Air Fryer Chicken Breast – Juicy, flavourful chicken breasts lightly coated in a simple seasoning mix. An easy method to ensure they’re cooked evenly, and they’re perfectly juicy and tender.

A tall, overhead image of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. There are two, cooked chicken breasts next to each other. One of the chicken breasts is placed in the centre of the image, and the other is slightly to the right, so it is only partially seen. The chicken breasts are cut into horizontal strips. This is all set on a dark, wooden background.
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Having a quick and delicious recipe for chicken up your sleeve is super important, especially on those busy days.

It’s great as a meal-prep staple, so you can have a tasty source of protein in the fridge whenever you need it.
Add it to soups, sandwiches, salads, and pasta dishes for some added meaty goodness.

One thing that really surprised me when I started using an air fryer was how well it cooks chicken. It’s always left me with the juiciest, golden chicken that absorbs flavour like a sponge.

This recipe takes only 16 minutes and the result is perfectly seasoned, tender chicken breasts!

📋 Ingredients

A wide, overhead shot of the ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Breast. The ingredients are laid out on the right-hand side of the wooden cutting board. To the left of the ingredients, there is a list of white text listing the ingredients. They are as follows: chicken breast, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, light brown sugar, salt, pepper, and oil.

Chicken Breasts – you want them to be around 180g (6.3 oz) each. If you use larger chicken breasts, you’ll need to increase the cooking time (see notes in the recipe card for more info).

Garlic Powder – You can substitute this for the same amount of garlic salt, just omit the regular salt.

Light Brown Sugar – This is optional but I find it adds a hint of caramelization that creates that much more flavour.

📺 Watch how to make it

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

  1. This recipe takes a small amount of prep, then the air fryer does the rest of the work. Start off by putting the chicken in a plastic sandwich bag and bashing the thickest part of the chicken with a rolling pin until the thickness has evened out.
A wide prep shot of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. On the left of the image, there are two chicken breasts in a clear freezer bag. To the right of it, there is a light wooden rolling pin, and to the right of that, there is a grey bowl filled with a red/orange seasoning mix. This is all set on a wooding cutting board.
  1. Now, mix together the seasoning in the bowl and add the chicken, pressing the seasoning to the chicken to coat it.
  2. Then drizzle over the oil and toss once again to fully coat.
A wide prep shot of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. The image shows two chicken breasts coated in seasoning, in a white bowl in the centre of the image. This is all set on a wooden cutting board.
  1. Then, pop in the air fryer for 11-12 minutes, turning halfway through until the chicken is golden on the outside and no longer pink in the middle.
A wide prep shot of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. There are two seasoned chicken breasts in a black, circular air fryer basket. This is set on a wooden cutting board.

Pro Tip

You can customise the seasonings you coat the chicken with to your taste. Add chilli flakes or powder for heat. Add more herbs (basil, thyme and dill are great options). You can even use a ready-mix seasoning – such as fajita or Cajun seasoning.

This chicken is the perfect way to make tasty, juicy chicken in extra-quick time.

A tall, overhead shot of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. There are two cooked chicken breasts in the centre of the image, on a dark blue plate with a light brown edge. To the left of the image, you can slightly see a pair of silver tongs resting on the edge of the plate. In the top right corner of the image, you can slightly see the corner of a white and blue striped napkin. This is all set on a blue surface.

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🍽️ What to serve it with


So juicy and flavourful, this is my go-to recipe to get chicken breast perfect, every single time.

A tall image of Air Fryer Chicken Breast. There are two, cooked chicken breasts next to each other in the centre of the image. The chicken breasts are cut into horizontal strips. In the top right corner of the image, you can slightly see a silver knife with a light wooden handle resting on the cutting board with the chicken. In the top left corner of the image, you can slightly see a white and blue striped napkin. This is all set on a dark, wooden background, which is placed on a blue surface.

🍲 More fantastic air-fryer recipes

Can I make this ahead/freeze it?

Yes! I love to make a few quick batches of chicken to keep in the fridge for the kid’s lunches. Cook them, then quickly cook and store in an air-tight container in the fridge, it should keep for 3 – 4 days.

You can also freeze them once cooked but I find it can be a little dry once you reheat them, to help with this, and for quicker reheating, you can slice up the chicken into chunks before storing in an air-tight container in the freezer.

If you find your chicken is a little bit dry, add a small splash of water alongside it when reheating. Make sure the chicken is piping hot throughout before serving.

How to scale up and down this recipe:

If cooking more than 2 chicken breasts, you may need to work in batches. We need to be able to layer the chicken in a single layer, with a little bit of space around each piece for good airflow.

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4 from 1 vote

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Air Fryer Chicken Breast – Juicy, flavourful chicken breasts lightly coated in a simple seasoning mix. An easy method to ensure they're cooked evenly, and they're perfectly juicy and tender.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Dinner, Lunch, protein
Cuisine: British-American

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts (about 180g/6.3oz each)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder or use garlic salt, but omit the regular salt
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp light brown sugar optional, but adds a tiny bit of caramelization
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
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Instructions 

  • Place the chicken breasts in a plastic sandwich bag or between a large folded piece of baking parchment.
    2 chicken breasts
  • Bash the thickest part of the chicken breast few times with a rolling pin. We don’t want to flatten the chicken a lot – we just want to even out the thickness.
  • It should still look like a chicken breast after a few light bashes (we don’t want it to thin like a chicken steak).
  • Mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and sugar in a small bowl.
    ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp light brown sugar
  • Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the two chicken breasts and press the mixture in with your hands, so they're thoroughly coated and so the mixture sticks to the chicken.
  • Drizzle over the oil and toss to fully coat.
    1 tbsp neutral oil
  • Place in the air fryer basket (no liner, we want it straight on the tray), in a single layer, with a bit of space in between the chicken breasts for good airflow. Air fry for 11-12 minutes (no need to pre-heat) at 200C/400F, turning once, halfway through cooking. Once cooked, the chicken should no longer be pink in the middle (internal temp should be 75C/167F).

Video

Notes

Cooking more than two?

If cooking more than 2 chicken breasts, you may need to work in batches. We need to be able to layer the chicken in a single layer, with a little bit of space around each piece for good airflow.

Size of chicken breast

Don’t use chicken breasts that are too big, as they’ll take longer to cook, and they will be dry on the outside. Try to stick between 180g/6.3oz and 227g/8oz per chicken breast.
If your chicken breasts are larger than the 180g/6.3oz that I use, you’ll need to cook for as little longer.
  • 198g/7oz each – cook the two breasts for 12-13 minutes
  • 227g/8oz- cook the two breasts for 13-14 minutes
The chicken should be piping hot throughout and sign of no pink in the thickest part of the chicken. If you have a meat probe, the internal temperature should read 75C/167F.

Can I use frozen chicken breasts?

You’ll get the best and juiciest result using fresh chicken breasts. So you’ll need to defrost frozen chicken breasts before using. I defrost them overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information is approximate, per chicken breast.

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Sandy says:

    Can I put this recipe in a fry pan? Thank you, Nicky

  2. Jennifer says:

    4 stars
    I know this seems a rather small trivial item, but I love the fact that you list the ingredients with each stage of the recipe. It is extremely, extremely helpful. I have ADHD and flipping back and forth in a recipe often lead to mistakes 😬.

  3. Toby Case says:

    Fantastic but I do not have an air fryer and was not intending to buy one.
    Are all your recipes dependent on owning one?

    1. Nicky Corbishley says:

      Not at all Toby. I’ve got hundreds of non-air fryer recipes on the site.

  4. Sarah Coppin says:

    How would you cook it without air fryer please?