Learn how to make an air fryer chicken breast that is juicy, tender, and packed full of flavor! This chicken breast in the air fryer will change the way you make dinner.
“I LOVE cooking chicken in my air fryer. It's so juicy and tender.”
Recipe Overview
Making Chicken Breast in the air fryer is a game changer! With a hungry family that eats a lot of protein, I sometimes can’t keep up with how much chicken we eat.
I love that this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breast is so simple that my teens can make it themselves. I often make air fryer chicken in a big batch on the weekend so that there is plenty available for lunches and post-sports game meals, but this recipe is also fast enough to make fresh for a quick weeknight dinner.
Simple yet flavorful seasonings make this an all-around favorite that will pair with any of your beloved side dishes.
Do you have a Ninja Foodi? See how to make Chicken Breast in a Ninja Foodi!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are about 6-8 ounces each are perfect. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you can cook 2 or 3 breasts using this recipe.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil helps the outside of the chicken brown, and gives the herbs and spices a reason to stick to the chicken.
- Italian Seasoning – This is my favorite herb seasoning. You can use any other dried herbs that you like too.
- Paprika – This adds a warmth as well as an earthy red coloring.
- Salt – Adjust this amount if you like. Salt is a necessity for really tasty chicken.
- Pepper – ground black pepper adds a pleasant spiciness.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Direction to make
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken breasts, and rub them with olive oil.
- Combine the seasonings in a small bowl, then rub them onto both sides of each chicken breast.
- lace the breasts in a single layer in the basket and cook at 390F/189C for 9 minutes.
- Flip the breasts over and cook for another 9 minutes until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil, allowing it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate to use for meal prep.
how to tell if the chicken is done?
Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches a temperature of 165°F/74°C. I recommend using a kitchen thermometer to test the temperature of your chicken at the end of the cooking time. Add additional minutes to the cooking time if needed.
What to serve with chicken breast
Pair it with blanched or steamed vegetables and Brown Rice or Quinoa for a super healthy, balanced lunch.
Or, add this chicken breast to salads, sandwiches, or wraps. Make Chicken Salad to serve with crackers or chips, or just add slices of chicken to the kids’ lunch boxes.
Try my recipe for Air Fryer Quesadillas or Mexican Sweet Potatoes, but add this chicken in for extra protein.
Air frying frozen chicken breasts
Forgot to thaw the chicken? It’s ok! Frozen chicken can be cooked in the air fryer as well. To cook them through you will need a bit more time, and a slightly higher air fryer temperature to safely cook frozen chicken breasts in the air fryer.
Cook at 390F for 10 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until done. Keep in mind that all air fryers cook a little bit differently, so check the temperature of your meat with a thermometer to make sure that it’s done.
Seasoning tips
The seasoning for this air fryer chicken is a super simple blend of Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic. I love the flavor, but there are about a million other ways to season chicken too.
Try using cumin and chili powder for a taco-style chicken breast.
Or season with salt and poultry seasoning for a homestyle chicken breast in the air fryer.
You can experiment with your favorite seasonings too. Try ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, or seasoning blends meant for grilling.
Chicken Breast in Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Chicken Breasts 6-8 ounces each
- 2 tsp. Olive oil
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. Paprika
- 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
Instructions
- Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil.
- Combine the seasonings in a small bowl, then rub on both sides of the chicken.
- Place the breasts in a single layer in the basket and cook at 390F/189C for 9 minutes.
- Flip the breasts over and cook for another 9 minutes, until internal temperature is 165 degrees F. If cooking larger or smaller breasts, be sure to adjust cook time accordingly to avoid under- or over-cooking.
- Transfer chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil, allowing it to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve immediately or use as meal prep.
Notes
- Adjust the chicken seasonings however you’d like, and get creative to make other varieties.
- You can make two or three chicken breasts with this recipe, depending on the size of the pieces and the size of your air fryer basket.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
Made this for dinner last night and it was so good! Easy to make and the chicken was super moist. My new favorite way to cook chicken!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I LOVE cooking chicken in my air fryer. It’s so juicy and tender.
I love cooking in my air fryer and this is such an easy and delicious way to make chicken! I’ll be making this recipe over and over again!
These look so incredibly juicy — haven’t thought of using my air fryer to cook chicken breasts but you’ve convinced me to give it a try!
Fabulous! Very very moist!
Glad you enjoyed it! Making chicken breast in your air fryer is so easy! And yummy to!
amazing! juicy! tender! you won’t regret doing your chicken in the air fryer. I didn’t even need to dip it in any sauces. the only thing different that I did was when I took the chicken out to set I but 1 tbsp. of butter in top to melt and that way it had some more juice on the plate. so fricken good!
Hi Heather, so glad you enjoyed making chicken breast in the air fryer too! Such an easy recipe, right? :). Great addition to melt button top.