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Overhead view of seasoned air fryer chicken breasts cooked from frozen lined up diagonally across a cutting board.

Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer

Simply seasoned frozen chicken breasts cook up beautifully in the air fryer for a low-effort meal in no time at all.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Yield:3 chicken breasts

Equipment

  • air fryer
  • Plate
  • Small bowl
  • whisk
  • Basting Brush
  • Tongs
  • internal meat thermometer
  • Cutting board

Ingredients

  • 3 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts evenly sized
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil olive oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, etc.; see Notes
  • 2 tablespoons seasoning salt or salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat air fryer to 380° Fahrenheit. Place frozen chicken breasts top (smooth side) down on plate.
  • Add oil and seasoning salt (or salt and pepper) to small bowl. Whisk until ingredients are incorporated.
  • Generously brush oil mixture all over chicken breasts. Flip chicken over and brush remaining oil mixture all over other side.
  • Place marinated chicken breasts in air fryer basket. Place basket in preheated air fryer and cook 10 minutes.
    Overhead view of 3 frozen, seasoned chicken breasts in an air fryer basket.
  • After 10 minutes, remove basket and check chicken with internal meat thermometer. If needed, return basket to air fryer and continue cooking, checking temperature of chicken every 4 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 161° Fahrenheit. Alternately, check chicken every 4 minutes, cooking until chicken is firm with not much give when pressed in meatiest area. Note: actual cook times will depend on size and thickness of chicken breasts. See Notes for recommendations.
  • Carefully remove chicken breasts from air fryer basket and set aside on plate or cutting board. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then slice chicken and serve with desired sides.

Notes

  • Neutral Oil: If you'd rather use spray oil, spray both sides of each chicken breast with oil then sprinkle seasoning salt (or salt and pepper) over both sides to taste.
  • This recipe was tested & perfected using a basket-style air fryer. I can't say what changes, if any, would be needed to adapt the recipe to work in an oven with an air fryer function.
 

Estimated Cooking Times

Actual cooking times will vary depending on size and thickness of chicken breasts, age of air fryer, and make & model of air fryer.
  • 4oz, 1" Thick: 12 minutes
  • 6oz, 1" Thick: 13-14 minutes
  • 8.5oz, 1" Thick: 14 minutes
  • 8oz, 1 ½" Thick: 20-22 minutes
  • 9oz, 1 ½" Thick: 24-26 minutes
  • 10oz, 2" Thick: 26-28 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1chicken breast | Calories: 382kcal | Protein: 48g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 4914mg | Potassium: 840mg | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Cheryl Malik