I’m sure by now we all know that the air fryer makes life just a little bit easier, so if you’re looking for a simple way to cook chicken breasts, then you can’t miss with this easy Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe. I happen to love baked chicken breasts, and I cook them quite often, but being able to cook juicy, tender, and super flavorful chicken breasts in less than 20 minutes? That’s a huge win for me!
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These air fryer chicken breasts are one of my favorite things to meal prep. You can cook them at the beginning of the week, slice them up, then store them in meal prep containers along with your favorite sides. Because chicken breasts are so versatile, this is simply a great recipe to keep in your back pocket!
“This recipe has become the rockstar of our weekly menu. It makes for really tasty, juicy chicken breasts that are sensational on the first day and pretty darn good leftovers the next day. I have made similar chicken breasts in the frying pan, but they take longer, require far more attention, and wreck my stovetop (and the shirt I’m wearing if I neglect to don my apron).
We are partial to a 50/50 steak seasoning and lemon pepper mix. Rest five minutes after air frying, slice into bite-size morsels, and sprinkle over burrito bowls for the win.”
Vin
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 tsp steak seasoning ($0.20)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lb. total) ($5.25)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix the steak seasoning, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and black pepper together.
- Place both chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover them with plastic wrap or parchment paper, then use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to gently pound the thicker side of the chicken breast until the entire breast is an even thickness from one end to the other (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick).
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Brush the olive oil over both sides of each chicken breast.
- Generously coat both sides of each chicken breast with the seasoning blend. Rub the seasoning into the breasts with your hands making sure the entire chicken breast is evenly coated with spices.
- Place both chicken breasts inside the air fryer basket and cook for 7 minutes. Then flip the chicken breasts and cook for 6 more minutes. After a total of 13 minutes, use a meat thermometer to check the chicken breasts and make sure the internal temperature has reached 165°F, and if not, cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Promptly remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer basket and rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve the chicken breasts with your favorite sides and enjoy.
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Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Meat Thermometer
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Breasts – Step by Step Photos
In a small bowl mix together 2 tsp steak seasoning, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper together. Set the seasoning mix to the side.
Place 2 chicken breasts on a cutting board, cover them with plastic wrap or parchment paper, then use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to gently pound the thicker side of the chicken breast until the entire breast is an even thickness from one end to the other (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick).
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Brush 1 Tbsp of olive oil over both sides of each chicken breast. Then generously coat both sides of each chicken breast with the seasoning mix. Rub the seasoning into the breasts with your hands making sure the entire chicken breast is evenly coated with spices.
Place both chicken breasts inside the air fryer basket and cook for 7 minutes. Then flip the chicken breasts and cook for 6 more minutes. After a total of 13 minutes, use a meat thermometer to check the chicken breasts and make sure the internal temperature has reached 165°F, and if not, cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
Promptly remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer basket and rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy these juicy, flavorful air fryer chicken breasts with your favorite sides for dinner, in a salad or sandwich for lunch, or for an easy meal prep protein!
Recipe Tips
- Thick chicken breasts take longer to cook in the air fryer. In order to make sure the chicken breasts cook evenly, use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to gently pound the thicker side of the chicken breast until the breast is an even thickness from one end to the other (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick).
- If using frozen chicken breasts, cook directly from frozen at 400°F for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure to separate the breasts before cooking them.
- Once the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them promptly from the air fryer to stop the cooking process. This will help prevent the chicken breast from overcooking and drying out.
- Allow the chicken breasts to rest for 5 minutes on a cutting board before slicing and serving. This helps the chicken breast retain all of those yummy juices.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken will always be one of my favorite ‘meat-and-potatoes’ meals, so I like to serve these air fryer chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Our oven-baked steak fries are also a winner in my house (they go great with everything!). But if you have an air fryer with a double basket, I highly recommend you make some air fryer sweet potato fries. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes pairs perfectly with the savory flavors of the chicken!
More Seasoning Ideas
If you want to switch things up, here are some other ways you can season your air fryer chicken breasts:
- Taco Seasoning
- Cajun Seasoning
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Creole Seasoning like Tony Chachere’s
- Chili Seasoning
- Greek Seasoning
- Jerk Seasoning
Meal Prep Ideas
Meal prepping is a great way to save time, money, and reduce waste in the kitchen. And these Air Fryer Chicken Breasts are absolutely perfect for meal prep! You can easily slice them into equal portions for your meal prep containers, then just add in your favorite sides and vegetables.
Chicken breasts are also great to meal prep with salads, sandwiches, wraps, and even chicken burrito bowls! And if you love meal prepping as much as we do, then make sure to check out our full list of budget-friendly meal prep ideas.
This recipe worked in most ways except the steak rub. It was so salty I had a difficult time eating it. So salty I was put off. We ate it but never again and I would not even recommend this recipe unless you make your own rub.
I am here to say that even if you are tired and accidentally overcook the chicken and put on 2 tbsp of steak seasoning rather than 2 tsp, you will still have a decent dinner. I’m looking forward doing it correctly a second time, with less user error.
Easy and excellent results. First chicken breast in air fryer that was actually tender. Very good recipe. Excellent instructions. Readily available ingredients. This is a keeper. Any spice combo can be used. I added capers.
My chicken turned out juicy and delicious. Bookmarking this for the future. Thank you for sharing.
Good recipe but in what world are 2 chicken breasts $5.25?
This recipe has become the rockstar of our weekly menu. It makes for really tasty, juicy chicken breasts that are sensational on the first day and pretty darn good leftovers the next day. I have made similar chicken breasts in the frying pan, but they take longer, require far more attention, and wreck my stovetop (and the shirt I’m wearing if I neglect to don my apron).
We are partial to a 50/50 steak seasoning and lemon pepper mix. Rest five minutes after air frying, slice into bite-size morsels, and sprinkle over burrito bowls for the win.
Such an easy way to cook delicious chicken – fast!
Thank you, even though I get nervous cooking chicken if it’s not in a slow cooker, I’m glad to have a new method!
Amazing ideas, amazing recipes it saved me ,my wife went away for a week and I fed my rugrats with the air fryer. Five stars.
Quick, easy, and delicious. Another winner – keep those air fryer recipes coming!
This recipe is great, its simple, quick, and easy and was perfect for some leftover chicken breasts I had. I only had generic paprika and wanted a bit of sweetness so I added 1-2 tsp of brown sugar to the spice blend and that made it even better.
Looking good and tasty, but using olive oil to bake?? In the temp of 400 as your recipe instructing, olive oil becomes trans fats… olive oil should be used only in room temperature.
I believe it is a myth that olive oil turns to trans fat at high temps. Or if it does, its such a small amount that it is barely detectable.
I agree. I made this with Avocado oil instead with my Misto. Perfect!
Thank you for a recipe that finally recognizes how large today’s boneless chicken breasts are. I bought a family pack at Aldi’s yesterday–4 boneless skinless chicken breasts weighing in at more than 5.6 pounds. It was pretty cheap at $2.29 per lb, but still, 1 of those giants–about 1.4 lb–makes an adequate meal for 4. Typically the boneless breasts I buy are smaller, averaging about 12 oz each, but most recipes want a 4-6 oz breast and those, at least in my area, no longer exist.
I used your low fat/high flavor recipe for lunch. One breast, split horizontally and then cut in half for 4 pieces. I was gentle with the pounding so that my pieces would be of uniform thickness–in my case a bit over 1/2″ thick (the thick part of the uncut breast was more than 1.5″). Since my “air fryer” is a countertop oven model, there was plenty of room. I would never have thought of using steak seasoning, but it was delicious with chicken. Next time, however, I think I will try Tajin instead of paprika for a little more heat and that yummy lime flavor, but still using the steak seasoning, too. I have plenty of leftovers!