Ridiculously Good Air Fryer Chicken Breast (2024)

Ingredients

Units Scale

The Spices

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (I use Morton table salt for this because it’s fine and better for coating)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

The Chicken

• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts – if you have closer to 1.5 pounds in your package, increase the amount of spices above by 1.5x to make sure you have enough seasoning for your chicken

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1. Cut the the chicken into thin pieces:Cut each chicken breast into thin, flat pieces (not bite-sized but something that looks like a thin chicken breast). For example: if a one-pound package gives me two chicken breasts, I’m often cutting it into 3-4 thin pieces per breast. Thin chicken is essential! And delicious! Pat the chicken breasts dry if they have a lot of moisture on them.
2. Coat the chicken with spices:Toss the spices together so they’re mixed well; sprinkle mixture over the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the oil and toss (I use my hands but tongs will work). You want to thoroughly coat the chicken. You can give it a short rest if you want, but I find that the flavor is excellent even if it just goes straight into the air fryer, and that’s how I usually make it.
3. Air fry: Preheat the air fryer. Place the chicken on the air fryer basket / grate in an even layer, leaving a bit of space for air to circulate around. Air fry the chicken at 415 degrees for 10 minutes. If you have larger pieces of chicken, you’ll want to go closer to 13 minutes. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
4. You’re done! Yum!It should be a gorgeous sight for hungry eyes. Crisped on the outside, full of flavor, and juicy to the max. Let it rest for a moment; then slice into it and enjoy. We often eat at least half of it just hot out of the air fryer while standing over the cutting board. I am on a kick with dunking the chicken pieces in a house-made gochujang dipping sauce which is in the notes below!

Salt Depends on The Amount of Chicken: And the salting is important. Here’s what I recommend.

• 1 pound of chicken breasts: 3/4 teaspoon table salt (as written)
• 1.5 pounds of chicken breasts: 1 teaspoon table salt
• If using coarse kosher salt: 1 teaspoon salt for 1 pound of chicken breasts

Marinating: You can let the chicken sit with the spices for an extended period of time – up to 24 hours in the fridge – but for best results, wait to add the cornstarch until just before you throw it in the air fryer.

Paprika: For this recipe, paprika refers to the ground spice labeled “ground paprika” or “paprika”. Paprika is great here for flavor and color. There are tons of varieties of paprika out there, including smoked paprika, hot paprika, Hungarian paprika, or sweet paprika. If you follow the amounts as written, you’ll get just a teeny tiny bit of the smoky paprika so it’s just a bit more rich and savory – just that little extra something that makes you go “mmmm” – without being overwhelmingly smoky. To me, as written, it’s the perfect blend. But if you like to play, try other paprika ratios or bring in other spices to your tastes!

Cheat Code for the Seasoning: This recipe is very clutch with McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning blend. Not sponsored, just so easy and so good. I found a neglected bottle of it when I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and it is DELICIOUS on this chicken. For a pound of chicken, just use about 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix in place of the paprika, salt, onion and garlic powders. Then add your cornstarch and brown sugar to it and love your juicy, delicious chicken life!

Amazing Gochujang Dipping Sauce:This is my current favorite sauce to have with this chicken, either in a bowl, a salad, or just dipping the chicken pieces straight in. Mix 1/2 cup mayo with about 2 tablespoons gochujang sauce (table sauce, not paste), 1 clove grated garlic, a shot of soy sauce, and a dash of rice vinegar if you want. Season with salt and pepper. Oooof. So good.