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This easy recipe for air fryer turkey breast is just the thing if you’re having a small gathering for Thanksgiving dinner! It’s so quick to throw together a succulent turkey breast with crispy golden skin, that you can make it on busy weeknights, too.
Cooking a turkey breast in the air fryer is such a simple, no-fuss way to enjoy juicy, tender results with very little time and effort! All you need to do is rub the turkey with butter and herbs and toss it into the air fryer, turning it a couple of times, and voila! Golden brown perfection with crispy skin that’s loaded with flavor.
Air fryer turkey breast is a wonderful alternative to a whole turkey if you’re feeding a small crowd. You can save the oven space for all your delicious sides. Plus, it cooks in about an hour, saving you valuable time. If you like this recipe, then try these tasty air fryer recipes next: air fryer stuffed peppers, air fryer Brussels sprouts, and air fryer chicken wings.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Turkey — bone-in, skin on turkey breast is the best option for succulent results. Use one half of a turkey breast. If you buy a frozen packaged turkey breast, it may be the whole thing, unsplit. You can divide the breast by cutting down the center like you would spatchcock a chicken.
Herb butter turkey rub — softened butter, garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, and black pepper give the turkey the most mouthwatering flavor. The butter will also help the outside turn a gorgeous golden brown and produce addictively crispy skin.
How to Make Air Fryer Turkey Breast
1. After allowing the turkey to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes, pat both sides dry very well with paper towels.
2. Make the herb rub for the turkey in a small bowl. Mix together softened butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, salt, and pepper.
3. Gently loosen the skin on the breast and rub ½ of the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the remaining garlic butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey breast.
4. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Place the turkey in the air fryer basket skin-side up and air fry for 10 minutes.
6. Flip the turkey over and air fry for another 30 minutes. Flip the turkey again (the skin side will be facing up once more) and air fry until the skin is golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Let the turkey breast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- Opt for bone-in skin-on turkey breast. Bone-in turkey breast is so much more juicy and flavorful than a boneless turkey breast! If desired, you can use a boneless breast, but the cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes less.
- Thaw the turkey breast completely. A turkey breast takes a fraction of the time of a whole turkey to defrost, but don’t forget this important step if you purchase it frozen! Thaw the breast in the refrigerator a day ahead, or overnight, depending on its size.
- Let it sit at room temperature. Set the turkey breast on the counter about 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking so it warms up just a bit. This will help the turkey cook more evenly in the air fryer.
- Pat the turkey dry. This seemingly unimportant step is absolutely vital if you want crispy, crackly skin on your air-fried turkey breast.
- Use a meat thermometer. When cooking poultry, it’s important to ensure the meat is fully cooked before you eat it. A meat thermometer or instant read thermometer is the best way to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. According to the USDA, all poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. In this recipe, I cook the turkey breast in the air fryer until its internal temperature reaches 160°F. While it rests, the residual heat from cooking will cause its internal temperature to rise to 165°F, and it will be ready to enjoy after the resting period. This little trick safeguards from overcooking and results in the best juicy turkey breast!
- Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes. As I mentioned above, while the turkey rests, its internal temperature will continue to rise. But flavor magic happens during this time, too! In those 10 minutes, the juices will be absorbed and redistributed in the turkey, so you have succulent, incredibly tender turkey.
- Ingredient substitutions: You can use ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. You could also use other fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, oregano, or sage, instead of rosemary. You can also use olive oil in place of butter if necessary, but butter does add the most flavor.
- Make a gravy with the drippings. Though this method won’t produce as many drippings as an oven-roasted turkey, there will still be a delicious, super flavorful fond in the bottom of your air fryer. So, please don’t waste it and make my turkey gravy recipe! Add some broth to the air fryer basket and swirl it around to help loosen the drippings.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are preparing a whole turkey, like in my roasted turkey recipe, then it is better to bake it in the oven, simply because turkeys are too large for air fryers! I recommend this air fryer turkey breast recipe instead of baking if you are cooking turkey breast. It is so much easier, and you get the most amazing crisp skin and juicy meat, while the oven can dry it out.
Yes, the turkey breast should be close to room temperature before you air fry it to help it cook evenly. Simply place it on your kitchen counter about 30 minutes before you intend to start cooking. Keep food safety in mind, though, and don’t leave it out for more than 30 minutes.
Depending on your air fryer and the size of the turkey breast, a bone-in skin-on turkey breast should be ready after about 1 hour in the air fryer. Please check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer: It should reach 160°F before it rests. After it rests, the temperature should have risen to 165°F.
Once the sliced turkey has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Use the leftovers to whip up a simple turkey casserole or turkey pot pie.
If you’ve tried this air fryer turkey breast recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Equipment
- Air fryer
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) bone-in skin-on turkey breast
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
Instructions
- Let the turkey breast sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat both sides dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Loosen the skin on the breast and rub ½ of the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside of the turkey breast. Sprinkle all over with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
- Place the turkey in the basket skin-side up and air fry for 10 minutes. Flip the turkey over and air fryer for 30 minutes. Flip the turkey again and air fryer until the skin is golden and crispy and the internal temperature is 160F on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Opt for bone-in skin-on turkey breast. Bone-in turkey breast is so much more juicy and flavorful than a boneless turkey breast! If desired, you can use a boneless breast, but the cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes less.
- Thaw the turkey breast completely. A turkey breast takes a fraction of the time of a whole turkey to defrost, but don’t forget this important step if you purchase it frozen! Thaw the breast in the refrigerator a day ahead, or overnight, depending on its size.
- Let it sit at room temperature. Set the turkey breast on the counter about 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking so it warms up just a bit. This will help the turkey cook more evenly in the air fryer.
- Pat the turkey dry. This seemingly unimportant step is absolutely vital if you want crispy, crackly skin on your air-fried turkey breast.
- Use a meat thermometer. When cooking poultry, it’s important to ensure the meat is fully cooked before you eat it. A meat thermometer or instant read thermometer is the best way to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. According to the USDA, all poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. In this recipe, I cook the turkey breast in the air fryer until its internal temperature reaches 160°F. While it rests, the residual heat from cooking will cause its internal temperature to rise to 165°F, and it will be ready to enjoy after the resting period. This little trick safeguards from overcooking and results in the best juicy turkey breast!
- Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes. As I mentioned above, while the turkey rests, its internal temperature will continue to rise. But flavor magic happens during this time, too! In those 10 minutes, the juices will be absorbed and redistributed in the turkey, so you have succulent, incredibly tender turkey.
- Ingredient substitutions: You can use ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. You could also use other fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, oregano, or sage, instead of rosemary. You can also use olive oil in place of butter if necessary, but butter does add the most flavor.
- Make a gravy with the drippings. Though this method won’t produce as many drippings as an oven-roasted turkey, there will still be a delicious, super flavorful fond in the bottom of your air fryer. So, please don’t waste it and make a turkey gravy! Add some broth to the air fryer basket and swirl it around to help loosen the drippings.
Nutrition
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