Perfect Air Fryer Chicken
This easy recipe for air fryer chicken calls for every day spices, and it can be made with chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. The chicken is incredibly juicy and flavorful!
Not only does this recipe produce some of the most delicious chicken ever, but because the chicken doesn’t need to be brined or marinated, it can be made quickly with no advance planning.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken
I love this recipe because you can have fantastic juicy, cooked chicken in less than 30 minutes (even if you didn’t plan ahead of time!).
To make this air fryer chicken:
- Mix together the seasonings and olive oil.
- Rub the mixture over all sides of the chicken.
- Preheat air fryer for five minutes.
- Place the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest for 4 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
The air fryer circulates the air during cooking creating the most delicious seasoning crust on the outside of the chicken. It is outrageously flavorful and yummy! And the chicken is ultra-juicy and moist. SO GOOD.
Ingredients Notes
- Olive oil: Extra-virgin olive oil.
- Salt: I use coarse, kosher salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon.
- Garlic: You can use fresh garlic, finely minced, or you can use garlic powder. I often use the cubes of frozen garlic (from Trader Joe’s).
- Paprika: Sweet or smoked paprika can be used (highly recommend smoked paprika for elevated flavor!).
- Onion Powder: This is sometimes labeled as “granulated onion powder.”
- Dried Oregano: Turkish or Mexican dried oregano will work fine.
- Dried Basil: If the dried basil is in large, leafy pieces, lightly crumble it between your fingers before using.
- Black Pepper: I use coarsely ground black pepper. If using finely ground black pepper, reduce the amount to 1/8 teaspoon.
- Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs or tenders. The recipe gives cooking time recommendations for the different cuts of chicken.
How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken
Serve this chicken with any number of sides, like cheesy smashed potatoes, rice pilaf, au gratin potatoes, pasta salads and more.
The leftovers are delicious added to recipes that call for cooked or grilled chicken:
- Crispy Chicken Enchilada Wraps
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Quick Fajita Nachos
- Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
I’ve been making this chicken nonstop because it is so easy, bonkers good, and everyone in my family raves about it. Serve it a million different ways for a super versatile meal!
It has become a go-to recipe for us, and it definitely makes keeping an air fryer around worth it!
Perfect Air Fryer Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt (or 3/4 to 1 teaspoon table salt)
- 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs or tenders)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, garlic, paprika, onion powder, oregano, basil, and black pepper.
- Rub the mixture over all sides of the chicken. Set aside while preheating the air fryer.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F. for five minutes.
- Add the chicken in a single layer to the air fryer basket (cook in separate batches, if needed).
- Cook thick chicken breasts for 13 to 15 minutes, chicken thighs for 16 to 17 minutes, and chicken tenders or thin-cut chicken for 10 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the chicken should register 165 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest for 4 to 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This was absolutely AMAZING!!!! Cheers to Mel and another great fast dinner recipe! Enjoyed the afternoon at a friend’s pool and still got a great dinner on the table! Thank you!!!!😊
This was AMAZING!!!! Cheers to Mel and another great fast dinner recipe!🙌 We all LOVED IT!!!!❣️
There is a reason when I’m stumped on dinner I usually find myself here. This was really good and so fast which is exactly what I needed tonight. I’ve never been able to bake very good chicken in the air fryer, but this tasted great and was nice and tender. Another keeper!
This chicken was amazing. Everyone was so surprised at how much flavor it had, and it was so easy! Perfect for a busy night! Thank you Mel!
This was a hit with my whole family with one child even declaring that she didn’t even need to put ketchup on it! 😂 I served it with roasted veggies and your rice pilaf and the whole meal was wonderful! Thanks for another easy and delicious dinner recipe! This will definitely be on regular rotation around here!
Haha, well that is definitely a success! 🙂
I made it tonight! We made bowls with rice, roasted carrots and broccoli and some yum yum sauce. Delicious!!!
Oh, that dinner sounds FANTASTIC!
This looks super yummy and I can’t wait to try it. If I wanted to cook just one chicken breast for lunch, how much of an adjustment would I need to make to the measurements?
I would probably cut the other ingredients into thirds. I usually use three medium-large chicken breasts for this recipe.
Made this right away because I already had fresh chicken in the fridge. So easy. So fast. So delicious.
Yay!! Thanks for letting me know, Clare!
I like having cooked chicken in the fridge for easy protein to grab, and usually use the crockpot. This was a nice change! Fantastic flavors too.
Happy to hear that, Sandi! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
I needed something for lunch today and as always, Mel to the rescue!! This was so simple, so quick and absolutely delicious!! I had slightly smaller breasts and my cooking time ended up a little closer to 11 mins. I also have a Ninja air fryer and my temp options were either 375 or 390 so I cooked at 375 for those asking. Extremely juicy and flavorful! Thanks Mel!!!
Heather, thank you so much for including details on your air fryer and cooking time. So helpful. I’m thrilled you loved this chicken!
Do you flip the chicken after half the cooking time? Most recipes for the air fryer recommend turning after half the time has elapsed.
This does sound delicious and I will definitely give it a go soon. What do you think about using bone in chicken?
Hi Susanna, you can flip it if you’d like, but I never do. It cooks just fine without flipping.
The recipe sounds delicious! But at what temperature do i cook the chicken in the air fryer ( combo toaster oven/air fryer) and for how long?
Hi Mary Lou, I would follow the temp and time in the recipe – for a combo air fryer/toaster oven, you may need to make adjustments, but because each brand of air fryer is different with varying settings, you can play around with that (just adjust the temperature and time if the chicken looks done sooner – or add time as needed). I use a regular air fryer-only appliance; I haven’t made this in a multi-use air fryer.
I made this using boneless breasts in my combo air fryer/toaster oven. It was done a minute or two sooner. It’s so easy, full of flavor and versatile!
Thanks for letting me know what you thought, Karen – glad it worked out!
This recipe looks delicious and would like to try it. Questions…. Do you use the air fryer setting or the Bake setting on the air fryer? Will the chicken still taste as good using canola oil instead of olive oil? Is it best to pound the thick side of the chicken breast to be an even thickness before baking?
Hi Sheila, I use just a regular air fryer (it’s a VERY simple machine with only one setting – air fry or nothing) 🙂 So if you have a machine with multiple settings, I’d select the air fryer function. Yes, you can use canola oil. I don’t pound the chicken with “regular” size chicken breasts, but if they are ultra, ultra thick, then yes, it might be helpful to pound or slice in half for two thinner cutlets.
I made your chicken burrito bowls for dinner tonight but didn’t plan ahead to marinate the chicken in the bowl recipe so I used this chicken instead. It was absolutely delicious and so quick to make. Made extra and will eat it all week in salads or wraps for lunch.
Jackie, yay!! I’m so happy to hear that!
Do you think this would work with frozen chicken, or would you defrost it first?
I would definitely recommend defrosting first before making this recipe.