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How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Breast

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How to make air fryer chicken breast- a healthier crispy breaded chicken that is ready in minutes and can be prepped ahead! Very little oil required.

How to make air fryer chicken breast

Another air fryer post!

We purchased our air fryer in December and it has quickly become one of our favorite kitchen appliances. With very little oil, we can get nice, crispy food. It pre-heats so much quicker than an oven, and cooks food quicker, too!

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We use it to make side dishes like ‘roasted’ potatoes, parmesan cauliflower, and crispy asparagus.

And it makes a mean chicken breast, too!

Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!

breading and seasonings for air fried chicken breast

brushing chicken with olive oil prior to air frying them

How to bread your air fryer chicken

For this recipe, I was aiming for something a bit like ‘KFC’ in flavor. Bear in mind that air fryer chicken is NEVER going to have the same texture as actual deep fried food, however it does get crispy.

I tried three different options for breading:

    • all purpose flour ended up kind of soggy and not great in texture
    • panko gave the crispiest texture, but all the seasonings sank to the bottom of the bowl, so it was lacking in flavor
    • regular bread crumbs is the winner in this recipe as it gave the best compromise between crispy texture and great flavor


dredging the air fryer chicken breasts in the breading

How to make air fryer chicken breast

Rather than traditional flour/egg/breading, I went simple with this recipe.

  • Start by cutting each chicken breast in half so you have two thin slices
  • Next brush all sides with olive oil.
  • Using tongs, dredge in the breading. Dredge it several times until you get good coverage.
  • Cook in the air fryer for 6 minutes, or until cooked through, then serve right away.

how to make air fryer fried chicken breast

air fryer fried chicken breast recipe

This air fryer chicken breast is perfect served on its own, served with a dipping sauce (how about this creamy cilantro lime dressing?) or maybe served on top of a salad.

It is slightly crispy, and with a ton of flavor in each bite. I haven’t eaten KFC in years but to me it reminded me of what you’d get there (flavor-wise, not texture-wise!).

And the best thing is that each serving is under 200 calories, making this air fryer chicken a healthy dinner option!

Tips for perfect air fryer chicken breast

5 from 9 votes
Print
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

How to make air fryer chicken breast- a healthier crispy breaded chicken that is ready in minutes and can be prepped ahead!

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 188 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
Breading
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions

  1. Heat air fryer to 390°F / 200 °C.

  2. Slice chicken breasts in half to make two thin chicken breast halves from each.

  3. Brush each side lightly with olive oil.

  4. Stir together the breading ingredients. Dredge the chicken breasts in the breading mulitple times until they are thoroughly coated. 

  5. Shake off excess breading, and place in the air fryer (2 chicken breast halves at a time).

  6. Cook for 4 minutes, flip, then two more minutes. Cook time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts, so cut one in half to see if they are done.

To prepare ahead

  1. These air fryer chicken breasts may be cooked 2-3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Place them back in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes until heated through and breading is crispy again.

Recipe Notes

Chicken may be cooked up to 3 days ahead, and re-heated in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes until heated through and crispy.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Amount Per Serving (1 chicken breast half (roughly 3.5 oz))
Calories 188 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 472mg 20%
Potassium 432mg 12%
Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 25g 50%
Vitamin A 3.4%
Vitamin C 1.6%
Calcium 1.8%
Iron 4.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
How to make air fryer chicken breast- a healthier crispy breaded chicken that is ready in minutes and can be prepped ahead! Very little oil required. Crispy air fryer chicken, air fried chicken breast, boneless air fryer chicken #sweetpeasandsaffron #mealprep #chicken #airfryer #dinner
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Comments

  1. I’m a novice at airfrying. Do you put chicken breast pieces in one layer at the bottom of a basket? Will all the pieces fit in?

    Reply

    • Hi Oksana, so sorry for my late reply! You will have to work in batches, make sure it’s a single layer of chicken or it won’t cook through. I did 2 slices at a time. Hope this helps!

      Reply

    • 1 Calorie (in America) is equal to 1000 calories (everywhere else). That’s why a 400 Calorie item in America will be labelled as 400 kcal anywhere else. Thus, this dish is 188 kcal or 188 Calories per serving.
      Confusing, I agree.

      Reply

  3. Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe! The chicken came out perfect and moist! Hands down the best air fried chicken recipe out there!

    Reply

  4. this is by far the best chicken breast I’ve ever had. Usually don’t like it because it’s always dry. This was fabulous. If it had more stars I’d use them all.

    Reply

  5. This was SO GOOD!!!! I feel like I’m being naughty when I eat it. But I’ve entered all the info into MyFitnessPal & the macros are awesome!!!! I’m so glad I stumbled upon this. I have made it several times now & will continue to make it. I do increase the time on the chicken.

    Reply

    • Hi! This recipe is for a boneless chicken breast, I have only tried cooking them as written, so I’m not sure on the cook time for a whole chicken breast.

      Reply

  9. Every time I try to cook anything which has been dredged in flour and then coating I get 1/2 of the product sticking. How do you get it to cook without sticking? I spray the trays, no luck

    Reply

    • Parchment paper is my best friend *laughs* they actually make parchment paper rounds for the air fryer. I love them!!

      Reply

      • Great tip, Shelli! And Mary, I’m curious what model you have? I have the Phillips and have not had issues with anything sticking to it yet. I’m in a few air fryer groups on Facebook and keep reading about certain models losing their non-stick coating. Wondering if that’s an issue for you?

        Reply

  10. Tried this tonight with our brand new air fryer and it came out amazing! Thank you for the recipe! Simple and delicious!

    Reply

  12. Might depend on the fryer butmy chickenis way under cooked. I had to put it in for about twice the time.

    Reply

    • I’m sorry to hear that! I wonder if it comes down to the model, and also likely the thickness of the chicken breasts. I have the Phillips, which one are you using?

      Reply

  15. I tried it. At 6 minutes (4 + 2) the chicken was done but the coating wasn’t crispy enough for my tastes. I added 2 minutes and tried it again. Still not crispy enough. 2 more minutes and it was PERFECT for my family. AND it didn’t dry the chicken out.

    So if the timing doesn’t work for your fryer, leave it in a couple more minutes. It’s YUMMY!

    Reply

  16. I am so glad I found this recipe. I prepared today and I cant believe how crispy this breast were..amazing. Than you, thank you, thank you!! Following!

    Reply

  17. Wonderful food!! Did this recipe tonight and my family loved it! Thank you so much for posting, God bless!

    Reply

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