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Air Fryer Chicken Breast is juicy, tender, and so full of flavor! Made with a sweet and savory dry rub, this easy Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe comes together in under 20 minutes!
Looking fore more quick and easy air fryer chicken recipes? Don't miss my recipes for Air Fryer Chicken Legs, Air Fryer Chicken Wings, and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
The Best Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe
Just like my recipes for Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Baked Split Chicken Breasts, this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breast proves you can have super tender, super juicy chicken breast with ease!
Ready in less than 20 minutes with the most irresistible sweet and savory dry rub, air fryer chicken breast has a slightly crispy exterior and a juicy, tender interior.
It is not dried out. It is not rubbery. It is not bland. It is perfect. You can't go wrong with this EASY recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breast!
How to Make Perfect Air Fryer Chicken Breast
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Prepare Seasoning. To flavor the chicken, I make a delicious Homemade Dry Rub, that is a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy and is perfect for just about any type of meat. It is made with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
2. Prepare Chicken Breasts. To ensure that the chicken cooks evenly, it is best to gently pound the chicken out until it is even in thickness. You aren't looking to pound the chicken into thin cutlets, instead, you just want the thicker end of the chicken to be the same thickness as the thinner end. After pounding the chicken rub the seasoning mix on each side of the chicken breasts.
3. Air Fry the Chicken Breasts. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I recommend air frying chicken breast at 380 degrees F, flipping halfway through the cooking process. While this typically takes 12 minutes, it is best to use a digital thermometer and insert it into the middle of the chicken breast to determine the chicken has reached 162-165 degrees F (it will rise a few degrees as the chicken rests.)
4. Rest Before Serving. After air frying, immediately remove the chicken from the air fryer. You don't want to let the chicken sit inside the air fryer after the cooking time has elapsed, or the residual heat will continue to cook the chicken. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving, which allows the juices to redistribute through the meat, keeping the chicken breast super juicy.
Serving Suggestions
Air Fryer Chicken Breast is incredibly versatile. It can be used as meal prep, to top a salad, served in a wrap, or served as a hearty, wholesome entree. Below are a few of my serving suggestions.
- As an Entree: Serve this sweet and smoky Air Fryer Chicken Breast with succotash, parsley potatoes, Instant Pot corn on the cob, or green beans almondine as a part of a healthy 30-minute meal.
- Add to Salads: Add sliced or diced air fryer chicken breast to a BLT salad, Greek salad, kale apple salad, or a Caesar salad to turn a side dish into a filling meal.
- Make a Sandwich or Wrap: Serve Air Fryer Chicken Breast on a homemade biscuit with coleslaw for a delicious sandwich or used sliced chicken in place of turkey in a turkey wrap.
Recipe Modifications
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs: Feel free to use 6-8 ounce boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. No change to the cooking time is needed.
- Watching Your Sodium? If you need this chicken breast recipe to be low-sodium, simply omit the salt or reduce it in half in the rub.
- Low-Carb Air Fryer Chicken Breast: Omit the brown sugar and cayenne pepper and the rub will still have a delicious balance of flavor.
- Swap the Seasoning: Instead of using the spice rub, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, adobo seasoning, chili seasoning, seasoned salt, or jerk seasoning.
- Double the Recipe: To double this recipe, you may need to work in batches if your air fryer is small. Double the dry rub and work in batches to air fry the chicken. Keep the first batch in the oven at 200 degrees F while the other batch cooks up.
- Air Fryer Model: Any variety of an air fryer will work for this recipe. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may only be able to cook 2 chicken breasts at a time.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Allow air fryer chicken breast to cool slightly. place it into an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the air fryer chicken breast, reheat it in a 380-degree F air fryer for 2-3 minutes, microwave it for 45 seconds, or serve it cold.
More Favorite Air Fryer Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breast, please leave a comment and a 5-star review below. I love to hear from you!
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, see notes
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- If needed per your air fryer model, preheat the air fryer to 380℉ (195℃).
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Set aside to season chicken.
- Remove any fat or grizzle from the chicken and then, working one breast at a time, place the chicken between 2 sheets or plastic wrap (or parchment paper) and use a meat mallet or heavy skillet to pound until uniform thickness is reached. Keep in mind you aren't looking to pound the chicken into thin cutlets, instead, you just want the thicker end of the chicken to be the same thickness as the thinner end.
- Sprinkle the seasoning blend evenly over both sides of the chicken, and use your hands ro rub the seasoning mixture into the chicken.
- Spray the basket or tray with olive oil cooking spray. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in the air fryer and lightly spray the top of the chicken breasts with olive oil cooking spray as well.
- Air fry the chicken for 6 minutes at 380℉. Remove the basket, flip the chicken, and air fry for another 6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (74℃).
- Immediately remove the chicken from the air fryer and place it on a platter or cutting board, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I just want to confirm this; your instructions say to flatten the breasts to 1/4 inch thick, which is so thin, but your photos seem to show a thicker chicken. I might be misreading so would you mind clarifying? Thank you so much!
Hi Trace! Sorry for any confusion. The post states: Keep in mind you aren't looking to pound the chicken into thin cutlets, instead, you just want the thicker end of the chicken to be the same thickness as the thinner end. The thickness is closer to 1/2 inch 🙂 Enjoy!