Air Fryer Blackened Chicken
I am a little late to the air fryer game but I have been LOVING it lately!! We have always used it for chicken nuggets, and that’s about it. But lately, I have been trying it out for all kinds of things like, bacon, peaches, and chicken! And I am totally obsessed with it for chicken. It comes out super moist and perfectly cooked and it’s totally hands off. This is not your average dry, baked chicken breast. I use this temperature probe to make sure it is perfectly cooked and not overdone or underdone. This thermometer is a GAME CHANGER. We use it for everything!! You can see the temperature on the thermometer screen, or on your phone to keep track of things that are on the grill, in the oven, or in the air fryer and never deal with raw or overdone meat again! There is nothing worse when the whole family is starving, and you go to cut into the chicken and it’s still raw in the middle!! This thermometer has prevented many arguments between my husband and I. 🤣
I love this chicken because it is so flavorful and juicy, and so easy! First, season your chicken breasts well with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. Then, place them in your pre-heated air fryer, give ‘em a little spray of avocado oil, and cook away. I set my air fryer to 375° for 15 minutes. This will vary depending on the thickness of your breasts, which is why the thermometer is so helpful!! About half way through (~7 minutes), I flip the breasts over and place the wired temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast, and continue cooking. Cook until the temperature probe reads 165°. Let the chicken rest for a couple minutes before slicing. And then you have perfectly cooked chicken that is so versatile. We honestly love to just eat it plain, or we will add it to a salad, pasta, make tacos or a burrito, etc. We made delicious knock off sweet green bowls with our friends last week with this chicken and everyone loved it!! We also used my cilantro lime vinaigrette dressing on the bowls and this chicken and the dressing paired perfectly!! This is such a simple recipe and can turn a boring meal of chicken, rice, and a vegetable into a delicious one! We love to keep this on hand for easy meals all week long.
Blackened Air Fryer Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, about 4 breasts
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, I skip if serving to my kids)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of your spices into a small bowl
- Pre-heat air-fryer to 375°F
- Pat spice mixture into both sides of the chicken breasts
- Once the air fryer is heated, place seasoned chicken breasts in air fryer and spray avocado or olive oil on top. Set time for 15 minutes
- Half way through, around the 7 minute mark, flip your breasts and place wired temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast. If you have different size breasts it can be helpful to use 2 different probes.
- Continue cooking until temperature reaches 165°F. Total time will vary based on thickness of breasts. Should take 10-20 minutes total.
- Remove breasts from air fryer and let rest for a couple minutes. Enjoy!
Don’t forget to save this recipe to Pinterest!
XO, Darcy
