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Skip the oil, don’t preheat the oven. Cooking frozen chicken fries in the air fryer is hands-down the BEST, easiest, and fastest way to get light, crispy, tender chicken fries you (and your kids) are sure to love.

Air fryer frozen chicken fries in a cardboard fry basket lined with newspaper next to small containers of dipping sauce.

What Makes This Method So Good

If you’ve never had chicken fries, allow me to introduce you. They’re literally like chicken nuggets, just in the shape of typical french fries. I don’t know why, but something about chicken nuggets being in a different shape immediately makes them more fun to eat, and tastier, too. People love them so much that there was a big uproar when Burger King discontinued them, so BK brought them back and kept them on the menu. Talk about popularity! You don’t have to hit the drive through to get them, though. Chicken fries are generally available right in the frozen foods section of most grocery stores. You can even find organic versions if that’s your thing.
Cooking frozen chicken fries in the air fryer is honestly the only way I’ll cook them from now on. The process is super simple and FAST. There’s minimal clean-up. The breading comes out golden and crispy without being fried in heavy oil. The chicken inside is tender and juicy. It’s seriously perfect.

Chef’s Tips

No need to thaw the food before putting it in the air fryer! This recipe’s designed for cooking frozen chicken fries right out of the freezer. If you’ve already defrosted yours, or if you’re just trying to reheat some chicken fries, you can use the same basic method. You just won’t need to cook them as long!
For extra crispy chicken fries, lightly spray the air fryer basket with a little cooking spray AND lightly spray the tops of the chicken once they’re in the basket. Don’t overdo it, just a little will do the trick. You don’t want them to end up greasy or soggy.
The part where you shake the basket to toss the chicken fries? Yeah, that’s not optional. If you skip that step and just cook them for 10 minutes straight, you’ll likely end up with burnt or unevenly-cooked chicken. Shaking the basket is a must!
How long does it take to cook frozen chicken fries in the air fryer? About 7-10 minutes! It really all comes down to a few key factors. 1) How frozen the chicken fries are. 2) The size and thickness of the chicken fries. 3) How many chicken fries you’re cooking. 4) The age, size, and general behavior of your specific air fryer. Make sure you check the progress several times so you can guarantee the chicken fries aren’t being over (or under) cooked.

Air fryer frozen chicken fries, cooked until crispy, spread out on newspaper next to small containers of ketchup and honey mustard.

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Fries in the Air Fryer

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

This is the best and fastest way to get perfectly crispy chicken fries without any heavy oil.

Cheryl Malik

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2 servings

Ingredients

▢ 8 ounces frozen chicken fries any brand

Get Recipe Ingredients

Equipment

Air Fryer
neutral spray oil safe to use in air fryers

Instructions

Preheat air fryer to 380° Fahrenheit. Once air fryer is preheated, lightly spray basket with neutral cooking spray if desired. Place frozen chicken fries directly in air fryer basket in one even layer. Make sure chicken fries aren't stacked or touching and be careful not to overcrowd basket.
Place air fryer basket in air fryer. Cook chicken fries 5 minutes, then pause air fryer and remove basket. Shake well to toss and flip chicken fries, then return basket to air fryer and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, depending on size and number of chicken fries. See Notes.
If fries are not golden or crispy enough after 10 minutes of cooking, return basket to air fryer and cook 1 to 2 additional minutes.
When satisfied with doneness of chicken fries, carefully remove air fryer basket and transfer chicken fries to plates or bowls. Serve immediately with dipping sauce(s) of choice.

Notes

Frozen Chicken Fries: Any type and any brand can be cooked in the air fryer! We used Earth’s Best organic frozen chicken fries.
Cook Time: Smaller chicken fries will cook faster, so check them frequently and take them out when they’re ready. When we tested smaller ones, they only needed 7-8 minutes total. We cooked them 5 minutes, shook the basket, and then cooked them 2-3 minutes more.

Nutrition Information

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Chicken Fries in the Air Fryer

What Makes This Method So Good

Chef’s Tips

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