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Air Fryer Chicken Breast (basic, tender, juicy)

This is how I make basic Air Fryer chicken breast. These are great with a couple simple sides for a quick dinner, and they also work great for meal prep.

Air Fryer chicken breast shot overhead on marble counter with red towel

News flash! Your trusty air fryer is good for more than just breaded things, y’all. 😎 

I am loving making this basic air fryer chicken breast. Tender, juicy, delicious and perfect to eat over salads, with rice and veggies or on sandwiches. So versatile and simple!

After testing this recipe many, many times I think I finally cracked the code.

closeup of air fryer chicken breast on a white plate

Let me just say that the air fryer is a quick cooker. It cooks faster than your typical oven.

So I recommend paying very close attention to cook time. This includes time passed after the air fryer has shut off.

You may think it’s okay to leave the chicken breast sitting in there for ten minutes until the rest of dinner is done. Nope! 🙅🏼‍♀️You need to remove these promptly because they will keep cooking and dry out.

air fryer chicken breast in cooking basket from overhead

If your air fryer has a knob timer like mine does, I would recommend using a more accurate digital timer instead.

Examples: the timer on your phone, the timer on your microwave, etc. Because these cook so fast, the smallest variance tends to make a big difference.

For your convenience, I have included a table of recommended cook times in the notes section of the recipe card below, based on the results of said testing.🤓👊🏻

How to make Air Fryer chicken breast

First, a kitchen scale will be most helpful in getting best results. You need to know the weight of your chicken breasts to know how long to cook them.

The next best option is to try to eyeball a package of similar sized chicken breasts at the store. You can then take the total weight listed on the package and divide by the number of chicken breasts in the package.

Then you want to season them up. I am using my go-to basic chicken seasoning: garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Normally I don’t measure this when I am making it for myself. I am really good at eyeballing it.

But I went ahead and measured everything out for y’all. I tried mixing everything together in a blend and just spooning it on. It worked out great.👌🏻

You will want to season the presentation side first. This would be the smooth side of the chicken breast. I spray mine with a little cooking spray, and sprinkle it with the seasoning blend.

hand sprinkling raw meat with seasoning

Next, place the chicken breast seasoned side down into the air fryer basket. Then spray and season side two, which is now facing upward.

I set my timer for half the estimated cook time: 10 minutes in my case. Then I cook at 360 degrees for that time.

Next, I use tongs to flip over the chicken breasts. Then cook for the remaining time, 10 minutes in my case (for a total of 20 minutes cook time).

Remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer immediately, and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute and result in juicier chicken breasts.

Serve and enjoy!

air fryer chicken breast on a white plate with a salad

What to serve with on the side

Here are a few of my favorite sides to serve with air fryer chicken breasts:

Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe

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closeup of air fryer chicken breast on a white plate
4.92 from 50 votes
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Air Fryer Chicken Breast

This is how I make basic Air Fryer chicken breast. These are great with a couple simple sides for a quick dinner, and they also work great for meal prep.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer chicken breast, how to cook chicken breast in the air fryer
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 5 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 163 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • cooking spray (or rub on oil of choice - use about 1/4 Tablespoon per chicken breast)
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts raw, mine were about 7.5 to 8 ounces each
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (about 1/8 tsp per chicken breast)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (1/8 tsp per chicken breast)
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (a dash per chicken breast)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (around 1/8 tsp per breast, and you can sub parsley, basil, thyme, etc.)

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano together.

  2. Spray the chicken breasts on the presentation side (smooth side) with cooking spray of choice. I use avocado oil spray.

  3. Sprinkle some of the seasoning blend on each chicken breast, and use hands to pat and help the seasoning stick.

  4. Place the chicken breast, seasoned side down, in the air fryer. 

  5. Spray the bare side, which is now facing up, and sprinkle on the remaining seasoning.

  6. Cook for 10 minutes on 360 degrees.

  7. Flip over (tongs are extremely helpful), and cook until internal temperature reaches at least 165, about another 8 to 12 minutes on 360 depending on the size of your chicken breasts. (Mine were about 7.75 ounces each, and 10 minutes on the 2nd side was perfect.👌🏻That's 20 minutes total. See cook time notes section below.)

  8. Remove the basket from the air fryer, and allow the chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into it. This lets the juices redistribute and helps the chicken be juicier.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

Recommended Cook Times: I conducted many tests related to chicken breast size and time cooked. Here is what worked well in my air fryer. For each test, I flip the chicken breast half-way through.

5.5 to 6 ounces 18 minutes 

6.5 to 7.5 ounces 19 minutes 

7.75 to 8.5 ounces 20 minutes

9 to 10 ounces 21 minutes

Note: Air fryers and cook times may vary from the above. Always use common sense, and make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through.

Timer: use an accurate timer such as a digital timer, like the timer on your phone or microwave. My air fryer has a knob timer, and it is difficult to get an accurate timing. Since the air fryer cooks so fast, this could affect the quality of your chicken breasts.

Note: I rarely measure my seasonings anymore  because I have gotten a good feel for "enough." I did measure everything out for y'all. If it tastes bland, add more salt to taste.

Do not overcrowd the cooking basket. I would recommend cooking no more than 3 or 4 chicken breasts at a time, depending on size. 

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 163 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Cholesterol 90mg30%
Sodium 454mg20%
Potassium 522mg15%
Protein 30g60%
Vitamin A 40IU1%
Vitamin C 1.7mg2%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Air fryer chicken breasts originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy February 25, 2019.

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  4. Chicken Enchilada Skillet (One Pot Meal)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Ethan says

    5 stars
    Thank you so much! You’re doing the world a service. You should be extremely proud of everything you have a accomplished with this recipe, this site, and this brand in general. You are very talented, and I can’t thank you enough for blessing us with this site.

    Reply

  3. Chef Bill says

    5 stars
    Ok… I tried this out tonight. One word, Awesomeness! I did tweak it slightly tho, I cut the chicken into strips, I doubled all seasonings, except salt (not a salty person, lol). Because pieces were snail I did 360 on one side 11 minutes, it was done tender and juicy. Although it was done, I did flip and cooked 2-3 minutes on opposite side to brown a little. Will definitely be using this again. What’s for dessert?

    Reply

  4. Maria says

    My comment is for Jesse who posted on Sept 10th. I can’t believe what I just read.
    ! I’ve never seen such a nasty remark made to someone who is simply trying to share a recipe. There’s no place for foul language in this forum. Grow up! You should apologize!

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Thanks Maria.🙏🏻💖 Comes with the territory, and unfortunately, I am used to it after 7 years of publishing on the internet. I don’t know Jesse, and I am not sure where he is in life, but I feel a little bad for him.🙏🏻 I try not to take that stuff personally. He doesn’t know me, and I could tell he didn’t even read the post. 🤷🏼‍♀️

      Reply

  6. Jesse says

    the fuck is “american cuisine”? its chicken for fuck’s sake

    also- how about you just show the recipe instead of 10 pages of wanky narcissistic life story??

    Reply

  7. Kristine says

    This turned out great! Is there a way I can have the chicken breast crunchy (without breading) but not dry in the inside? Thanks ahead!! 🙂

    Reply

    • Cynthia says

      I found a recipe that included 1 tspn baking powder mixed with spices. It made my wings amazingly crispy on the outside. I’ll be trying it with my chicken breast too.

      Reply

  8. JonAnn says

    5 stars
    This was fabulous. Best skinless chicken breast I ever made. Thanks for taking the time to put this recipe on your site

    Reply

  9. Karen says

    5 stars
    I always had problems seasoning chicken and I used your seasoning it had so much flavor. I air fried a large chicken breast and cooked as you said. It was the so moist and flavorful.
    Have you done a steak?

    Reply

  11. Amy says

    5 stars
    Perfect! I used lemon pepper as the spice. The timing was perfect! One question, though, I had to cook in batches (small air fryer) so the second batch started with a warm air fryer. I estimated the time and used a thermometer, but the texture was not as nice as starting out with the unheated fryer. Suggestions?

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Yay, Amy!🙌🏻 It is possible that the preheating made them cook faster in the 2nd batch. I run into something similar when I am baking cookies (in the oven, even though I preheat). Next time I would take a minute or so off the 2nd batch and see if it helps.

      Reply

  13. Vicky says

    With different weight chicken breasts should the heavier ones go on the bottom or top rack to finish cooking at about the same time as the lighter breasts?

    Reply

  14. Carrie says

    5 stars
    This was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! This was my first time cooking chicken in my air fryer. I had three fairly large chicken breasts so I pounded them a little with a meat mallet to thin them out just a little. Used olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning on both sides and placed them in the air fryer without preheating. Once it was preheated I cooked them 10 minutes per side at 360, tested with a thermometer, and they were perfectly done, flavorful and tender. This will be a go-to recipe!

    Reply

  16. Kimberly says

    5 stars
    I did my own seasonings but the temperatures were spot on…..my goodness the chicken was so moist. I normally overcook my chicken but not tonight. Thank you!

    Reply

  17. Becky Edwards says

    5 stars
    Made this for supper tonight but used BBQ rub like you would on chicken wings. Your directions were SPOT ON!! Chicken was delicious! Thank you!!

    Reply

  18. Rachel says

    5 stars
    I made this chicken and it was delicious. I doubled up by using the rack that came with the pot. It came out perfect. I also used rosemary to season. Don’t like garlic on chicken. Thanks, Rachel

    Reply

  19. Lana C says

    Do you preheat your air fryer for this chicken recipe?? It definitely affects cooking time if it’s not preheated, and I always tend to end up overcooked, so want to find out first before I try recipe.

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  20. Lucy says

    So I will definitely make this chicken, thank you for providing this recipe…bit I must say, the number of ads are extremely annoying. It’s an easy recipe that doesn’t need to be dragged on for so long with ten ads stuffed into the middle of it.

    Reply

  21. Smc says

    3 stars
    This is the first recipe I’ve tried in my new air fryer. The chicken was a little tough. Tasty, and pretty juicy, but, tough. Did I maybe do something wrong?

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Sounds like they got overcooked. Did you use a food scale to weigh the chicken? I highly recommend that for best results. Since it cooks so quickly using this method, it is suuuper easy to overcook. It is important to use the correct cook time for what size chicken breast you are using, as shown in the notes. Also, when it is finished cooking, don’t leave it sitting in the air fryer, even for a few minutes. Let it rest on a plate. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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