Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Air Fryer Chicken Breast with paprika and oregano is moist, juicy, and packed with herby flavor. Make dinner for two in 15 minutes!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 14

Rest Time 5

Total Time 29

Servings servings

Calories 169kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Air fryer
Bowl
Meat mallet or roling pin

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano other herbs like thyme, Italian seasoning work too
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir together the garlic powder, salt, oregano, black pepper, and paprika.
Lightly pound the chicken breast to even the thickness of each. Rub the olive oil all over the chicken. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the chicken, pressing it to help the spices adhere to the chicken.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Place the chicken in the air fryer basket, smooth side down, and cook for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Pound the chicken to an even thickness. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken until it reaches an even thickness. This will help the chicken cook and brown evenly for juicy chicken breast that isn’t too tough or dry.
Pat the chicken dry. Before pounding, use paper towels to pat the chicken dry and remove any excess liquid. The oil will spread on more smoothly, helping the spices to better adhere to the oil.
Flip the chicken halfway through cooking. While cooking chicken breast, you will want to flip it once during the cooking time to ensure that it cooks evenly. After air frying for 8 minutes, use a long-handled spatula or heat-safe tongs to flip the chicken. The air fryer basket will be very hot, so flip the chicken carefully.
Use a meat thermometer. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness and size of your chicken breasts and air fryer. Use an instant read thermometer to easily know when the chicken is cooked through. Overcooking to a higher temperature can result in dry chicken. For cook time and temperatures for other cuts of chicken, see my instructions for air fryer chicken tenders, air fryer chicken wings, and air fryer chicken thighs.
Let the chicken rest after cooking. For the juiciest chicken, let it rest for 5 minutes at room temperature before slicing and serving.
Optional spicy air fryer chicken breast variation. For spicier chicken, add ¼ teaspoon of chili powder or Cayenne pepper to the spice mixture and serve with hot sauce.

Nutrition