Tyson Air Fried Perfectly Crispy Chicken Breast Strips

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Most people have their default options on any restaurant menu. One family member of mine will get pizza if it’s there (Margherita, preferably), while another will always choose nachos, regardless of whether it’s on the appetizer menu or the entrees. Still another makes a beeline for the alfredo pasta.

My default is probably a burger, either bacon cheeseburger or mushroom and Swiss. When I’m burgered out — not uncommon during a long trip — I’ll often look for chicken, like a crispy chicken sandwich or even a chicken bacon wrap. There’s also the simple but reliable standby of a chicken tender basket.

At home, we’ll keep chicken tenders / nuggets / fingers around the house, not as an everyday food, but as a just-back-from-a-long-day-and-need-something-quick thing. They’re easy to heat up, liked by the family, and slightly better than some other options out there.

Aldi sells its own breaded chicken in a few varieties, but it also brings in the occasional limited buy. That’s why I took notice when I saw limited-time chicken tenders that were 1) name brand and 2) claimed to be healthier than a traditional chicken strip. They went in the cart.

Tyson Air Fried Perfectly Crispy Chicken Breast Strips are an Aldi Find, meaning that stores get one shipment. Once they’re sold out, you won’t be able to get them again until they come back to stores, whenever that might be. If they’re sold out at your local store, you can’t buy them online from Aldi.

At the time of this post, the chicken tenders come in a 20-ounce bag and cost $6.99, or 35 cents an ounce. Tyson is a name brand and this item is available at other grocers, where it typically costs more. At Target, for example, the same bag is $8.99, or 45 cents an ounce.

Of course, you can do better with an Aldi private label. The closest approximation is probably Kirkwood Crispy Chicken Strips, which right now are about 30 cents an ounce. The tradeoff is that this is Tyson branded and claims to be healthier.

Is it? The answer is … well, a little.

The front of the bag says it has “75% LESS FAT” followed by the fine print that it’s 75% less than a fast food chicken strip. That’s not a high bar, given what they drop those strips into (and as a former fast food worker, trust me, I know). What about store-bought strips?

A 3-ounce single serving of these Air Fried strips has 4 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat. A same-sized serving of regular Tyson chicken strips, meanwhile, has 10 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat. Aldi strips are in the middle, with 8 grams of fat and 1.5 grams of saturated fat. Not exactly 75%, but yes, they’re definitely lower in fat. Calories are another area these air fried strips win out, with 150 calories compared to 210 for regular Tyson strips and 190 for Aldi strips.

The air fried strips don’t claim any sodium advantages, as these have 570 milligrams to the regular Tyson’s 500 milligrams and the Aldi’s 600 milligrams.

Regarding ingredients, there are various additives like maltodextrin and natural flavors in addition to the basics like chicken and flour. The strips have one allergen, wheat.

Let’s talk, then, about cooking them. While air frying is in the name, you can cook them with or without an air fryer. To bake, preheat an oven to 400 degrees, spray the baking pan with vegetable oil, place the frozen chicken strips on a baking pan, then heat 20 to 24 minutes, turning halfway through the heating time.

To air fry, spray the bottom of the air fryer with a light coating of vegetable oil if desired, then place the chicken strips in a single layer on the bottom tray. Set the air fryer to 300 degrees — you don’t need to preheat it — and heat the strips for 12 to 14 minutes, letting them stand 1 to 2 minutes before serving.

The family liked them. They were crisp and flavorful, with a nice breading on the outside and ample chicken on the inside. They’re just salty enough by themselves and also go well with the usual chicken sauces.

The Verdict:

Our testers made short work of these Tyson Air Fried Perfectly Crispy Chicken Breast Strips, the truest sign that they were a hit. Taste and texture both got high marks. They’re also moderately lower in fat and calories (if not sodium) than either a restaurant chicken strip or even a grocery store one. The price, too, isn’t bad, especially if you get them at Aldi. I wouldn’t be against getting them again if they ever come back to stores.