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A foolproof Air Fryer Chicken breast recipe that works every time! Pair this juicy chicken with salad, couscous, or a vegetable side dish like broccolini.
This is my go-to recipe for making chicken in the air fryer. It’s tender and juicy, easy to make, and downright delicious. Plus, it’s ready in less than 20 minutes!
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
I might be biased, but this is the best air fryer chicken recipe out there. Why? Because it’s juicy and the most flavorful chicken. Oh, and because it’s SO easy to make!
To be honest, I don’t even follow the measurements in the recipe, I just sprinkle each seasoning on the chicken. If you’ve got a heavy hand when it comes to sprinkling seasonings, stick to the recipe measurements!
I pretty much just sprinkle everything to taste and always make sure I’m only using a small amount of smoked paprika, because it can be overpowering.
Cooking chicken breasts in the air fryer is SO easy, I’ll probably never make them another way.
Ingredients For Air Fryer Chicken
The best thing about this recipe is that the ingredient list is made up of mostly pantry staples!
- Boneless chicken breasts
- Paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning (you can also use parsley and/or oregano)
- Salt and pepper
Sometimes I like to switch up the seasoning I’m using. I usually play around with swapping out the Italian seasoning for parsley, oregano, or the 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s. You can also try adding the Umami Seasoning here too, it’s so good!
How To Make Chicken In The Air Fryer
1. Prepare the seasoning. Combine paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub a thin layer of olive oil over both sides of the chicken and sprinkle the seasoning.
2. Cook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in the air fryer basket and cook at 390F for 12 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through.
3. Remove the chicken from the air fryer basket, slice and serve!
side note – I have no idea what was going on with that baby chicken breast! I swear it didn’t look like that from what I could see through the package. HA!
Also, a meat thermometer is your best friend here. If you don’t have one, you can find them at a pretty low price online. They make cooking meat and seafood so much easier!
A Secret For Making Really Juicy Chicken
If you have the time and want to make the juiciest chicken ever, you can brine the chicken breasts before you cook them.
Wait, but how do I brine chicken?
Fill a large bowl with 6 cups of lukewarm water and add 1/4 cup kosher salt, stir until the salt has dissolved. Add the chicken breasts to the water and let them sit in the refrigerator, at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours to brine. Remove the chicken breasts from the water, pat dry with paper towels and discard the water.
If you don’t have an hour to spare, no worries, your chicken will still be juicy and delicious!
What To Serve With Chicken
The best thing about this chicken is that it’s extremely versatile and you can pretty much serve anything with it. I usually serve it with an easy to make salad, but you can also serve it with a grain like rice or quinoa, or a starch like pasta.
Here are some of my favorite side dishes:
- Couscous Salad
- Winter Citrus Salad (this is the salad in the photo above)
- Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Peppers
- Garlic Parmesan Fries
- Crispy Mini Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes Loaded Nachos
Which Air Fryer Should I Purchase?
There are SO many air fryers on the market, it can be tough to choose. Lucky for you, I’ve tried 3 different ones and highly recommend all of them.
- Ninja Foodi Grill – I have this one and it’s the one I use the most.
- Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Oven – I also have this one and love that you can flip it up to get your counter space back!
- GoWise Air Fryer – This is the first air fryer I ever purchased, it’s great and affordable.
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5 Spice Air Fryer Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning you can also use parsley and/or oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390° F.
- Combine the paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub a thin layer of olive oil over both sides of the chicken and then sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken.
- Place the chicken breasts in the air fryer basket and cook at 390° F for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F, flipping halfway through.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer basket, slice and serve with a salad, couscous, or broccolini.
This chicken looks great and you are right, it is so versatile! I love that you can serve it with just about anything. You have tried more Air Fryer appliances than anyone I know, love it!! Cheers
Wow, your plating and photography is top notch! Loved it
Recently bought an air fryer and have been looking for yummy recipe ideas and your here definitely fit the bill! Made this the other day and loved it!
I don’t use my airfryer much but this has really given me the inspiration to cook chicken. Lovely flavours!
You inspired me to get an air fryer! I wanted my chicken to come out JUST like yours, so I bought one and tried it. Absolutely perfect. Love the recipe and the photos!
Nice seasoning and crispy on the outside. I love the air fryer. It really works magic!
I adore my air fryer, but haven’t made a chicken breast yet and I love the spices you chose. Totally making this this weekend!
I love how easy this is! That spice rub includes all of my favorites too.
This chicken is on our regular dinner rotation! So full of flavor and easy to make in the air fryer!
The spice mix on this was fantastic! The chicken is tasty – we served ours with a salad! Yum!
This chicken was bursting with flavour! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
Oh my goodness – such wonderful (juicy!) flavor, so easily! I was glad you mentioned that you usually don’t get too precise with the spice measurements, so I can just eyeball it with the help of your recipe, which is especially great when I’m in a hurry lol! Great tip on brining, too – thanks!
I do have all these pantry staples in stock – this will be dinner tonight! Can’t wait!
I really need to get myself an air fryer! This chicken was so moist and perfect! I used this recipe and made it in the oven 🙂
DELICIOUS and so easy to make!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
So easy and so good!! This is now one of our go-to’s. Thanks!!