Frozen chicken tenders vs homemade in the air fryer, homemade won me over

I tried the frozen bagged chicken tenders everyone raves about in this group for months. They were always crispy but the texture felt off, kind of mealy inside. So I gave homemade a shot last week with panko and a light oil spray, 12 minutes at 390. They came out way crunchier and juicier, plus I could control the salt. Has anyone else made the switch and stuck with homemade?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.laura1mo agoMost Upvoted

Lol those frozen tenders everyone hypes are so hit or miss. Heard this lady at the grocery store once complaining about the same mealy texture you're talking about, said she switched to homemade and never looked back. Made me curious enough to try it, and yeah, panko is the real game changer. Air fryer does a solid job getting them crispy without that weird processed mouthfeel. Plus you can throw in whatever seasoning you like, I've been doing paprika and garlic powder. Feels way more worth it than paying for a bag of mostly breading anyway.

zara5721mo ago

You ever notice how the people who swear by frozen tenders are the same ones who haven't touched a stove in months? Homemade is cheaper and you can control the salt, which is a huge deal if you're watching that stuff. Also, panko is great but try crushing up pork rinds for a coating if you're doing low carb, it's weirdly good. Air fryer is basically cheating at that point, you get crunch without deep frying and the kitchen doesn't smell like a fast food joint for three days.