Air Fryer Chicken Breast – No Breading Recipe
Healthy air fryer skinless chicken breast with no breading is truly a healthy way to enjoy chicken. Shred, slice, dice to enjoy just as it is, or add to recipes that call for cooked chicken. Each chicken breast comes out juicy and full of flavor.
Tender Air fryer Chicken Breast without breading
Have you taken the plunge and treated yourself to an air fryer? Last year we bought an Instant Pot, which both Alan and I have enjoyed using.
This year, we bought the air fryer lid that goes with the Instant Pot. Coolest kitchen tool ever.
Now we can cook up “fried” foods without any grease or splatter. Plus, its really not like cooking with oil. Although you get the same tasty results.
In place of baking chicken, air fry chicken instead, and get the same nutritious results as you do from cooking it in the oven.
Although quite delicious with breading, air fried foods don’t always need a breading to get that nice golden color that we love so much.
However, there is a few tips to getting golden and juicy chicken. The key to cooking air fryer chicken with no breading lies in the chicken marinade.
Simple, yet extremely flavorful chicken with fresh herbs, oil, and lemon juice.
I’ve been baking skinless chicken breasts without any breading in advance to make individual meals to enjoy for lunch.
Not only is it a time saver to have meals ready to go,
Easy steps to cook air fryer chicken
The key to tender chicken is to make sure you marinade the chicken in advance. You will want the chicken to soak in the for about 4 hours.
Overnight if you have the time. Head over to this post for a healthy chicken marinade.
- Remove chicken from marinade and place in your air fryer basket without overcrowding the chicken. For large pieces you may need to cook them one at a time.
- Place lid on and press Air Fry button. Cook at 400°F degrees for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an addition 5-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Instant Pot Air Fryers will beep when it’s time to turn the chicken over.
Note that if you don’t use my marinade then you will need to coat the chicken with oil or cooking spray.
Remove chicken from Air Fryer and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing, dicing or shredding.
Air Fryer chicken breast recipes
Now that you have a healthy protein to add to your diet, be sure to check out these recipes.
Appetizers
- Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip – shred the chicken to add to this creamy and cheesy dip recipe.
- Baked Chicken Taquitos – enjoy as an appetizer or make this your meal.
- Chicken Enchilada Bites – flavorful shredded chicken on scoop tortilla chips
- Chicken Bacon bites – chunks of chicken wrapped in bacon…irresistible!
- Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip – cream cheese dip recipe with shredded chicken.
Salad
- Keto Chicken Salad – chunks of chicken in a creamy base with lots of texture.
- Avocado Chicken Salad – greens with strawberries, avocado, and chicken over a light poppyseed dressing.
- Garden Salad With Chicken – use air fried chicken instead of breading it like you see in this recipe. Easy and flavorful.
- Chopped Salad With Chicken – lots of healthy ingredients with a light vinaigrette. Chop the chicken and toss with the greens.
Soup
- Keto Chicken Soup – add air fryer chicken during the last 10 minutes of this recipe instead of cooking raw chicken.
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup – this soup comes together quickly in an Instant Pot. Even quicker by just adding pre-cooked chicken.
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup – lots of vegetables in this recipe. This one is good for the soul.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup – super flavorful family favorite soup. Add cooked chicken just to warm at the end of cooking time.
Main Dish
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole – comfort food with a quick homemade sauce – no canned soup needed!
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken – also know as “crack chicken” Add the air fryer cooked chicken before baking – this one is a must make casserole dish!
- Low Carb Chicken Casserole – filling and flavorful chicken casserole that keto diet followers love.
- Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas – family favorite 30 minute recipe using shredded chicken.
I bet you won’t miss the extra step of adding a breading.
Let me know how you like this air fryer chicken breast recipe!
Air Fryer Chicken Breast – No Breading Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce see notes for homemade sugar free recipe
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano minced or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ cup fresh parsley minced and lightly packed or 4 teaspoons dried parsley
- ¼ cup fresh basil minced and lightly packed or 4 teaspoons dried basil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken
- 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl.
- Put chicken breasts in a ziplock plastic bag or a container with an air tight lid.
- Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate for 4 hours – up to 24 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade and place in the basket of the Air Fryer. Don’t crowd chicken.
- Place air fryer lid on top of basket and push Air Fryer button.
- Cook at 400°F degrees for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook an addition 5-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove chicken from Air Fryer and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing, dicing or shredding.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
PIN TO YOUR AIR FRYER, CHICKEN, AND HEALTHY RECIPE BOARDS
I finally bit the bullet and bought an air fryer, this was one of the first recipes I tried. Loved it!! Juicy, flavorful and delicious!
Air fryers are game changers! Thanks for trying this chicken breast recipe!