Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast

This chicken recipe is a healthier version of crispy deep-fried chicken as it’s air fried with very little oil, which makes it a great guilt-free meal. It’s golden and crispy from the outside, juicy and tender from the inside! It can also be ready in under half an hour in 7 easy steps.

Unbreaded version is also included in this recipe, this is the juiciest and most flavorful chicken that you will make in your Air Fryer.

Make sure to check out my Air Fryer chicken tenders and my Crispy Air Fryer Fish recipe, it’s THE BEST!

I can’t believe that I survived 20 something years without an Air fryer! I’ve heard people talk about it, and I’ve seen other bloggers post many recipes but I never really looked into it.

And only now did I understand how I was completely missing out on so much convenience, and awesome food without feeling all guilty after eating all the flavourful comfort food.

So I recently got an Air Fryer. I started testing recipes, and we already made this healthy fried chicken recipe 3 times this week. I think that my husband is obsessed with this recipe.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Cooking chicken breast in the Air Fryer is just sooo easy. Next time you crave fried chicken and if you own an air fryer, you won’t struggle to get up from your couch and spend 10 minutes in the kitchen to get perfectly golden and crispy chicken breast.

The chicken is cooked to perfection in the air fryer. It turns out golden and crispy from the outside, and perfectly cooked and white from the inside. It won’t be dry, and it won’t take long in the air fryer either.

So what’s there not to love about cooking chicken in the air fryer? This is real comfort food.

Reasons why you will love Air Fryer recipes

Cooking becomes really quick. If you compare it to cooking the same recipe in the oven, or on the stove then cooking in the air fryer takes less time.

It’s very convenient and it doesn’t leave a mess. All you’ll need to wash after the cooking is the frying basket, and it can go in the dishwasher anyway.

It’s quite healthy as you can use just 1 tablespoon of oil if you’re air frying chicken, but you will need 2 cups of oil if you’re deep-frying on the stove.

It’s economical since you don’t need as much oil when compared to cooking on the stove. It also uses less electricity than the oven.

There are so many things that you can cook in the air fryer oven, you can even bake in it!

Tools needed to make this

• An Air Fryer. This is my favorite.
• Stainless steel locking tongs
• I can’t live without this non-stick grill pan accessory, I use it all the time!
• I love these stainless steel measuring cups and use them every time I cook, as well as those measuring spoons.
• These are the mixing bowls that you see in all of my pictures, they’re honestly the best!
• This air fryer magnetic cheat sheet is very handy, it contains cooking time and temperature to cook 66 most common ingredients which I find very useful.
• I also really like these air fryer parchment liners, they’re not just for steaming and you can use them for cooking things like fries or chicken without worrying that the food will stick to the basket. They’re also quite cheap and there are 100 pcs in a package.
• And for a full set of air fryer accessories, I recommend this set.

How to bread the chicken

You have two options to choose from:

• You could either bread the chicken breast in seasoned breadcrumbs, along with some olive oil that is drizzled directly over the chicken. This oil will help the breadcrumbs stick and together they will create that lovely crispy texture to the chicken breast.
• You could use the traditional way of breading chicken just like our mothers and grandmothers always did, by using the egg and flour method. This is also a good option, but the breadcrumbs method is definitely my favorite.

Whichever way you choose, please make sure to season the coating (breadcrumbs and flour) as that’s where most of the flavor comes from.

How to cook Air Fryer boneless chicken breast

Step 1. Start by cutting the chicken breast in thin halves. For the chicken to cook quicker, you will need thinner strips of the chicken breast.

Step 2. Drizzle the chicken with one tablespoon of olive oil, and mix so the chicken is well coated in the olive oil.

Step 3. Prepare the coating. In a semi-shallow dish, mix bread crumbs with all the seasonings that you’re using. This depends on your taste, but I normally like to add chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.

If you like your chicken spicy, add more chili powder or dried chili flakes! Mix the coating.

Step 4. Coat each chicken piece in the bread crumbs mixture. Make sure that the chicken is well-coated and there are no excess breadcrumbs.

Step 5. Preheat your air fryer at 390F or 200C. I usually switch it on about 5 minutes prior to cooking. This ensures that the chicken does not dry out.

Step 6. Transfer your chicken to the air fryer basket. Depending on the size of your basket, you can add more or fewer pieces at once. I have the 3.2-liter air fryer so I could only fit 2 pieces at once.

Step 7. Cook for 12-15 minutes. After the first 8-10 minutes, you can open the air fryer basket and flip the chicken on the other side. Use tongs to flip the chicken as the basket can be too hot so handle with care. Cook for 5 more minutes.

How to check if the chicken is well cooked

After 12-15 minutes of cooking, the chicken should become golden and crispy. Check the doneness of the chicken by using a fork and a knife and cut through a small piece to see if the meat is well cooked.

You could also check using a kitchen thermometer. Insert the thermometer in the center of the chicken, and the internal temperature of the chicken should be read 165F or 75C.

How to make unbreaded Air Fryer chicken

Now you might be wondering how to cook chicken breast in the air fryer if you don’t want to bread it.

Drizzle olive oil over your unbreaded chicken breast, add seasonings then cook in the air fryer (place breast side down) for 12-15 minutes flipping halfway through using kitchen tongs.

When the cooking time is up, remove from the Air Fryer immediately so that the chicken does not dry out. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, and serve.

So if you want to cut a little bit on the calories then go for the unbreaded version. However, the breaded crispy chicken breast is definitely my favorite!

The texture of this chicken breast is very similar to Schnitzel, rather than KFC’s fried chicken.

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What to serve with this Air Fried chicken breast

• Air fryer baked potatoes
• Air fryer asparagus and mushrooms
• The best ever oven-baked fries
• Middle Eastern Batata Harra
• Cheesy mashed potato cakes
• Geat over salads, rice, veggies, and in sandwiches.

Weight watchers points: 3 SmartPoints. 

And don’t forget to check out my Air Fryer Fish recipe, it’s sooo good! The fish turns out so crispy and golden!

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5 from 30 votes

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Easy crispy and golden air fryer chicken breast chicken. This is a healthier version of fried chicken, and is cooked much quicker than in the oven or on the stove top.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Diana

Print Recipe

Cost $5

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup (25 grams) bread crumbs
• ½ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp dried chili powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

• Put the chicken breasts in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, mix the chicken to make sure that it's well coated with oil.
• In a shallow dish, mix the bread crumbs with the spices until well combined.
• Coat each chicken breast in bread crumbs, and transfer to your air fryer basket.
• Cook in the air fryer at 390F or 200C for 10-12 minutes. After the first 7 minutes, open the air fryer and flip the chicken on the other side then continue cooking (cook for 3 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast used).

Video

Diana’s Tips

• Weight watchers points: 3 SmartPoints.
• For an unbreaded version: Drizzle olive oil over your unbreaded chicken breast, season well then cook in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes flipping halfway through. Serve immediately.
• If your chicken breasts are too large, you may need to cook for a bit longer. Keep checking, preferably with a kitchen thermometer.
• I always taste my seasoning mix after I mix everything together, to see if I need to adjust for example add more salt or chili.
• Make sure not to overcrowd your Air Fryer basket. I recommend cooking 3 chicken breasts at a time, this depends on the size of your Air Fryer. If you overcrown the air fryer basket, the chicken won’t crisp up as it will just steam.
• You don’t need to preheat your Air Fryer. Just set the temperature and timer and you’re good to go.
• Always flip whatever you are cooking in the Air Fryer or shake the basket to make sure that it’s evenly cooked.
• Store the chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Always check the internal temperature of chicken breast to ensure that it’s cooked and safe to eat, as you might need to cook this for longer if the chicken breasts are big.

Nutrition facts

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

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