The air fryer is one of the best appliances for cooking chicken fingers. They can be made in less than 15 minutes, making them ideal weeknight dinners for busy households.
Making tenders in the countertop cooker is so simple and mess-free that I find myself firing up a batch nearly every week, if not more, and experimenting with new breading recipes and sauces. Then I decided to go on the hunt for a low-carb option. To my great pleasure, this keto air fryer chicken finger recipe ticks all the boxes for a satisfying snack or meal that’s high in protein and free from empty carbs.
This recipe cuts the carbs on the classic chicken finger, but still maintains its signature crispiness and salty, fatty goodness. The secret? Pork rinds, parmesan cheese and the almighty air fryer.
Here’s how you can make the best keto chicken fingers ever.
What you’ll need for air fryer chicken fingers
- 6 chicken tenders
- 1 cup crushed pork rinds
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
Directions for keto air fryer chicken fingers
- In a medium bowl or deep plate, mix the crushed pork rinds, grated parmesan cheese and spices. In a separate small bowl, beat two eggs.
- Coat each chicken finger with the eggs and then dredge through the pork rind, parmesan and spice mixture. Place each piece on the rack of an air fryer.
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and turn on the timer for 10 minutes. Flip the fingers halfway with tongs. The chicken is finished when it achieves a golden brown exterior and the internal temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the fingers from the air fryer and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy.
The recipe is quite simple, but there are quite a few tips to keep in mind for customization purposes. Here are some of my favorites:
- Feel free to keep the high-fat, low-carb keto theme in mind and serve these with dipping sauces such as ranch or blue cheese dressing. Sauces like honey mustard and barbecue are my favorite, but they pack a ton of sugar in small quantities.
- Customize the spice blend by incorporating dried herbs such as parsley or oregano.
- The cheese is not necessary if you want to remove the dairy component.
- If carbs are not a concern, scale back on the pork rinds and replace the amount with panko breadcrumbs to maintain the same level of crunchiness.
- Prior to cooking, cut your chicken fingers into bite-sized pieces to create nuggets. These will take less time to cook.
- These can easily turn into buffalo chicken fingers. Allow them to cool a bit and then gently toss in your preferred buffalo sauce before serving.
As with any “fried” food, these will dry out and not taste good when reheated. Consider making smaller quantities to enjoy immediately upon cooking. If you’re cooking these up on game day, that might mean you need to make quite a few batches — but since each batch finishes in just 10 minutes, you’ll be able to keep them coming as they get gobbled up.
For more air fryer intel, try this 10-minute air fryer salmon or these high-protein chickpeas.
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