Mark Your Calendars: How to Do National Chicken Finger Day Right

Drop whatever you are doing on July 27th, because it is officially the greatest culinary holiday of the year: National Chicken Finger Day.

We need to stop pretending that chicken tenders belong exclusively on the kids’ menu. Perfectly crispy, golden-brown chicken dunked into a ridiculous amount of honey mustard or ranch is a top-tier meal, regardless of how old you are. It deserves to be celebrated.

But if you are going to celebrate at home, you absolutely cannot ruin the vibe by dealing with a deep fryer, vats of boiling oil, and a kitchen that smells like a fast-food joint for three days. You need a modern solution.

If you want to make restaurant-quality chicken fingers at home, the Ninja Foodi 8-Qt. 6-in-1 Two-Basket Air Fryer is the greatest kitchen upgrade you will ever make. Here is why this specific air fryer is basically built for this holiday.

Cooking chicken fingers at home usually comes with a major logistical problem: what about the fries? With a normal air fryer, you have to cook the chicken first, let it cool, then cook the fries. By the time you sit down, half your meal is lukewarm.

The Ninja Foodi completely eliminates that problem.

1. Two Independent Baskets: It features two separate 4-quart cooking zones, each with its own rapid heater and cyclonic fan. You can put your raw chicken in Zone 1 and a massive pile of frozen French fries in Zone 2.
2. The Magic of “Smart Finish”: This is the game-changer. Fries and chicken take different amounts of time and temperature to cook. The DualZone Smart Finish feature actually does the math for you. It delays the start time of the faster food so that both baskets finish cooking at the exact same second.
3. Massive Capacity (Match Cook): Hosting a National Chicken Finger Day party? Press the “Match Cook” button to copy the exact settings across both zones, giving you a full 8-quart capacity that can hold up to 4 pounds of wings or fries at once.
4. Zero Scrubbing: When the feast is over, the baskets and crisper plates can go straight into the dishwasher.

You don’t need to be a chef to make incredible chicken fingers. By using panko breadcrumbs and the rapid air circulation of the Ninja Foodi, you get an unbelievable crunch without a single drop of deep-frying oil.

What You Need:

1. 1 lb chicken tenderloins (or chicken breasts cut into strips)
2. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3. 2 large eggs, beaten
4. 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
5. 1 tsp garlic powder
6. 1 tsp smoked paprika
7. Salt and black pepper to taste
8. Cooking spray (olive oil or avocado oil)
9. Optional but highly recommended: A bag of your favorite frozen French fries!

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Set Up the Breading Station: Grab three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, mix the flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs. Pour the Panko breadcrumbs into the third bowl.
2. Coat the Chicken: Take a piece of chicken and toss it in the seasoned flour until coated. Shake off the excess, dip it fully into the beaten eggs, and finally, press it firmly into the Panko breadcrumbs so it gets a thick, crispy coating.
3. Load the Ninja Foodi (Zone 1): Place the crisper plate into the Zone 1 basket. Spray the plate lightly with cooking oil, then lay your breaded chicken fingers in a single layer. Give the top of the chicken a quick spray of oil (this helps them turn golden brown).
4. Load the Fries (Zone 2): Put the crisper plate into the Zone 2 basket and dump in your frozen fries.
5. Program the Smart Finish:
6. Select Zone 1 (Chicken), choose Air Fry, set the temp to 390°F, and time to 12 minutes.
7. Select Zone 2 (Fries), choose Air Fry, set the temp to 400°F, and time to 18 minutes (or whatever the fry bag recommends).
8. Press the Smart Finish button and hit Start.
9. Flip and Wait: Halfway through the chicken’s cooking time, pull the Zone 1 basket out and give the chicken a quick flip. Shake the fries in Zone 2 while you’re at it.
10. Serve: The Ninja Foodi will magically finish both zones at the exact same time. Plate them up with your favorite dipping sauces and enjoy the holiday!