Air Fryer Everything Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dip is an incredibly easy way to make the most crispy and crunchy homemade chicken fingers. Your air fryer does all the hard work. Buttermilk soaked chicken with an everything bagel seasoning coating, you can’t go wrong!
My air fryer is quickly becoming the most used appliance in my kitchen. I was hesitant to add another thing to my countertop since space is at a premium, and I just don’t think that you need a lot of extra tools to get dinner on the table. If you’re considering an air fryer, you might want to try some other delicious recipes like Air Fryer Chicken Breast or Air Fryer French Fries to really take advantage of its versatility.
I had an air fryer before and really did love what they were able to make, but for five people, the one that we had was just too small. I was in Costco and found a model that was much larger and doubled as a toaster oven and it is worth the counter space. I love it. We use it every day.
Chicken fingers are one of the things that we make most often in our air fryer. You seriously cannot tell that they did not just come out of an actual fryer. They are super crispy and crunchy. I can never get them crunchy enough in the oven.
The craziest part is that you need a couple of spritzes of cooking spray, and that’s all the oil there is. It’s like magic. I recommend also Air Fryer Onion Rings , which come out very crunchy.
These chicken fingers are seasoned with everything seasoning – like you get on a bagel – and are so flavorful and delicious. Dipped into homemade honey mustard, and you would never know that these didn’t come from a restaurant. Additionally, the Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing.
Ingredients
For these air fryer chicken fingers, you will need chicken tenders, buttermilk, maple syrup, salt, pepper, panko breadcrumbs, everything seasoning, and nonstick cooking spray.
Chicken. I like to use air-chilled chicken breasts and cut them into strips myself, but you can buy the chicken tenderloins that are ready to go.
Buttermilk. My favorite thing to marinate the chicken in. It tenderizes the chicken and keeps the chicken tender and moist.
Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup adds just a touch of sweetness to the chicken and also helps the chicken brown and crisp.
Everything But The Bagel Seasoning. I get mine at Trader Joe’s, but you can make your own by combining poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion, and sea salt.
Honey mustard. You obviously can purchase a honey mustard dressing or dip, but it could not be any easier to make your own. I like to try different mustards, and I also want to control the amount of sweetness.
How to Make – The Steps
Like most chicken fingers recipes, you need to marinade chicken fingers in a buttermilk soak and dredge them in a panko crumb before frying in an air fryer.
- Mix buttermilk, syrup, salt, and pepper and pour over chicken.
- Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Mix the dredging ingredients in a shallow dish.
- Drain a few chicken pieces at a time and dredge in the panko crumbs.
- Repeat until all of the chicken pieces are coated in the breadcrumbs.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°.
- Spritz the chicken and fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Fry in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Mix both mustards and honey in a small bowl and serve with hot chicken fingers.
Why are these Air Fryer Everything Chicken Fingers So Amazing?
The crunch. You will never be able to tell the difference between an air fried chicken finger and a regular fried one. You need to trust me.
The everything seasoning. These are salty, garlicky and oniony, and a just the teensy tiniest bit sweet, everything you love about the bagel, but on a chicken finger. Just make sure to check your teeth, those poppy seeds, man. They get stuck.
Buttermilk. The buttermilk soak does the job. It tenderizes the chicken and keeps these from drying out, which can happen when making a chicken finger. It adds flavor too, just a little tang and sweetness. I use this all the time when I am adding a coating to chicken.
Variations
These chicken fingers are incredible with the salty onion and garlic Everything Bagel seasoning, but you can make them with different variations:
- Try the different Trader Joe’s seasonings – Chili Lime, Elote, are all delicious.
- If you don’t have panko crumbs, you can use regular or seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Make nuggets instead of fingers. Cut the chicken into chunks and make them into nuggets instead.
- Leave out the everything seasoning and add a little brown sugar and cayenne instead. The sweet heat is such a good combo.
How to Reheat //
We rarely have leftovers, but if you do, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheat in the air fryer for 5 to 8 minutes at 400°.
Air Fryer Everything Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dip
Ingredients
Chicken Finger Marinade:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
Assembly:
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
- salt and pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
Honey Mustard Dip:
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Mix buttermilk, maple syrup, salt, and pepper together in a large plastic bag or bowl. Add chicken fingers and coat in the mixture. Let sit in the buttermilk mixture for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- When you are ready to cook, preheat your air fryer to 400*.
- Mix the panko crumbs, Everything seasoning, and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Take the chicken fingers out of the buttermilk a few at a time and drain.
- Dredge the chicken in the panko, coating each side completely. Repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
- When you are ready to cook, spray the chicken and the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Put the chicken in the basket in a single layer (I do it in a few batches) and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking. When you are ready to serve them, you can add them all back to the basket for a couple of minutes to reheat if needed. Sprinkle with a little extra seasoning and salt.
- Make the honey mustard dip by mixing the mustards and honey. Taste and adjust if needed. Serve with chicken fingers.
Nutrition
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