Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
Air fryer BBQ chicken breast is a high-protein meal that's ready in minutes! Serve with mac and cheese, salad, and more.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 396kcal
Equipment
- digital thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot honey (optional)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- 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.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 2skewers | Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 654mg | Potassium: 975mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g
