This recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breasts results in juicy, flavorful, tender chicken breasts that are ready in less than 20 minutes.
Air Fryer Chicken Breast is one of the fastest and most flavorful ways to prepare chicken, making it perfect for a quick dinner or a simple recipe to use for meal prep.
Perfect Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Chicken breast is one of the most versatile proteins to work with, but it also has a reputation of being bland or dried out if not prepared correctly. While I love how juicy and tender Instant Pot Chicken Breast turns out, when you are craving chicken with a bit more texture, making chicken breast in the air fryer is the way to go.
The air fryer cooks the chicken breast up quickly while giving it 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.
Made with a delicious spice rub, this recipe for Air Fryer Chicken Breast is guaranteed to wow not just with texture, but with flavor as well--without the need to heat up the kitchen.
What You Need
- Chicken Breast: This recipe for air fryer chicken is designed for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can certainly use this same recipe using boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer them over breasts. And if you have pork chops on hand, be sure to check out my recipe for Air Fryer Pork Chops which uses the same delicious rub.
- Seasonings: To flavor the chicken, I make a basic spice 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. You can use any seasoning blend you like and I have even included some variations at the bottom of this post.
- Oil/Spray: You need a tiny bit of oil for this recipe. The oil will help the chicken to brown and not stick to the air fryer. You can brush the chicken with canola, avocado, or olive oil or simply spray cooking spray. If you do use cooking spray, I recommend using avocado or olive oil spray.
- Air Fryer: Any variety of air fryers will work for this recipe. I have a basic GoWise Air Fryer that has worked well for me for several years. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may only be able to cook 2 chicken breasts at a time.
How to Make Chicken Breast in Air Fryer
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
- Trim the chicken breasts of any fat or gristle. Place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to 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. This will allow the chicken to cook up evenly.
- If not using cooking spray, brush the chicken breasts with oil. Sprinkle with the spice rub and rub into the chicken breasts. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.
- If you did not brush the chicken with oil, spray lightly with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts, sprayed side down in a basket or on a rack in the air fryer. Spray the opposite side of the chicken with cooking spray as well.
- Air fry the chicken for 6 minutes at 380 degrees F. Remove the basket and flip the chicken and air fry for another 6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 162 to 165 degrees F.
- 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.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving, which allows the juices to redistribute through the chicken breasts, keeping the chicken super juicy.
Storage
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the cooked chicken for up to 3 months if desired in an airtight freezer-safe storage bag.
The chicken can be reheated in a 380-degree F air fryer for 2-3 minutes, microwaved for 45 seconds, or served cold.
Variations for Seasonings
While the rub for chicken breast in this recipe is delicious, there are endless ways to season the chicken.
- If you need a lower sodium recipe, simply omit the salt or reduce it in half in the rub.
- Looking for a low-carb chicken recipe? Omit the brown sugar and cayenne pepper and the rub will still have a delicious balance in flavor.
- Instead of using the spice rub, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and use for Southwestern Chicken Salad.
- Season the chicken with seasoned salt, air fry as directed, then toss with buffalo sauce or BBQ Sauce.
- Take a trip to the Caribbean and season the chicken with jerk seasoning and then air fry as directed.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The best way to determine this is to use a digital thermometer and insert it into the middle of the chicken breast. You want your chicken to be between 162 to 165 degrees when you remove it from the air fryer, as it will continue to rise a few degrees as it rests.
There are a couple of things that may have occurred. This recipe is designed for 6-8 ounce chicken breasts. If your chicken was thin or weighed less, it would require less cooking time. It is also important to note that if you had been using your air fryer consecutively for recipes, it may have cooked a bit hotter than normal. And be sure to remove your chicken from the air fryer as soon as the cooking time has elapsed, which will prevent the chicken from continuing to cook.
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.
I do not recommend using frozen chicken for this recipe, as it will not cook evenly and the rub will not adhere to the chicken. If you need a recipe for frozen chicken breasts, use my Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe.
More Air Fryer Chicken 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
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, see notes
- 1 teaspoon oil or cooking spray
- 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
Instructions
- If needed per your air fryer model, preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar.
- Trim the chicken breasts of any fat or grizzle. Place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound the chicken out until it is even in thickness.
- If not using cooking spray, brush the chicken breasts with oil. Sprinkle with the spice rub and rub into the chicken breasts. Flip the chicken and repeat on the other side.
- If you did not brush the chicken with oil, spray lightly with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts, sprayed side down in basket or on rack in the air fryer. Spray the opposite side of the chicken with cooking spray as well.
- Air fry the chicken for 6 minutes at 380 degrees F. Remove the basket and flip the chicken and air fry for another 6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of between 162 to 165 degrees F.
- 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.
MimiMcG
I followed your recipe, but cooked in Instant Pot Duo. Took a few minutes longer, but turned out fabulous!
Amanda
This works out wonderful in the air fryer! I added some bell peppers,mushrooms and onions .at mid time and I added your seasonings to some butter and that makes it so yummy and delicious. I served it on a bed of quinoa with asparagus. Thank you for the recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Sounds like a great combination! Thanks so much for sharing!
Natalie
Beautiful golden color & perfectly seasoned!! Love making chicken in the air fryer. I don't have to worry about it not getting cooked with this recipe!
Kara
Turned out nice and flavorful, and it is great not having to heat up the oven when I only need a couple pieces of chicken!
Krystle
It comes out so flavorful and perfect every time. My favorite way to cook chicken.
Angela Barnard
Tried this last week, delicious and so easy!