See how to cook chicken breast in the air fryer with this easy air fryer chicken breast recipe. Cook tender and juicy chicken for meal prep, salads, etc. You can even cook air fried chicken from frozen! Let’s air fry…
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Why air frying chicken breast is so good…
- Fast cook time.
- Meal prep cooking chicken breast in air fryers to add healthy protein to salads, chicken pizzas, and tacos throughout the week.
- This air fried chicken breast recipe can be flavored with any of your favorite spices.
- Scroll to the bottom for air fryer frozen chicken breast tips.
- Newer home chefs: see my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
Ingredients
Here’s the basic ingredients you need to make a variety of air fryer chicken breast recipes.
- Chicken breasts (boneless skinless chicken breast)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder (or use your favorite seasoning blend)
- Parsley (optional)
For another healthy air fryer recipe, check out air fryer broccoli or air fryer onions…
How to cook air fryer chicken breast
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at this air fryer recipe
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F and pound the chicken flat.
- Drizzle olive oil on chicken breast and season it.
- Air fry chicken breast 7 minutes. Flip and air fry chicken ~5 min more or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Rest and enjoy.
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F and pound chicken breast flat to the same thickness with a meat mallet. You can do this on a cutting board, with a layer of plastic wrap between the chicken breast and mallet so it doesn’t get everywhere.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chicken breast seasonings: salt, garlic powder, black pepper. Drizzle olive oil all over chicken, then season both sides of chicken breast with a seasoning blend.
- Add chicken to the air fryer basket once the air fry machine preheats. Air fry chicken breast for 7 minutes.
- Flip chicken breast with tongs and air fry chicken breast for about 5 additional minutes, or until the inside of the chicken breast, the internal temperature, reaches 165 degrees F as measured with a meat thermometer. (Continue air frying it 2-3 minutes at a time until it reaches this temperature. The exact time for how long to air fry chicken breast will vary based on the chicken and machine, so always check with an instant read thermometer.)
- Rest air fried chicken breast on a clean cutting board or plate for 5-10 minutes before serving. Or for meal prep, let chicken rest, cut or dice it as desired, then transfer it to an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Want an easy side dish for your air fryer fried chicken breast? See my delicious fettuccine pesto pasta and these roasted beets in oven served with goat cheese.
FAQs
No, I find the air fryer keeps chicken nice and moist. If you want to brine the chicken before cooking it, mix 2 tbsp salt in 2 tbsp hot water until it dissolves. Add it to a large bowl with 6 cups of water and mix together. Add chicken to this salt water mixture 2-6 hours before air frying it.
Yes, I still suggest starting with thin pieces. Adapt this recipe for frozen air fryer chicken breast by continuing to cook it for ~3-5 extra minutes, until chicken is done to 165 degrees F. For thin (½ inch thick chicken), you’ll need about 15 minutes. For thicker chicken breast (about 2 inches), you’ll need closer to about 30 minutes in the air fryer.
Cook time for frozen air fryer chicken breasts
*always use an internal read meat thermometer to check the chicken is done to 165 degrees F and flip the chicken as directed in the instructions.
- ½ inch thick chicken breast: ~12 minutes
- 1 inch thick chicken breast: ~18 minutes
- 1 ½ inch thick: ~23 minutes
- 2 inch thick: ~28 minutes
Leftover chicken tastes great on chicken spinach pizza.
Also see how to smoke chicken breast…
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, once you nail this recipe for chicken in the air fryer, you’ll find all sorts of ways to use it to make healthy dinners on the fly.
Pssst… don’t forget that this chicken breast air fryer recipe can be completely transformed with different spices and seasoning blends. You can also add a tasty sauce like my jalapeno ranch dressing or creamy peppercorn sauce to add a big dose of flavor.
If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe (Fresh or Frozen) | Sip Bite Go
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 pieces chicken breasts boneless skinless (about 1.5 LB)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt kosher salt, sea salt, etc
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 sprig parsley fresh chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F for 5 minutes.
- So they air fry evenly and quickly, pound chicken breast flat to the same thickness with a meat mallet. Mine in this recipe demonstration were about 1 inch thick. You can do this on a cutting board, with a layer of plastic wrap between the chicken breast and mallet so it doesn’t get everywhere.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chicken breast seasonings: salt, garlic powder, black pepper. Drizzle olive oil all over chicken, then season both sides of chicken breast with seasoning blend.
- Add chicken to air fryer basket once the air fry machine preheats. Air fry chicken breast for 7 minutes.
- Flip chicken breast with tongs and air fry chicken breast for about 5 additional minutes, or until the inside of the chicken breast, the internal temperature, reaches 165 degrees F as measured with a meat thermometer. (Continue air frying it 2-3 minutes at a time until it reaches this temperature. The exact time for how long to air fry chicken breast will vary based on the chicken and machine, so always check with an instant read thermometer.)
- Rest air fried chicken breast on a clean cutting board or plate for 5-10 minutes before serving. Or for meal prep, let chicken rest, cut or dice it as desired, then transfer it to an air tight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
See the recipe video for air frying chicken breasts on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube.
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