Air fryer BBQ chicken breast is an easy, high-protein meal that's ready in minutes and only requires simple, common ingredients. Serve this air fried BBQ chicken recipe alongside rice, salad, or high protein mac and cheese!
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This air fried BBQ chicken breast recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner, a last-minute lunch, or just an excuse to use up that chicken that's been sitting in the freezer. It's great for meal prepping too, and complements a ton of different side dishes.
Making BBQ chicken in an air fryer is easy and convenient! You can cook this tasty main dish just about anywhere, even if you don't have an oven.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: I'm using chicken breast, but you can use chicken thighs or chicken wings instead; just bear in mind the cooking time may need to be adjusted.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne (or chipotle powder), salt, black pepper.
- Olive oil: Or avocado oil.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite BBQ sauce or make your own huckleberry BBQ sauce.
- Optional: Liquid smoke, hot honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce.
🍗 How To Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast
Preheat air fryer to 380°F.
Step 1: Slice thawed chicken breast into cubes (about 1.5 inches) and gently toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper until fully coated.
Step 2: Arrange cubed chicken in a single layer in air fryer basket and bake for 4 minutes, then flip. Bake another 4 minutes.
Step 3 (optional): In a small bowl, mix together BBQ sauce, hot honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. If you prefer, you can just use BBQ sauce.
Step 4: Generously brush chicken with BBQ sauce mixture on all sides and bake an additional 3-5 minutes until chicken appears glossy and caramelized and reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
Pro Tip: Size matters here! If the cubes are too big, it'll be hard to ensure they're evenly cooked through, and if they're too small, you risk easily overcooking them. If they're uneven, the smaller pieces need to be removed sooner.
Step 5: Remove chicken from air fryer and allow it to rest at room temperature for 3-5 minutes. Optionally, you can arrange the cubes onto skewers and/or brush a little extra BBQ sauce onto the pieces before serving.
Pro Tip: Chicken breast will dry out if overcooked, so remove it from the air fryer as soon as it's ready. Don't leave the cubed chicken in the basket, even if the heat is off, as the residual heat can continue to cook them.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Can you freeze air fryer BBQ chicken?
Yes, air fried BBQ chicken freezes quite well if done properly. I recommend freezing it cubed rather than as whole breasts/thighs by arranging the pieces on a tray and freezing until solid. Then you can transfer them to a freezer bag or container and store up to 2-3 months for best texture and flavor. You can reheat them directly from frozen in the air fryer. If freezing uncooked pieces, I'd wait to add the sauce until the day you plan on cooking it.
Can you put wooden skewers in the air fryer?
You can, but for air fried BBQ chicken, I'd wait until after the pieces have cooked before skewering them, as this will help you achieve those nice caramelized edges. If you do decide to cook pre-skewered BBQ chicken in the air fryer, I suggest soaking the skewers in water beforehand to prevent them from catching fire.
Why make BBQ chicken in an air fryer?
There are a few good reasons to make air fried BBQ chicken, namely, because it cooks quickly and can be made just about anywhere that has an outlet, including college dorms, campgrounds, and other places where other cooking appliances are unavailable.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
The beautiful thing about this recipe is how many ways there are to enjoy it!
Serve it alongside some dill pickle potato salad, green goddess salad, coconut rice, or Mexican street corn pasta salad.
You can use it to make pizzas or a BBQ chicken flatbread. It can also be made into a hot honey chicken sandwich by serving it on a brioche bun with some fresh oil and vinegar coleslaw and zesty refrigerator dill pickles. Another great option is to use it in a BBQ chicken wrap. Finally, it can be served as an appetizer with blue cheese dip for hot wings.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Don't overcrowd the chicken. Leave a little space between pieces so the hot air can circulate.
- Because BBQ sauce contains sugar, it'll burn quickly in the air fryer. Make sure not to sauce the chicken too early.
- To make this air fryer BBQ chicken breast gluten-free, just omit the Worcestershire sauce and choose a gf BBQ sauce.
- It's always a good idea to confirm the chicken is fully cooked before eating, either with a meat thermometer (should be 165°F) or by cutting a piece in half and looking for undercooked spots.
- Store leftover air fried BBQ chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- You can reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes, or by microwaving in 30-second increments until warm.
♨️ More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat air fryer to 380°F.Slice thawed chicken breast into cubes (about 1.5 inches) and gently toss with olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper until fully coated.
- Arrange cubed chicken in a single layer in air fryer basket and bake for 4 minutes, then flip. Bake another 4 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together BBQ sauce, hot honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke. If you prefer, you can just use BBQ sauce.
- Generously brush chicken with BBQ sauce mixture on all sides and bake an additional 3-5 minutes until chicken appears glossy and caramelized and reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
- Remove chicken from air fryer and allow it to rest at room temperature for 3-5 minutes. Optionally, you can arrange the cubes onto skewers and/or brush a little extra BBQ sauce onto the pieces before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- Size matters here! If the cubes are too big, it'll be hard to ensure they're evenly cooked through, and if they're too small, you risk easily overcooking them. If they're uneven, the smaller pieces need to be removed sooner.
- Chicken breast will dry out if overcooked, so remove it from the air fryer as soon as it's ready. Don't leave the cubed chicken in the basket, even if the heat is off, as the residual heat can continue to cook them.
- Don't overcrowd the chicken. Leave a little space between pieces so the hot air can circulate.
- Because BBQ sauce contains sugar, it'll burn quickly in the air fryer. Make sure not to sauce the chicken too early.
- To make this air fryer BBQ chicken breast gluten-free, just omit the Worcestershire sauce and choose a gf BBQ sauce.
- It's always a good idea to confirm the chicken is fully cooked before eating, either with a meat thermometer (should be 165°F) or by cutting a piece in half and looking for undercooked spots.
- Store leftover air fried BBQ chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- You can reheat leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-5 minutes, or by microwaving in 30-second increments until warm.
Marline says
Another great recipe!!
Thank you !!
Hilda Sterner says
Awww, thanks Marline, we appreciate your support!
Nena Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe!