Make the most juiciest and delicious air fryer bone in chicken breasts in less than 30 minutes! This recipe is quick, delicious, and the perfect way to make chicken in your air fryer.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
This chicken breast in the air fryer is a game-changer. I've done boneless skinless chicken breasts in the air fryer, and it's fantastic. But it's time for the bone-in chicken to get some shine.
Chicken in the air fryer comes out delicious and juicy and full of flavor. This skin-on chicken comes out with crispy, flavorful skin while the meat inside stays tender and juicy. And this all happens in less than 30 minutes!
Try my other air fryer chicken recipes, like air-fried chicken and roasted whole air fryer chicken. Or try my air fryer turkey breasts.
How to make bone-in chicken breast in an air fryer
First, gather your ingredients. I use the following.
- Bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts - I use 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that are about 12 oz each. This is the amount of bone-in chicken breasts that will usually fit in a 5-quart air fryer.
- Seasoning - I use my all-purpose seasoning for this recipe. Feel free to use any seasonings of your choice, like Barbeque, lemon pepper, or jerk seasoning. Or keep it simple with a bit of salt and pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Then, preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Drying the chicken breasts will allow the seasonings to stick to the breasts
Sprinkle all sides of the chicken breasts with the seasoning. Also, gently lift the skin and sprinkle seasoning under the skin.
Place the seasoned chicken breast in the preheated air fryer basket, skin side down. Cook the chicken on this side for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, open the air fryer basket and flip the chicken breast with tongs. Cook the chicken breast, skin side up, for an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken breast is done and cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the chicken breast from the air fryer and place it on a cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 - 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
How long does it take to cook a chicken breast in an air fryer?
The total cook time of this chicken breast will take about 25 minutes in the air fryer. Larger chicken breasts will take a little longer to cook, while smaller chicken breasts will cook quicker. Check your chicken breasts with a quick read thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to check the internal temperature of chicken breasts?
Using a quick-read thermometer is the best way to ensure your chicken is fully cooked and not overcooked. To use a quick read thermometer, place the thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken breasts.
Do I need to put oil on chicken breasts in the air fryer?
I don't use additional oil on these skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts; however, you can if you like. The skin on the chicken releases oil while it cooks, resulting in crispy skin. Just make sure to pat the chicken dry before seasoning.
If using oil, I suggest using oils with a higher smoke point, like olive oil or avocado oil. You could also rub the chicken breast with flavored butter or mayo. This will add additional flavor and gets your chicken nice and golden.
Why use bone-in chicken breasts?
Bone-in chicken breast is more cost efficient and usually cheaper per pound then boneless chicken breasts. The bone and the skin help keep the chicken juicy while it cooks. If you love crispy skin, this also works best.
What to serve this with?
This goes well with sides like fried cabbage, mashed potatoes, air fryer baked potato, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, and a nice salad.
How to make boneless, skinless chicken breast?
I cook boneless, skinless chicken breast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 13-14 minutes, flipping halfway. I do add a bit of oil to boneless breasts.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
If you have tried this air fryer bone-in chicken breasts recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts 12 oz each
- 1 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose seasoning or seasoning of your choice.
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Next, pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle all sides of the chicken breasts with the seasoning. Also, gently lift the skin and sprinkle seasoning under the skin.
- Place the seasoned chicken breast in the air fryer basket, skin side down. Cook the chicken breast on this side for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, open the air fryer basket and flip the chicken breast with tongs. Cook the chicken breast, breast side up, for an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken breast is done and cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Suggested Tools
Notes
- If the chicken breasts are patted dry, you will not need any additional oil for this recipe. Drying the chicken breasts will allow the seasoning to stick to the chicken.
- I use 12 oz chicken breasts for this recipe. Larger breasts will need an additional minute or two while smaller breasts will need about a minute or two less. Use a quick read thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Jean says
I had one chicken breast which I dried and sprinkled with onion powder and garlic salt. Followed the directions. Checked the temp after 23 minutes and it was done. I let it sit for 5-6 minutes and it was perfect. Skin was crisp and inside was very moist. Will always cook it like this from now on. Thanks!
Tanya says
Thank you Jean! So happy the chicken breast worked well for you.
Judy says
I love this fried chicken. It is so crispy. And it's so easy.
Tanya says
Thanks Judy! So happy you like the recipe.
Nancy says
I can’t understand if this is a recipe for bone-in or boneless chicken breasts.
At one point you say that you use boneless breasts, but the rest of the recipes says bone-in.
The picture of the sliced breast looks boneless to me.
Please clarify
Thanks.
Tanya says
Hi Nancy, thanks for catching that. To clarify, this recipe is for bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. The photo you are referring to is the chicken sliced after I removed it from the bone.
Nancy says
Ok. Thanks
Terry says
Tanya - this is a great recipe! So easy and explained very clearly! Thank you!
(for my air fryer I needed to reduce the amount of time by a few minutes).
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Terry! So happy you liked the recipe. Thanks for the feedback about the air fryer cooking times. So many air fryers on the market are even faster nowadays.
james says
Should I remove the tenderloin from the breast and cook separate? The tenderloin sometimes seems to keep the Breast from cooking evenly. Overall, this is a great recipe.
Tanya says
Thanks james, I don't remove the tenderloin for this recipe.
Charles says
I like to use some olive oil on the breasts before seasoning because I am Italian. I seasoned them with Italian herbs and Badia 14 Spices. They came out so juicy and crispy skin. Delizioso!
I have a Vortex Oven Air Fryer and used the roast setting.
Dawn says
I also have a Vortex air fryer. How long did you roast and at what temperature do to you remember? Thank you
James Wimbush says
Do Your recipes work in all types of air fryers. My air fryer does not have a basket it's an open oven type. Do I need to do anything different?
Tanya says
Hi James, yes, the recipes will work in all air fryer types but you just may have to modify the times a little. I found that my air fryer oven type had to cook some foods just a little longer. I did a side-by-side comparison here. https://www.myforkinglife.com/air-fryer-basket-vs-air-fryer-toaster-oven/