Name: 3 Ingredient Air Fryer Chicken Breast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds thin chicken breast; 1 ounce packet/envelope Italian Seasoning Mix; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

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This Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe is so tender and juicy, you’ll be amazed how easy it is to make in your air fryer! With only 3 ingredients, the chicken breast is done in about 15 minutes.

You can serve your tender chicken breast with any sides you like. My mashed potatoes, in my homemade alfredo sauce and so much more!

Chicken Breast In Air Fryer

My biggest tip for making air fryer chicken breast is do NOT overcook your chicken. You want to make sure you have a food thermometer so you can cook your chicken to 165 degrees F. Generally, I’ll remove my chicken breast when it reaches 160 degrees F. then cover it and let it rest for 5 minutes. It will continue cooking slightly as it rests. You don’t have to have a fancy meat thermometer. Any one will do the trick.

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chicken breast on parchment paper ready for seasoning

What You’ll Need

One of the best parts of this recipe is you only need 3 ingredients to make juicy tender chicken breast. Let’s take a look.

Chicken Breast– If you can find thin chicken breasts in the meat department, they work great. You can also use large chicken breasts and pound them with a meat mallet before seasoning too.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil– Extra virgin olive oil is used along with the Italian Dressing mix to coat chicken breast.
Italian Dressing Mix– Find Italian Dressing Mix in the salad dressing section of the grocery store. It’s sold in individual packets/envelops or boxes.

How Long To Cook Chicken Breast In The Air Fryer

Depending on the size of your chicken breast, timing will vary slightly. Make sure you have a meat thermometer on hand to get chicken breast to 165 degrees F.

Small Breasts, about 7 ounces will take roughly 10 minutes, flipping half way through.
Medium Breasts, about 10 ounces will take roughly 12 minutes, flipping half way through.
Large Breasts, more than 11 ounces will take roughly 15 minutes, flipping half way through.

oil and seasonings in bowl with chicken breast on parchment paper

brushing oil and seasoning over raw chicken breast

How To Cook Chicken Breast In Air Fryer

Let’s take a look at the steps needed for juicy tender chicken.

Preheat Air Fryer to 375 degrees F.
Remove chicken breast from packaging and place onto parchment paper.
Prepare Dressing. To prepare chicken seasoning, place Italian Seasoning packet and olive oil into a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
Brush Dressing Over Chicken. Using a pastry brush, brush seasoning mixture over both sides of chicken breast.

raw chicken breast inside basket of air fryer

cooked chicken breast inside basket of air fryer

5. Chicken Breast In Air Fryer Basket. Using a fork, place chicken breast into basket of air fryer, making sure chicken is in a single layer. You don’t want to stack chicken or over crowd the air fryer.

6. Cook Chicken on the first side for roughly 6 minutes (longer if your chicken is larger and not pounded). After 6 minutes open air fryer and use a clean fork to flip each chicken breast. Close air fryer and cook for an additional 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. I like to remove my chicken breast when temperature reaches 160 degrees F. then cover it to rest for 5 minutes. Chicken will continue cooking slightly when resting under tin foil.

How To Make Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breast

While I prefer using thawed chicken breast in the air fryer for the juiciest results, you can put frozen chicken breast in the air fryer if you’d like. Note, results will be slightly different with frozen chicken breast.

To Cook Frozen Chicken Breast In The Air Fryer, preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F. Brush chicken with the same oil mixture in my recipe card and place breasts into the basket of your air fryer. Make sure chicken is in a single layer. Cook chicken for 20 minutes, flipping half way through. Check internal temperature to make sure it reaches 165 degrees F.

air fryer chicken breast sliced in serving dish

Recipe Substitutions

I love mixing things up with my chicken breast seasonings. If you don’t have Italian Seasoning mix, you can use basics like salt, pepper, dried oregano, and garlic salt mixed with the olive oil. Play around with your favorites. Smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and cayenne will give the chicken a little kick too!

Suggestions On How To Use Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Here are some of my top choices on ways to use your air fryer chicken!

Pasta. One of my favorite ways to enjoy chicken breast is in my homemade alfredo sauce over fettucini. It’s so great inside my Stuffed Shells Recipe too. Add the chicken breast to my Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles too.
Chili Recipes. My White Chicken Chili would be perfect with air fryer chicken breast cut up into cubes.
Enchiladas. Try using the air fryer chicken breast with my Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas. One of our favorite recipes.
Pizza. Use my Homemade Pizza Dough to create a delicious chicken breast pizza. All you need is some pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese and the air fryer chicken for a delicious homemade pizza!

Recipe Tips For Success

Make sure you have a meat thermometer for best results when making chicken breast.
For best most juicy tender chicken breasts use thin chicken breasts or pound your larger chicken breasts with a meat mallet before cooking.
I like to remove my chicken when internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Cover with tin foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Chicken will continue to cook as it rests.
If serving chicken breast in slices as shown in my pictures, drizzle lightly with olive oil and garnish with parsley before serving. Adds color and freshness.

Storage Instructions

To Store. Store chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat. To reheat chicken, cook in air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes or until hot.
To Freeze. Freeze leftover chicken breast in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before re-heating in the air fryer.

Try My Other Air Fryer Recipes