Reheating chicken tenders in the air fryer is the best way to reheat chicken. Chicken tenders remain crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just like if you cooked it fresh! No more soggy chicken tenders in the microwave. Reheat them perfectly every time in just 5 minutes.
Making chicken tenders in the air fryer is easy! Sides are simple too. Try air fryer tater tots or these smashed potatoes – so delicious!
What’s the best way to reheat chicken tenders?
Can you reheat chicken tenders in the air fryer? You absolutely can, and I think it’s the very best way. That’s because of how the air fryer works. It circulates hot air very quickly so your food cooks – or reheats – very fast. Since there’s no direct heat, only moving heat, your food ends up getting reheated in a very even blanket of heat instead of hot spots that make some of your food hot and leave other spots cold.
When you reheat chicken fingers, this means the outside of your chicken stays crispy and golden brown, and the inside stays juicy and tender. Perfect every time.
Tips for Reheating Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
Looking for the best way to reheat chicken tenders in the air fryer? Before you start, here are a few tips to help make sure your tenders come out of the air fryer perfectly.
- Let your tenders come to room temperature before you reheat them. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it can help them reheat well. Just set them covered on the counter for about 30 minutes before placing them in the air fryer
- Fully preheat your air fryer to 350°F. It only takes a minute or two to preheat your air fryer and it makes all the difference. So let it heat up all the way.
- If your leftover tenders feel a bit soggy or wet on one side, begin cooking with the wet side up.
- Put parchment paper on your baking tray, especially if you’re using a wire rack. It makes cleaning up a lot easier and helps ensure your chicken won’t stick.
- Leave room between your tenders so the heat can cook all the sides evenly.
How to Reheat Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer
Here’s how to perfectly reheat chicken tenders every time:
STEP ONE: Place the chicken tenders onto the baking tray. Add the number of chicken tenders you are cooking in a single layer to the air fry tray.
STEP TWO: Preheat the air fryer and cook. Set the air fryer to 350°F. It only takes a couple of minutes to preheat. Place the rack into the air fryer and air fry for 3-5 minutes. Flip using tongs halfway through.
STEP THREE: Serve. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
How to Heat Other Foods in the Air Fryer
Most foods can reheat at the same temperature they were already cooked or a bit lower. Since the air in an air fryer is moving so quickly, it intensifies the heat, so you don’t need to make the temperature higher. Please your food on the air fryer basket and heat for 3-5 minutes. You may need to heat it longer if your food is thick or heavier.
In most cases, you may want to flip your food over half way through heating.
Can I Reheat Chicken Twice?
I’ll let you use your best judgment, but I don’t recommend heating these a second time. If you don’t finish them, toss them out.
What can I dip chicken tenders in?
There are so many great sauces for chicken tenders. Try:
- BBQ sauce
- Ketchup
- Mayo
- Aioli
- Honey mustard
- Sweet and sour sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Salsa
- Hot sauce
- Honey garlic sauce
- Sweet onion dressing
- French dressing
- Blue cheese dressing
What else can I do with leftover chicken tenders?
Think you can only dip chicken fingers in sauce and eat them with fries? Think again! We use leftover chicken fingers to make all kinds of meals.
- Chicken quesadillas
- Chicken snack wraps
- Buffalo chicken sandwiches
- Salads
- Chicken and waffles
- Pizza (use it as a topping)
- Chicken tacos
Be creative! You can use chicken tenders for all kinds of things.
FAQs
If your chicken was moist after the first time you cooked it, it should still be moist after reheating it. Just don’t cook it too long and don’t increase the temperature to more than 350°F.
You can also reheat chicken tenders in the oven but it takes longer. Wrap your tenders in foil and place them in the oven, preheated to 400°F. You can also place them on a wire rack if you have one that’s oven-safe. Reheat for 10 minutes, turning half way through.
You can reheat your unbreaded chicken the exact same way. After 5 minutes reheating time, check to see if they’re hot through. Put them back in for another 1-2 minutes if necessary, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
Reheating Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 8 leftover chicken tenders
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenders onto the baking tray. Add the number of chicken tenders you are cooking in a single layer to the air fry tray.
- Preheat the air fryer and cook. Set the air fryer to 350°F. It only takes a couple of minutes to preheat. Place the rack into the air fryer and air fry for 3-5 minutes. Flip using tongs halfway through.
- Serve. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Let your tenders come to room temperature before you reheat them. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it can help them reheat well. Just set them covered on the counter for about 30 minutes before placing them in the air fryer
- Fully preheat your air fryer to 350°F. It only takes a minute or two to preheat your air fryer and it makes all the difference. So let it heat up all the way.
- If your leftover tenders feel a bit soggy or wet on one side, begin cooking with the wet side up.
- Put parchment paper on your baking tray, especially if you’re using a wire rack. It makes cleaning up a lot easier and helps ensure your chicken won’t stick.
- Leave room between your tenders so the heat can cook all the sides evenly.
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