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.
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
-
In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano together.
-
Spray the chicken breasts on the presentation side (smooth side) with cooking spray of choice. I use avocado oil spray.
-
Sprinkle some of the seasoning blend on each chicken breast, and use hands to pat and help the seasoning stick.
-
Place the chicken breast, seasoned side down, in the air fryer.
-
Spray the bare side, which is now facing up, and sprinkle on the remaining seasoning.
-
Cook for 10 minutes on 360 degrees.
-
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.)
-
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.