From DN Recipes by David Nagy · Food & Beverage

Ridiculously Good Air Fryer Chicken Breast

Published 2026-06-09

INGREDIENTS

The Spices

1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

The Chicken

2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the the chicken into thin pieces: Cut each chicken breast into thin, flat pieces (not bite-sized but something that looks like a thin chicken breast). For example: if a one-pound package gives me two chicken breasts, I’m often cutting it into 3-4 thin pieces per breast. Thin chicken is essential! And delicious! Pat the chicken breasts dry if they have a lot of moisture on them.
Coat the chicken with spices: Toss the spices together so they’re mixed well; sprinkle mixture over the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the oil and toss (I use my hands but tongs will work). You want to thoroughly coat the chicken. You can give it a short rest if you want, but I find that the flavor is excellent even if it just goes straight into the air fryer, and that’s how I usually make it.
Air fry: Preheat the air fryer. Place the chicken on the air fryer basket / grate in an even layer, leaving a bit of space for air to circulate around. Air fry the chicken at 415 degrees for 10 minutes. If you have larger pieces of chicken, you’ll want to go closer to 13 minutes. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

NOTES

Salt Depends on The Amount of Chicken: And the salting is important. Here’s what I recommend.

1 pound of chicken breasts: 3/4 teaspoon table salt (as written)

1.5 pounds of chicken breasts: 1 teaspoon table salt

If using coarse kosher salt: 1 teaspoon salt for 1 pound of chicken breasts

Marinating: You can let the chicken sit with the spices for an extended period of time – up to 24 hours in the fridge – but for best results, wait to add the cornstarch until just before you throw it in the air fryer.