Air Fryer Chicken Breasts are so fast to make, done in about 15 minutes, and they come out perfectly juicy every time.
One of my new favorite easy lunches is this air fryer chicken breast recipe. It comes together in just 20 minutes, and the chicken is moist and flavorful. I love that chicken breasts in the air fryer are both simple and delicious with the added bonus of being a pretty healthy meal. I especially love that I can add a vegetable to the air fryer and be left with a satisfying lunch that keeps me full all the way to dinner.
How to Cook Chicken Breasts in the Air Fryer
While your air fryer is preheating, rub the chicken with olive oil and season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Then cook the chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping it half way through cooking.
How Long to Cook Chicken Breast in Air Fryer
Chicken breasts come in many different sizes these days, which is what will impact how long it needs to cook in the air fryer. We experimented with a few different sizes and found that these times work great for the following weights.
- 9 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 15 minutes
- 6 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 12 minutes
- 3 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 9 minutes
Tips and Tricks
- Cook several chicken breasts at once. This recipe will work for as many breasts as will fit in your air fryer in a single layer. Please note that if the chicken breasts are different sizes you will want to make sure you don’t over-cook the smaller chicken breasts, taking them out as soon as they hit 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use an instant read thermometer. This is the best way to ensure that you take the chicken out right when it is done and don’t over-cook it.
- Add vegetables. I love combining this recipe with my air fryer asparagus recipe. Because the two recipes have different cooking times, just add the vegetables once the chicken has been cooking for a little while.
- Use a reliable air fryer. After trying a few air fryers, I can tell you that this one is by far my favorite. It preheats quickly and cooks very evenly. Additionally, it has a large cooking basket, making it easy to fit as many as four chicken breasts in it cooking together comfortably.
- Change up the seasoning. I love the simple seasonings in this recipe, but if you wanted to mix it up a little, you could try some other seasoning mixes. You will only need a teaspoon or so of seasoning mix for each chicken breast. Try this recipe with Everything bagel seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, or Italian seasoning.
Leftovers
You can store leftovers of this chicken recipe in your refrigerator for up to three days. The cold chicken is delicious on salads. Please always use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
If you want to reheat it, you can do so in your air fryer, noting that it is not as moist as it is when freshly cooked. When reheating, I only cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of about 140 degrees. This allows it warm up without losing all it’s moisture.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
As noted above, I love adding a veggie to this to round out the meal. But if you are making dinner for your family, you might want to consider a few different sides.
- Mashed Cauliflower is a great addition to this meal that still keeps it low carb and gluten free.
- This chicken recipe would be fantastic on top of my Strawberry Spinach Salad.
- My Roasted Green Beans would be perfect as a side to this recipe, and they are done in the oven in about the same amount of time.
- Finally, my simple Arugula Side Salad is amazing. It is made with simple ingredients but presents as a gourmet salad. It would be great with this recipe.
If you make these chicken breasts in the air fryer, or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you and hearing how my recipes have worked their way into your family’s life.
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast see note
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (if you only have table salt, cut this in half)
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- dash of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the air fryer is preheating, coat the chicken in olive oil on both sides. Then season it with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and a dash of black pepper.1 chicken breast, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, dash of black pepper
- Place it in the preheated air fryer, set the air fryer to 350 Fahrenheit, and cook for 15 minutes, flipping it half way through cooking or until he thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (a 9 ounce chicken breast will take approximately 15 minutes and a 6 ounce chicken breast will take approximately 12 minutes).
Notes
- 9 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 15 minutes
- 6 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 12 minutes
- 3 ounce chicken breasts should cook for 9 minutes
Cheryl Mathe says
In your description you say preheat at 400 but the recipe says 350. Which do you use?
I preheat to 400 degrees, and then turn it to 350 to cook it. Thank you for catching this discrepancy!
Marie-Ange Gagnon says
I love all your recipes! Thank you for sharing!
😋🌷🌹
You are very welcome!
Terry says
For anyone that doesn’t have an airfryer but has confection bake on their oven, it’s the same thing. You don’t need yet another appliance to purchase and store, or taking up room on your counter. Follow directions as written as enjoy!
Judith Fulton says
I love some of your recipes! Have saved a lot of them to my computer.
Goimg to make your Crockpot Lasagna today.
I hope you enjoy it!
Norma says
I am new to using air fryer and need recipes. I am diabetic.
You can find all of my Air Fryer recipes here and all of my Low Carb recipes here.