Air-Fryer Pecan Chicken Sliders

Set the Table is expanding again. The pandemic reduced us to ten per session but the waitlist has grown to thirty girls. THIRTY. The church kitchen cannot hold thirty. The proposal I wrote in 2019 — the one Derek told me to put myself in — needs an update. A bigger vision. More space. More sessions. More Destinys. I called Carolyn at the nonprofit and said, "I need to grow." She said, "I know. I've been waiting for you to say that." She's been waiting. The funding has been waiting. The world has been waiting for me to say the word and the word is: more. I want more girls at the table. I want more kitchens. I want more.

I am forty years old and I want MORE and the wanting is not greedy — it's generative. The wanting is Mama saying "don't stop cooking because of me." The wanting is Destiny at culinary school with my spice blend on her station. The wanting is every girl who walked into a church kitchen and walked out knowing she mattered. I want more of that. I want more of all of it. The table extends. The kitchen grows. The line continues.

Made a celebratory dinner: Mama's fried chicken, because victories get Mama's chicken and wanting more is a victory. Seven at the table. Curtis from downstairs. The chicken was perfect. The wanting was real. The line holds.

Mama’s fried chicken has always been the victory meal in our house—the one that says we made it without anyone having to say a word out loud. I didn’t stand over a cast iron skillet that night, but I wasn’t about to let a busy kitchen stop the celebration. These Air-Fryer Pecan Chicken Sliders gave me every bit of the crunch and ceremony the moment deserved—crispy, golden, and worthy of a thirty-girl waitlist and a nonprofit that had been waiting on me to say “more.” Seven people at my table, Curtis from downstairs included, and every single one of them reached for seconds.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 8 sliders

Ingredients

1 lb chicken tenders (about 8 pieces)
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Cooking spray
8 slider buns
2 tbsp honey
Bread-and-butter pickles, for serving
Butter lettuce leaves, for serving

Instructions

Preheat. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Lightly coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
Make the pecan coating. In a shallow bowl, combine the chopped pecans, panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
Prepare the egg wash. In a separate shallow bowl, whisk together the beaten eggs and Dijon mustard until smooth.
Coat the chicken. Working one piece at a time, dip each chicken tender into the egg wash, letting any excess drip off, then press firmly into the pecan coating on all sides.
Air fry. Arrange coated tenders in a single layer in the basket—do not overcrowd. Air fry for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is deep golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Toast the buns. Remove chicken and lightly toast the slider buns in the air fryer, cut-side down, for 1–2 minutes until just golden.
Assemble and serve. Layer each bun with a butter lettuce leaf, one pecan chicken tender, a few pickles, and a drizzle of honey. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Air-Fryer Pecan Chicken Sliders — Because Victories Get Mama’s Chicken