Air Fryer Hen Breast – Wholesome and Simple

Air Fryer Hen Breast are juicy, tender, and nice for meal prep. Serve this wholesome, straightforward rooster recipe for dinner, or chop for salads, soups, and casseroles.

Oh sure you CAN use your Air Fryer for greater than crisping up rooster nuggets and french fries, because the recipe for Air Fryer Hen Breast exhibits!

Whereas air frying is nice for reaching a crispy, golden brown crust on “fried objects” (maintain me again), it additionally renders lean rooster breast supremely tender, juicy, and able to be paired with a number of wholesome sides for dinner, or chopped then tossed into salads, soups, and casseroles.

Cooking rooster breast within the air fryer is ideal for meal prep and actually makes cooking rooster a breeze. For those who’re the kind of one who’s at all times anxious about undercooking rooster breast, it is a dependable technique for cooking it evenly in a comparatively hands-off method.

Watch Find out how to Make It!

Components Wanted

All you want is three components to get gentle and lean — but juicy — rooster breasts on the desk:

• Hen breasts: I largely use Simply Naked rooster breasts and inventory my freezer anytime they go on sale. The standard is constant and I like how all of the rooster breasts are ~8oz in order that they cook dinner evenly and on the similar price within the Air Fryer.
• Seasonings: I usually season rooster breasts with pepper and do-it-yourself seasoned salt, which is a mix of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, however you should utilize your favourite spices or seasoning blends. Typically I marinate the rooster in Italian dressing then drain and pat dry earlier than air frying.
• Further virgin olive oil: brush or mist the rooster breasts with additional virgin olive oil earlier than including seasonings to make sure they stick.

Ought to I Marinate or Brine My Hen Breast?

An Air Fryer is actually a mini convection oven, so in the event you usually marinate or brine rooster breasts you cook dinner in a skillet on the range, or in a standard oven, then you are able to do that earlier than air frying rooster.

Entire I don’t suppose a brine is important for boneless, skinless rooster breasts, a marinade is a simple method so as to add taste. As I stated, generally I’ll marinate the rooster in Italian dressing for as much as 24 hours forward of cooking for additional taste. Simply make sure to drain then pat the rooster breasts dry earlier than air frying.

How Lengthy to Cook dinner Hen Breast in an Air Fryer

Regardless of the scale or technique, rooster breasts ought to be cooked to an inner temperature of 165 levels. We love this digital meat thermometer for correct outcomes. Whole cooking time for air frying totally different sized rooster breasts at 360 levels are as follows:

• 4-5oz (small rooster breasts): 10-12 minutes
• 6-8oz (medium rooster breasts): 13-Quarter-hour
• 9-120z (giant rooster breasts): 16-20 minutes

In testing this recipe, I realized the overall cooking time stays the identical whether or not you air fry one rooster breast, or as many as will match contained in the basket with out overlapping.

Find out how to Use Air Fryer Hen Breasts

As I discussed, the makes use of for air fried rooster breasts are countless. Use them in any recipe that requires chopped, shredded, or rotisserie rooster, or pump up the protein in an in any other case meatless meal:

Prime Ideas

This air fryer rooster breast recipe isn’t rocket science — fortunately! — so don’t overthink it. That stated, listed here are three ideas to bear in mind when cooking rooster within the air fryer:

1. Pour to a fair thickness. Boneless skinless rooster breasts naturally have a thicker finish and a thinner finish, so cowl the rooster breasts with plastic wrap then pound to a fair thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin previous to seasoning or marinating to make sure they cook dinner evenly.
2. Don’t crowd the basket. The rooster breasts will be touching throughout the Air Fryer basket, however make sure they’re not overlapping.
3. Allow them to relaxation. Let the air fried rooster relaxation on a plate loosely coated with foil for 5-10 minutes earlier than slicing to make sure they keep good and juicy. Fortunately, that is the proper period of time to whip up a batch of Air Fryer Asparagus!

Serve with Air Fryer Asparagus

Find out how to Make Air Fryer Hen Breasts

Step 1: Preheat the Air Fryer.

Begin by preheating your Air Fryer to 360 levels, or the closest temperature setting to 360 levels in your mannequin — I’d go right down to 350 levels vs as much as 375, for instance, if given the selection.

My Air Fryer is a few years outdated at this level, however right here’s the newest model >

Step 2: Pound the rooster breasts to a fair thickness.

Subsequent, place rooster breasts on a reducing board then cowl with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the rooster to a fair thickness throughout the whole breast. This may make sure you don’t find yourself with an undercooked fatter finish, and an overcooked thinner finish.

Step 3: Season or marinate the rooster.

Determination time: will you merely season your rooster breasts, or marinate them?

• Seasoning: brush or mist either side of the rooster breasts with additional virgin olive oil then sprinkle in your favourite seasonings. I often go for do-it-yourself seasoned salt and black pepper, although taco seasoning is nice in the event you’ll be utilizing the rooster in a Tex-Mex type dish.
• Marinating: add the rooster breasts to a gallon Ziplock bag then add your favourite rooster marinade — I like ready Italian dressing. Even a ten minute marinade is sufficient time to lend taste to the rooster.

After marinating, drain then pat the rooster breasts dry with paper towels.

Step 4: Air fry the rooster breasts.

Spray the basket of the preheated air fryer with nonstick spray then organize the rooster breasts in a fair layer within the backside, touching however not overlapping.

Air fry in line with the scale of your rooster breasts — once more, 4-5oz breasts will take 10-12 minutes, 6-8oz breasts will take 13-Quarter-hour, and 9-120z breasts may take 16-20 minutes — or till the inner temperature reaches 165 levels as measured by an on the spot learn thermometer, flipping the rooster breasts midway by means of.

Step 5: Let the rooster relaxation.

Switch the air fryer rooster breasts to a platter or reducing board to relaxation for 5-10 minutes, so the juices keep locked inside, then slice and serve. That’s all she wrote!

What to Serve with Air Fryer Hen Breasts

I strive to not overthink facet dishes with this straightforward air fryer meal so I’ll usually serve the rooster with Air Fryer Asparagus and store-bought mashed potatoes (we love Merely Potatoes and Bob Evans manufacturers of ready mashed potatoes).

Listed here are another favourite sides to serve them with:

Images by Ashley McLaughlin