Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breasts

Best air fryer bbq chicken breasts from frozen or using fresh breasts is here! Tender meat with your favorite barbecue sauce on top = a healthy low fat dinner option with a ton of flavor. Make in a Ninja Foodi with the attached lid, AirWave or Cosori machine.

Timing below is not for frozen chicken breasts remember, that link is above. I recommend you defrost or purchase fresh pieces for this recipe. If you prefer to use dark meat I suggest bone-in medium pieces or larger boneless. I leave the skin on to add moisture and they will get crispy and wonderful this way too.

When they’re thawed it is much easier to add seasoning to the outside and have it stick well too. This is all you need to get started;

Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken breasts – skin on or off is just fine
2. Your favorite barbecue sauce
3. Salt and pepper to season the outsides of your meat, any of your favorite seasonings can be used of course but we kept it simple.
4. Non stick cooking spray for easier cleanup, I prefer olive oil spray myself to air fry everything.

Since the sauce is added at the end you could use any style you like, even sweet honey style. In other cases like when making Instant Pot bbq beef that type isn’t recommended because the high sugar content may cause it to burn.

What is the best sauce to put on chicken breast?

If you have a favorite homemade sauce you swear by then by all means use that. You can even use a thick teriyaki instead to change things up now and then. I’d recommend trying our air fryer teriyaki chicken recipe where we did that next. Even honey mustard will work to add flavor to the top.

Do you put sauce on before or after air frying?

In this case you will want to brush it on once your meat is at the proper internal meat temperature first. Use a thermometer with the meat removed from the basket, inserted into the thickest part. Once you know it’s safe, return it to the machine, brush on the sauce and put it in for a few more minutes. This isn’t a must but it gives the top a nice golden brown caramelized yum to it. Added too soon may cause it to burn before meat is done.

Different from how we do it with bbq chicken thighs in the oven because in that case we leave it covered for a bit and then uncover at the end to brown. It is not recommended to add foil in this hot air machine.

How Long to Cook Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast Strips

You could do this with chicken tenderloins as well. Those are thinner and smaller so the timing wouldn’t be as long. I’d cut it in half and check the middle depending on their size this should be plenty. This is a great alternative to barbecuing especially if it is winter time or you just want a quicker meal.

Air Fryer Barbecue Chicken Directions

• Preheat air fryer to 360 F for 5 minutes.
• Spray air fryer basket with non stick spray.
• Put medium size boneless breasts inside without overlapping. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
• Air fry for 12-14 minutes flipping around minute 6 or until thickest part of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
• Brush bbq sauce out of a small bowl and on top of your meat.
• Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes and then slice.

Above is just a quick step by step but there are detailed instructions and you can print recipe as well below. You will get a crisp all around the outside which is different from our Instant Pot bbq chicken outcome but delicious either way.

Why is my chicken dry in air fryer?

If you feel like your meat dries out more than you’d like it to using this method there are a few tips; Use pieces with fat and keep that side facing up, that will keep it more moist. Cook chicken at a lower temperature for a bit longer. Another thing to try is using much smaller pieces like fresh chicken tenders for a fraction of the time with sauce lathered on top the whole time.

How long to cook diced chicken with barbecue sauce in air fryer

• Want it to cook this REALLY quick and easy? You can dice it up into bite size pieces when meal prepping first.
• Then toss with about 3/4 cup of your favorite sauce.
• Preheat as usual to 360F. and cook for about 5 minutes
• Toss to flip pieces over and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Check the largest piece by cutting or breaking it in half. Once the insides are no longer pink you are set! We love serving it this way over a bed of Ninja Foodi rice or just with a side of air fryer vegetables. Toss with a bit more sauce at the end once it is cooked to get them all nicely coated well. Bite size goodness I tell you.

How to save leftovers

You always want food to cool to room temperature when done first. Then transfer to air tight containers and use to make one of our leftover bbq chicken recipes the next day, or within 3 days.