Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Recipe

Tender and juicy air fryer chicken breasts are quick to make, super tasty, and so versatile!

Eat them with potatoes, rice, pasta, or salad for a simple weeknight dinner.

In this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices and then cooked to perfection in the air fryer.

The air fryer's rapid hot air circulation cooks the chicken quickly and evenly while crisping up the outside.

Using an air fryer to cook chicken is a simple and convenient way to enjoy a protein-packed meal without all the extra fat and calories you get from deep frying.

You'll love how tender and flavourful the chicken turns out. It's the perfect weeknight dinner recipe to please everyone at the table.

👩‍🍳 Love cooking chicken in an air fryer? Try my air fryer whole chicken and air fryer chicken wings too!

Jump to:

• ✔️ Why should you try it?
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Top tips
• Air Fryer Chicken Breast Cooking Times
• 🍴 Serving suggestions
• 📖 Variations
• 🥡 Storage
• ❓ FAQS
• 😋Related recipes
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

✔️ Why should you try it?

• Quick cooking compared to a conventional oven.
• A healthier alternative to frying.
• More economical than using your oven or hob.
• Meat and poultry are juicy, tender, and tasty when cooked in an air fryer.

🥘 Ingredients

Chicken Breasts - 4 free-range chicken breasts.

Olive Oil - or use a low-calorie cooking spray.

Seasoning - I went for an Italian-inspired seasoning that included dried Italian herbs, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

🔪 Instructions

The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post

One: Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (350°F) and weigh your chicken breasts. I've produced a handy little guide below, to help you calculate timings based on the weight of your chicken breasts. My chicken breasts weighed about 225g each so required 18 minutes in total

Two: Brush the chicken breasts with oil on the presentation side (or spray with low calorie cooking spray e.g Frylight) and season with ½ of your seasoning mix (I mix together all of the seasonings in one pot so I can see roughly how much half is). Place the breasts, presentation side down (smooth side), in the air fryer basket. Brush the side facing you with the remaining oil and season with the remaining seasoning.

Three: Place the basket in the air fryer. Turn the breasts after half the cooking time has elapsed (so 9 minutes in this case).

Four: Once the time is up, immediately take the chicken out of the air fryer (otherwise you risk it overcooking) and place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. The temperature should be 75°C (165 °F). Leave the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving with your choice of sides. Or, let the chicken cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

💭 Top tips

• Always turn your chicken breasts halfway through cooking to ensure even cooking.
• Cooking time will depend on the weight of your chicken breasts. If you are cooking four chicken breasts, weigh the largest one and use that to work out your timings. Air fryers do vary so make sure you consult your manufacturer's guide.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast Cooking Times

170g (6oz) chicken breast - 15 minutes total cooking time

225g (8oz) chicken breast - 18 minutes total cooking time

280g (10oz) chicken breast - 20 minutes total cooking time

340g (12oz) chicken breast - 22 minutes total cooking time

Cook up to 4 chicken breasts at a time.

🍴 Serving suggestions

The air fryer chicken breasts are delicious with roast sweet potato, cheesy leeks, cheesy chips, baked carrot fries, air fryer roast potatoes, air fryer sweet potato fries, cheesy courgette and tomato bake, curried rice salad, baked potatoes, turmeric rice, or stirred through pasta.

You can also slice up the chicken and store it in the fridge for use in sandwiches, salads, and even this air fryer frittata.

📖 Variations

• Vary the seasoning. I used Italian herbs but fajita or Cajun seasoning would also work well. Alternatively, just use a simple salt and pepper seasoning if you prefer.
• Use pork steaks instead of chicken breasts. Consult your manufacturer's guide for timings.

🥡 Storage

Store - The cooked chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 48 hours. Either use cold in salads, add to pasta or risotto or reheat in the microwave until piping hot.

Freeze - The cooked chicken breasts can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

❓ FAQS

😋Related recipes

Do you like chicken as much as we do? Here are some more delicious chicken recipes to try!

• Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff
• Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas
• Chicken and Chorizo Risotto
• Creamy Cider Chicken

Have you got an air fryer? You might also like these tasty air fryer tinned tuna burgers, air fryer sausages, air fryer chicken katsu, and crunchy air fryer roast potatoes too!

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Recipe