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Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer

Looking for an easy way to whip up weeknight dinner? Try making frozen chicken breast in the air fryer! You’ll get tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned results every time.

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Cooked air fryer frozen chicken sliced on a plate and garnished with parsley

Thankfully, the air fryer is a great tool for cooking all sorts of foods from frozen. If you haven’t already, check out this great list of frozen foods you can cook in the air fryer for some other great ideas!

This air fryer frozen chicken breast recipe is the best way to get the flavor of baked or grilled chicken without ever having to turn on your oven. You’ll get perfectly flavor-packed, juicy chicken breasts easily and quickly, with no need to thaw, defrost, or use pre-cooked chicken either.

By the way, I used boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you have a bone-in chicken breast, please use this recipe to cook the bone-in chicken breast in the air fryer.

Sliced air fryer chicken breasts on a white plate garnished with parsley

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

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STEP ONE: Preheat the air fryer. Mix the olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, sea salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using) in a bowl to create your glaze.

Spices and oil added into a clear bowl

STEP TWO: Apply the glaze to the raw, uncooked chicken, then place it in a single layer in the air fryer basket. 

Frozen chicken being basted with spices and oil

STEP THREE: Air fry the frozen chicken breasts for 20-25 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through air frying so they cook evenly. Check the internal temperature in the thickest part with a meat thermometer. You’ll know it’s fully cooked when the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

Frozen chicken in air fryer (overhead view)

STEP FOUR: Remove your chicken cutlets from the air fryer and your easy chicken dinner is served!

Cooked frozen chicken in air fryer overhead view

How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer

Cooking frozen chicken breast in the air fryer typically takes between 20-25 minutes.

Thicker pieces may need to be air fried for longer. Just check that internal temp to be sure that it’s fully cooked. 

If you’re concerned about it taking too long, choose chicken breasts that are on the thinner side — or pound them before you air fry frozen chicken breast.

Whole Air Fryer Chicken Breast cooked from frozen on a white plate garnished with parsley

Tips for Cooking Frozen Chicken in the Air Fryer

  • Keep things simple and don’t worry about adding any extra ingredients if you don’t want to. Cooking frozen chicken breast in the air fryer with my recipe is a quick and easy way to make a weeknight dinner!
  • Make sure to arrange the frozen chicken breast in the air fryer basket in a single layer for even cooking.
  • No need to add any excess oil thanks to the olive oil in the homemade glaze.

What to Serve With Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts

Overheard view of two white plates of frozen chicken cooked in an air fryer  sliced next to a fork and knife

Variations to Cooking Frozen Chicken in the Air Fryer

  • Add your favorite chicken seasoning. I love the combination of spices that I use in my glaze, but you can switch things up if you’d like! Add that classic lemon pepper flavor when you air fry frozen chicken breast by using sliced lemon and freshly ground black pepper, for example.
  • Garnish with Parmesan cheese for a cheesy take on cooking frozen chicken in the air fryer.
  • Marinate the chicken breast before you freeze it. You can store raw marinated chicken in the freezer for up to 3 months, then cook frozen chicken breasts with the flavor infused. Again, get creative with your marinade!

More Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Recipes

Closeup of sliced air fryer chicken breasts that were cooked from chicken on a white plate

How to Reheat Chicken Breasts in the Air Fryer

Always store leftover chicken breasts in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they will keep for up to 4 days.

You can reheat any leftover chicken breasts right in the air fryer!

Preheat to 350 degrees F and air fry for about 3 minutes, or until it’s warmed through.

This is a great recipe to use for meal prep. It’s a quick and easy way to make delicious chicken for the whole family without a whole lot of forethought.

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

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Yield: 2 servings

Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer

Closeup of sliced air fryer chicken breasts that were cooked from chicken on a white plate

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts are full of flavor and can be cooked right on the fly!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 frozen chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Optional

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees.
  2. Mix the oil, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, sea salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (if using) in a bowl.
  3. Baste the frozen chicken breasts with the oil and seasoning mixture and place the chicken in the air fryer.
  4. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through until they reach 165 degrees F. Thicker chicken breasts may take a bit longer to cook.
  5. Remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer and enjoy!

Notes

How to Reheat Chicken in the Air Fryer

1. Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.

2. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes, until warmed thoroughly. Remove from the air fryer and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 355mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 38g

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.

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samantha

About Samantha

I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...

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