These Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Tenders are a delicious spin on traditional Japanese food. They are super easy to make, and comes out nice and crispy every time.

white plate with katsu sauce onto of the chicken. parsley and mason jar in the back

Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Tenders

Chicken katsu is a delicious Japanese dish that features breaded and fried chicken cutlets. For this recipe, we’re using the air fryer instead of traditional frying methods for a lower fat recipe.

Traditionally, chicken katsu is made using chicken breasts that are pounded thin and then breaded and fried. However, chicken katsu can also be made using chicken tenders, which are easier to handle and require less prep time.

When I first made this Air Fryer Katsu Chicken I didn’t know what to expect. It quickly became a big hit in my household and we would eat it once a week, sometimes twice in one week.

We enjoyed making this katsu chicken we even tried it with different types of chicken; chicken breast, chicken thighs, and now chicken tenders.

If you enjoy this amazing katsu chicken recipe make sure to check out these other mouthwatering katsu chicken, Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Thighs, and Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Sandwich

For all my chicken tender lovers make sure to check out some of these quick and easy chicken tenders recipes the family will love; Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Keto Chicken Tenders, and Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Tenders.

white plate with katsu sauce being poured on the chicken

❤️ Why you’ll love this easy air fryer recipe

Budget Friendly – Shopping at Aldi’s will be your lifesaver. You can buy all these ingredients there. Buying any kind of chicken at Aldi’s is super affordable.
Easy Recipe – This recipe is super easy to follow and with only a few steps dinner will be done in no time.
Intro to ethnic cuisines – if you aren’t very adventurous in trying recipes from different cultures, you’ll love this adapted version of a traditional Japanese Chicken Katsu. It’s Americanized and so is the sauce. Using Ingredients that you most likely will have in your kitchen.

WHAT DOES KATSU MEAN?

In Japanese culture, “Katsu” refers to a cutlet of meat that is coated with panko breadcrumbs and then fried. In addition to chicken katsu, you can also make pork or seafood katsu.

If you go to a Japanese restaurant you will most likely see some type of Katsu recipe on the menu since it’s popular in Japanese cuisine.

In Western Culture, we refer to the traditional Japanese sauce that is served with Katsu as “Katsu sauce.” Katsu sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce, similar to a barbecue sauce.

Katsu sauce is traditionally called Tonkatsu sauce. These two names may be used interchangeably depending on where you read or hear them.

Ingredients

For the chicken

Chicken Tenders
Egg
Milk
Panko breadcrumbs
Seasonings: salt and black pepper

ingredient photo for air fryer katsu chicken tenders

For the Sauce

Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Soy Sauce
Sugar
Garlic

katsu sauce ingredients (Worcestershire sauce ketchup, soy sauce, sugar and garlic)

✳️ Tips & Tricks

Spraying the chicken with avocado oil will help make the chicken tenders nice and crispy.
If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs instead.
Make sure to shake off any excess egg before coating the chicken in the breadcrumbs. This will ensure that the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
To make sure that the chicken cooks evenly and doesn’t dry out, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. The temperature should reach 165°F.

Tools to make this Katsu Chicken Tenders in the Air Fryer

Cosori Air Fryer – this is my favorite air fryer. The large air fryer basket makes it so easy to cook your favorite recipes
Tongs – tongs are easiest to remove and flip the chicken
Meat thermometer – You always want to make sure the internal temperature of ANY chicken 165F.

How to make Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Tenders

In one mixing bowl add the egg and milk and whisk.
In another mixing bowl add the panko bread crumbs, salt, and black pepper.
Submerge the chicken into the beaten egg mixture then transfer to the panko bread crumbs. Make sure you coat both sides.
Transfer the chicken breast to the air fryer basket in a single layer and spray the top with avocado oil.
Cook at 390F for 9 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, flip the chicken and spray the top with avocado oil. Place back inside the Air Fryer and cook for another 9 minutes.
Remove from the air fryer and transfer to a plate.
Pour your katsu sauce on top of the chicken.
Serve and enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TONKATSU SAUCE (KATSU SAUCE)

Add all of the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and mix together with a whisk.

chicken inside white bowl with egg mixture

chicken tenders in white bowl dunked in breadcrumbs

Oven Directions

Preheat oven to 400F
In a shallow bowl add the egg and milk and whisk.
In another mixing bowl add the panko bread crumbs, salt, and black pepper.
Submerge the chicken into the egg wash then transfer to the panko bread crumbs. Make sure you coat both sides.
Transfer the chicken breast to a cooking sheet and spray the top with avocado oil.
Cook for 20-22 minutes flipping halfway through.
Remove from oven once the chicken is golden brown. For best results, let the chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before cutting.
Pour the katsu sauce over the top.
Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

If you don’t have chicken tenders you can take a boneless skinless chicken breast and cut it up into chicken strips.
If you don’t have Panko crumbs, you can use Italian bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs. The chicken just won’t come out light and crispy. You can also use a store-bought Katsu sauce if you don’t want to make your own.
If you eat pork, you could even use pork cutlets, but on this blog, we love to make juicy chicken recipes.
As for the cooking spray, I tend you only use avocado oil. I have this spray bottle where you just add your own avocado oil. That way there are no additives. Just plain avocado oil.

black air fryer basket with cooked chicken inside

What to serve with Katsu Chicken Tenders

My favorite thing to serve chicken katsu with is white rice and to top it with homemade katsu sauce. It’s also traditionally paired with shredded cabbage.

If you make extra katsu chicken you can also serve it over a salad.

How to store

Store leftovers in an airtight glass container for up to 5 days.

♨️ How to reheat

Remove the lid from the container and microwave on high for 1 to 1.5 minutes or until chicken is warm. Alternatively you can transfer to a microwave save plate to warm up.

If you want to warm this up in your air fryer, cook it for 2-3 minutes at 400F.

❓FAQs

More Air Fryer Chicken Tender Recipes

If you loved these easy air fryer Katsu chicken tenders, check out these other easy air fryer chicken tender recipes.

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Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Tenders

These Air Fryer Katsu Chicken Tenders are a delicious spin on traditional Japanese food. Super easy to make and comes out nice and crispy every time.

5 from 29 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 14

Total Time 24

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Japanese

Servings

Calories 382 kcal

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

Chicken

1 Egg large
1 tbsp Milk
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black pepper
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Katsu Sauce

1 tbsp Ketchup
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sugar
1 clove Garlic minced

Instructions

In one mixing bowl add the egg and milk and whisk.
In another mixing bowl add the panko bread crumbs, salt, and black pepper.
Submerge the chicken into the beaten egg mixture then transfer to the panko bread crumbs. Make sure you coat both sides.
Transfer the chicken breast to Air Fryer in a single layer and spray the top with avocado oil.
Cook at 390F for 9 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, flip the chicken and spray the top with avocado oil. Place back inside the Air Fryer and cook for another 9 minutes.
Remove from the air fryer and transfer to a plate.
Pour your katsu sauce on top of the chicken.
Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 16gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 2922mgPotassium: 356mgFiber: 3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 348IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 171mgIron: 5mg

Keyword air fryer katsu chicken, air fryer katsu chicken tenders, katsu chicken, katsu chicken air fryer, katsu chicken tenders, katsu chicken tenders air fryer

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