Frozen Chicken Breast in Air Fryer

Want to make air fryer recipe with chicken breast no breading but forgot to defrost it?? We’ll show you how to cook them right out of the freezer to moist and tender so dinner isn’t ruined tonight!

With Ninja Foodi recipes you are going to use the lid that is attached to make this. That way you will get a crispy exterior but tender inside. You can also use directions for our frozen chicken in the Instant Pot too with the other lid though because this has the high pressure function.

When using the air crisp feature in the basket provided this machine has the same timing! I am far from perfect. I have 3 girls, am homeschooling 2 of them, work full time (here), and sometimes forget to prep dinner. I always have a bag of frozen chicken in the freezer so that is usually my go to.

Yes I have made Crockpot frozen chicken before and that is great for shredded chicken tacos. BUT you have to remember to take that out and put it in the pot in the morning.

I am not always totally together in the morning to do this especially if we have a busy day of work and horseback riding ahead of us. 😉 SO I’m here to share my air fryer hack with you here today.

How Long to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in Air Fryer

You’ll need about 15 minutes start to finish! First we made a KFC copycatair fryer fried chicken breast recipe. Then the next time I thought about it they were still rock hard! SO I had to figure that one out in order to save dinner for us, and share my findings with all of you too. 😉

You will start with a bag of boneless frozen chicken breasts – 2 at a time fit comfortably typically so if you need to air fry more of this you will need to do so a few at a time and rotate.

Can you season frozen chicken?

When they are rock hard you will need a brush of olive oil to get them to stick, OR sprinkle on halfway when they have thawed a bit and wet. You will want to add at least some salt and pepper, but those are your basic seasonings. Garlic powder and parsley work well too with this.

We didn’t use any bread crumbs this time to keep the calories down, and if they’re rock hard nothing is going to stick anyway. If you’re looking for something more like air fryer fried chicken.

We’re using medium to large pieces found in a bag in your local grocery store freezer. Timing is set for the size and thickness you see here, it may vary slightly depending on the size of your chicken pieces. If you have a Foodi you can make Instant Pot frozen chicken breast with sauce using the other lid too.

The brand doesn’t matter. One thing that would make a difference would be if it was a processed breast that was breaded. In that case you would want to follow our Frozen Chicken Patties in Air Fryer instructions, still great but just not the same.

Tips

You’ll want to sprinkle with seasonings like garlic powder and anything else you’d normally use. This is what we sprinkled on before we began to cook the chicken. Add any other dry seasonings you’d like as well.

I highly suggest you preheat the air fryer or the cook time will not be right. Now place your Tyson frozen chicken into your basket, we’re talking about previously fresh, no breading

How do I know when they are done?

The outsides should be golden brown and the insides should be tender. Lift the piece(s) out of the basket and it needs to register a safe 165 degrees in the thickest part before consuming. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing to maintain juiciness and enjoy!

FAQ

360 F – 380 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature to air fry frozen chicken keeping the inside tender. You don’t want to cook it too high or else the middle won’t get done by the time the outside gets crispy.

Other chicken recipes you’ll love

Air fryer frozen shrimp is one of our favorite meals too If your kids are a bit pickier, then throw in some air fryer frozen chicken nuggets for them and enjoy a meal together y’all! Our air fryer whole chicken recipe are wonderful too.

Try our air fryer stuffed chicken breast tonight! Meatballs in air fryer are easy and another keto low carb meal If you haven’t tried our air fryer wings recipe yet, it gets RAVING reviews with it’s dry rub and crispy skin. That’s how we knew how long to cook our frozen Ninja Foodi sausages and more.