parchment pap. Then, You need a food processor to combine the pretzel with the breadcrumbs well.
Step 2: Add panko breadcrumbs, garlic salt, paprika, and Cajun seasoning in a separate bowl. In another bowl, whisk two eggs evenly.
Step 3: Stain excessive moisture from the chicken. Pick one tendered chicken piece and dip it in the egg mixture. Now, coat the tender chicken with the pretzel. And this batch is ready to place on preheated cookie sheet. For proper crispiness, spray olive oil in the air fryer basket.
How long to air fry pretzel-crusted chicken?
Step 4: It will take 14 minutes to cook chicken strips until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Meal is ready to eat & enjoy.
Read More Air Fryer Recipes:
- How to Air fryer swai fish in 20 Minutes?
- How to Air fryer Frozen Chicken Breast in 15 Minutes
- How to air fryer turkey meatballs in 8 Minutes?
- How to air fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken in 20 Minutes?
- How to air fryer crab cakes in 30 minutes?
Advice for Successful pretzel crusted chicken air fryer:
Here are some suggestions for making the crispiest, tastiest homemade air fryer pretzel chicken:
- Avoid crushing the pretzels too much. Because you want your dish to have a texture close to Panko breadcrumbs than pretzel dust.
- To dry, pat the chicken. Before dipping the chicken tenders through the pretzel crumbs, pat them dry with a paper towel, enabling the coating to stick!
- Keep the basket from being overstuffed, and ensure enough room between the chicken strips so that the hot air can thoroughly crisp them up.
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer if it has reached 165 degrees F to ensure that the chicken tenders are well done.
- Put parchment paper in the bottom of the air fryer basket if you’re concerned that your chicken tenders will stick to it.
- To make this dish allergy-friendly, replace the seasoned pretzels with gluten-free pretzels.
Can I prepare air fryer pretzel chicken ahead of time?
The chicken tenders will be at their crispiest when they are just out of the air fryer! That’s why I always advise preparing them fresh as a first option. However, if you want quick meal preparation, you can cook chicken tenders in advance. Cook the chicken according to the recipe’s instructions, then store it tightly in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to store pretzel-crusted chicken air fryers?
For up to three to four days, cooked air fryer pretzel chicken can be kept in a zipper bag in the refrigerator. Reheat the chicken by placing it back into the air fryer until it reaches the desired temperature.
Can I freeze these air fryer pretzel chicken?
Freezing air fryer dots pretzel chicken is simple. Lay the chicken strips on a baking sheet once they have finished cooking and completely cooled before putting them in the freezer. Transfer them to a storage bag or an airtight container once completely frozen. Reheat the pretzel-crusted chicken tenders in the air fryer from frozen whenever you’re ready.
Which pretzels are the best to use for this recipe?
I strongly advise using Dots pretzel breading. The seasoning is a mildly spicy mixture, and they are fantastic. If you’d prefer, you can also use standard pretzels. Since regular pretzels won’t have as much flavor, you might need to season the mixture with more ingredients.
Pretzel-crusted chicken air fryer: | |||||
Prep Time | Cook time | Total time | |||
10 minutes | 12 minutes | 22 minutes | |||
Servings: 4 servings | |||||
Course: Main Course. | |||||
Calories: 360 kcal | |||||
Nutrition facts: |
|||||
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 32g | |||
Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1323mg | Potassium: 573mg | |||
Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | ||||
If you have any questions, leave a comment, please!

Pretzel-crusted chicken air fryer
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- Pretzel (2 cups)
- Panko Breadcrumbs (3/4 cups)
- Smoked paprika (1/2 tsp.)
- Cajun seasoning (½ tsp.)
- Eggs (2)
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders ( 1 Pound)
- Oil spray ( olive oil is recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer and line the cookie sheet with parchment pap. Then, You need a food processor to combine the pretzel with the breadcrumbs well.
- Add panko breadcrumbs, garlic salt, paprika, and Cajun seasoning in a separate bowl. In another bowl, whisk two eggs evenly.
- Stain excessive moisture from the chicken. Pick one tendered chicken piece and dip it in the egg mixture. Now, coat the tender chicken with the pretzel. And this batch is ready to place on preheated cookie sheet. For proper crispiness, spray olive oil in the air fryer basket.
- It will take 14 minutes to cook chicken strips until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Meal is ready to eat & enjoy.