Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe

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This air fryer chicken breast recipe is stuffed full of delicious yumminess!

Air fryer recipes are becoming more popular these days, and for good reason. Particularly with those who enjoy clean eating foods and foods lower in fat. Air fryers are small enough to sit on your counter, and you can make delicious foods that are normally deep-fried with a fraction of the oil. Foods such as cheese sticks or fish n’ chips.

This chicken from this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe still sits in the air fryer basket after just finishing the cooking cycle. Two cooked breasts sit in the basket, ready to serve.

What Is An Air Fryer?

It’s a countertop appliance that cooks pretty much exactly like a convection oven, except with a bit more “force”. The quick movement of the air circulated by the fan should mimic the crispiness of a deep fried food. Is it exactly the same result? No, not exactly. But it gets close in most cases. And considering the small amount of oil needed for most foods, it’s a far healthier option than deep frying. However, you will rarely achieve that perfect outer crisp that only a deep fryer can provide. But it’s still very tasty food that is far healthier. Plus, it’s smaller than most convection ovens which can be a bonus for counter space, but a negative for larger foods. That being said, you can buy air fryers large enough to fit a whole chicken.

The whole chicken breasts, just cooked, in this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe.

Is Air Fryer Food Healthy?

As with most things, it all depends on how you use it! Basically, it’s a great way to enjoy foods that would normally be deep-fried, just without all the deep frying. It would probably be comparable to cooking something in a skillet with minimal oil. And again, it will all depend on how much oil you actually use for cooking. (In this case, just three teaspoons divided into 4 servings!)

A half of a chicken breast sits, cut side visible, on a cutting board. You can see the tomato and cheese in the middle of the breast.

Do You Put Oil In An Air Fryer?

Unlike a deep fryer, you do not put oil into an air fryer. Rather, you spray small amounts of oil onto the food itself just to keep it from drying out. But there is no place for oil storage, just a “basket” where you put the food in. It has holes on the bottom to keep the air flowing freely. Never cover those holes completely or your food won’t cook properly.

And overhead view of this, just cooked, Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast Ingredients

3 tsp. olive oil – Or any oil you prefer to use. Coconut oil has a higher smoke point and is delicious with chicken. But the choice is yours.

8 oz. chicken breasts – 2 breasts, butterflied. You can use fresh or previously frozen chicken breasts

½ tsp. dried thyme – Ground, dried thyme is best, but you can use the regular, dried leaves if that’s what you have.

1 tsp. dried oregano – Here again, ground or regular will work.

1 tsp. dried basil – As with the above spices, ground or regular works.

½ tsp. salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but any fine salt will work. Only avoid coarse salts.

½ tsp. ground black pepper – White pepper works too, but black pepper tastes best. Use what you have.

4 oz. mozzarella cheese – Us the 1 oz. slices, cut in half to fit within the cut chicken.

2 medium tomatoes – Slice these to a medium thickness.

8 medium fresh basil leaves – plus more for garnish

How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Breasts

The first step in this air fryer chicken breast recipe is to butterfly the chicken breasts and rub them with oil and spices.

Pat dry chicken breasts with paper towels and discard the paper towels.Rub olive oil over the chicken breasts. Add seasonings, and massage chicken to coat all of it with seasonings.

The next step in this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe is to layer the cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil onto the butterlied chicken breasts.

Open chicken breasts, line 4 slices (2, halved), and top with about 4 slices of tomatoes and 4 basil leaves.

The last step before cooking this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe is to close up the butterflied chicken breast and hold in place with toothpicks.

Close chicken and seal with 4 toothpicks at the edges of chicken breasts.Repeat with other chicken breast.Spray Air Fryer basket with olive oil spray.

To cook this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe, place the prepared chicken breast into the air fryer basket.

Layer in chicken. Spray the top of chicken with olive oil spray for a beautiful golden color.Set the temperature to 360 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer for 28 minutes.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast, just finished cooking and sitting in the air fryer basket.

When timer goes off, remove chicken from baskets, and remove toothpicks before serving.

Garnish this finished Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe with fresh basil, cut and serve.

Garnish with chopped basil and serve.

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More Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe


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This chicken from this Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe still sits in the air fryer basket after just finishing the cooking cycle. Two cooked breasts sit in the basket, ready to serve.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe

A delicious main course straight from your air fryer! Note: Preheating is optional, I did not do it. If you decide to preheat it, set temperature at 360 degrees Fahrenheit and preheat for 3 minutes. Check the cooked chicken at 25 minutes if preheating and cook up to 3 minutes more as needed.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 203kcal

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp. olive oil
  • 8 oz. chicken breasts (2 breasts, butterflied)
  • ½ tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • ½ tsp. salt (or to your liking)
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 4 oz. mozzarella cheese (1 oz. slices, cut in half to fit)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (sliced)
  • 8 medium fresh basil leaves (plus more for garnish)

Instructions

  • Pat dry chicken breasts with paper towels and discard the paper towels.
    Rub olive oil over the chicken breasts.
    Add seasonings, and massage chicken to coat all of it with seasonings.
    The first step in this air fryer chicken breasts recipe is to butterfly the chicken breasts and rub them with oil and spices.
  • Open chicken breasts, line 4 slices (2, halved), and top with about 4 slices of tomatoes and 4 basil leaves.
    The next step in this Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Recipe is to layer the cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil onto the butterlied chicken breasts.
  • Close chicken and seal with 4 toothpicks at the edges of chicken breasts.
    Repeat with other chicken breast.
    Spray Air Fryer basket with olive oil spray.
    The last step before cooking this Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Recipe is to close up the butterflied chicken breast and hold in place with toothpicks.
  • Layer in chicken. Spray the top of chicken with olive oil spray for a beautiful golden color.
    Set the temperature to 360 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer for 28 minutes.
    To cook this Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Recipe, place the prepared chicken breast into the air fryer basket.
  • When timer goes off, remove chicken from baskets, and remove toothpicks before serving.
    Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, just finished cooking and sitting in the air fryer basket.
  • Garnish with chopped basil and serve.
    Garnish this finished Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Recipe with fresh basil, cut and serve.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible. The servings are set at 4. However, this could easily be 2 servings if you’re hungry.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 487mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Vitamin C: 9.4mg | Calcium: 214mg | Iron: 2.9mg

5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. Lissette Justiniano says:

    5 stars
    I try this recipe today with a side of salad and Parmesan french fries on the air fryer too. and my husband and I loved it I must say it was delicious I will be adding it to my menu..

    Thank you for sharing..

    1. Lissette – Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Those parmesan fries sound like a wonderful compliment to the meal! 🙂