The Best Chicken Air Fryer Recipes – Healthy and Tasty Breaded Chicken You Will Love

Air fryers have been all the rage recently, and for a good reason. Food cooked in an air fryer is often just as delicious as deep-fried food but with way fewer calories.

Let’s face it — there are very few food items that work well in the deep fryer. A handful of Persian appetizers such as fesenjan do well deep-fried, but most of your favorite comfort foods like chicken wings, French fries, and chicken fingers are better suited for the air fryer.

Chicken Milanese

This recipe is a great place to start if you’re new to the air fryer and need an easy, delicious recipe to make at home. It’s also a fun way to jazz up a boring chicken breast with some of the flavors of an Italian meal.

1/4 cup flour (for dredging)

2 eggs beaten

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

3 pounds boneless chicken breasts (about 6 medium or 4 large)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper (plus more for seasoning chicken)

2 tablespoons olive oil for oiling Air Fryer on 350º F and set up your ingredients below. Mix the flour, eggs, and panko just before placing them in the air fryer basket; set aside.

Season both sides of each boneless chicken breast with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning; roll in flour mixture, then repeat two more times; pat dry with paper towels or a clean cloth. Place each cutlet between two sheets of parchment paper and pound gently with a rolling pin until flattened out, so creases are evenly spaced on both sides.

Cut 1-inch wide strips lengthwise down the center of each cutlet; then carefully twist them into half-moon shapes; repeat on the other side of each cutlet.

Don’t worry if they don’t stay in perfect circles at this point! Set aside while you complete the batter. Whisk together all remaining filling ingredients except parsley and lemon juice above (with the exception being garlic powder).

Season with salt and pepper to taste after all ingredients have been combined, pour over patties, and fold into triangles but leave about 1/4″ uncooked space between them.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

• Salt and pepper your chicken wings, then drizzle them with olive oil.
• Mix the chicken around so that they’re covered in salt, pepper, and oil. You can use tongs or your hands for this, but make sure you wash your hands after handling the raw meat when you’re done!
• Put the chicken in your air fryer at 400°F for about 15 minutes, until it’s nice crispy on the outside and cooked through to 165°F on the inside (use a meat thermometer if you have one). Turn them halfway through cooking to make both sides equally tasty and crispy!
• Once it’s all done, take out your sauce of choice (or make some fresh if you’re feeling ambitious) and coat those wings liberally. Don’t forget to add some parsley or green onions if you want to bring it to the next level of fanciness!
• Serve with ranch dressing or blue cheese if desired, grab some napkins, eat up and enjoy!

Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

• Preheat the air fryer to 375ºF (191ºC).
• Add the chicken tenderloins and toss with oil in a large mixing bowl.
• Put bread crumbs into a shallow bowl.
• Add chicken tenders to the breadcrumbs and coat thoroughly on all sides.
• Place chicken tenders in an even layer in the air fryer basket without touching one another. (Work in batches if necessary.)
• Cook for about 8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Use tongs to flip each tender halfway through cooking time. Cooking times may vary slightly from different brands of air fryers, so use your best judgment when it comes to doneness and check often if you are not sure how long they will take based upon your unit’s power output or heating element. Always check for doneness before removing from the heat source by cutting into a piece that was not touching another piece of food while cooking, checking the temperature with meat thermometer probe inserted into the center piece of meat, or doing a visual inspection that juices run clear when pierced with a fork (light pink juices indicate under-cooking is likely). Be sure there is no pink inside! If undercooked, put back into the air fryer, cook at 50% power for 1-2 more minutes, and then check again until done but not overdone. Do not overcook!!! This will cause dryness, which causes toughness and loss of flavor/juiciness! Serve immediately with ranch dressing for dipping (or blue cheese), if desired.

Easy Air Fried Korean-Style Fried Chicken

• Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and gochujang in a large bowl to make the marinade.
• Place the chicken in the marinade; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and overnight).
• When ready to cook the chicken, place it in an air fryer basket and cook for 18-22 minutes (or until internal temperature reaches 165°F).
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with green onions before serving.

Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts

• Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees F.
• Next, on a plate or shallow bowl, mix the parmesan cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, and Italian seasoning. In another shallow bowl, whisk the eggs until combined.
• Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture first and then dredge in the panko/parmesan mixture, pressing to coat both sides thoroughly with the crumb mix. Place crumbed chicken breasts in your air fryer basket (or if you have a large air fryer, you may need to cook them one at a time).
• If cooking 2 or 3 at once, make sure they are not touching each other or overlapping, as this will cause uneven cooking results and result in soggy bottoms!
• Now brush the tops of all chicken breasts liberally with olive oil or spray with olive oil for an easy coating of oil. Pop into your preheated air fryer for 9-10 minutes, turning over halfway through until cooked through nicely, golden brown, and crispy!
• Serve immediately as is, on top of salad greens or even on top of pasta!

Baked Sesame Orange Chicken

Preparation is key. Get everything you need out and ready before you start cooking because it will be a quick process.

First, grab a small bowl and pour 1/3 cup of orange juice. Then take your whisk and set it aside. Next, grab a medium bowl and combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper with a whisk or fork until everything is well mixed.

Grab your paper towel and place it on the counter before placing your chicken breasts on top to pat dry. This will help remove any extra moisture from the chicken so that it crisps up nicely when cooked in the air fryer!

Next, you’ll want to coat each piece of chicken with the flour mixture using one hand (the other should still have some wetness from washing). Place coated chicken into a large mixing bowl, then pour oil over all sides until completely covered; toss around until evenly coated with oil before transferring onto a plate lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup later on!

Garlic Parmesan Wings

• Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F (199 degrees C).
• Pat wings dry with paper towels. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Place wings on top and toss to coat evenly.
• Place half the wings in a single layer into the preheated air fryer basket; cook in batches if necessary to avoid crowding or overlapping of the chicken wings.
• Cook at 390 degrees F (199 degrees C) until golden brown and crispy all over, about 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking time for even browning.

Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Honey Mustard Sauce

How to Make Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Breasts

Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together honey, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and olive oil until smooth. Mix in garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add chicken breasts and coat well with the mixture. Let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the breadcrumbs mixture.

Mix panko with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish or on a plate. Roll chicken breasts in the panko mixture until coated on all sides. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray. Place chicken in the basket skin side up if you want crispy skin (I always do). Cook at 400F for 10 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until no longer pink inside (cooking time will depend on the thickness of chicken breast). Transfer cooked chicken to an oven-safe dish or platter and broil for 3-5 minutes or until the top is golden brown if desired!

These air fryer chicken recipes are so easy and so delicious! Your new favorite way to cook chicken.

To say that these are easy recipes is an understatement.

The air dryer is a no-fuss way to cook chicken that turns out perfect every time. The only thing I would add here is to check the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer to make sure they are cooked to 165° F.

You might be asking yourself why you should make air fryer chicken recipes if you already have an oven and stovetop and grill. Air fryers are great at making the skin crispy and perfect without drying out the inside of the meat.

This versatile cooking method can turn even frozen chicken breasts into delicious pieces of food in minutes.

If you love fried chicken but want it without grease and fat, air fryers are your answer. Take into consideration the time and money an air fryer can save you, not to mention the health benefits.