This air fryer blackened chicken recipe makes it easy to cook super flavorful and moist chicken breast. It comes out perfectly every time, takes less than 15 minutes in the air fryer and only requires a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

Looking for a super fast weeknight chicken recipe? Look no further. This air fryer blackened chicken is my go-to recipe when I don't feel like cooking and don't know what to do with the chicken in my fridge that's about to go bad.
Coat the chicken in a quick homemade seasoning mixture, air fry it for a few minutes, and serve it with whatever you love! It's the perfect quick, moist chicken.
Looking for other easy air fryer recipes? Try our air fryer blackened salmon, air fryer tequila lime shrimp, air fryer buffalo cauliflower, or air fryer buffalo chicken wings.
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken Breast: We love the taste of pasture-raised chicken breasts, but use whatever chicken you prefer. If your chicken is super thick, you can pound it out to make it a little thinner. That will help it cook faster and keep it more moist.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: We coat our chicken breast in olive oil prior to air frying it. It helps the seasoning stick, and gives the exterior a nice texture. If you prefer a different kind of oil (like avocado oil, for example), feel free to use it.
- Blackening Seasoning Ingredients: ground cayenne, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and cumin
See recipe card for amounts.
How to Make Air Fryer Blackened Chicken: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Add ground cayenne, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and cumin to a small bowl and mix to combine.
Step 2: Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. Add it to a large mixing bowl, then drizzle it with olive oil and top with the seasoning mixture. Rub it in with your hands until evenly coated.
Step 3: Air fry the chicken at 400°F for 6 minutes, then flip your chicken and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Expert Tips
- We always use pasture-raised chicken because we prefer the taste and health benefits. You can use whatever you prefer, but quality chicken makes all the difference.
- If you have a thick piece of chicken, try pounding it out before you season and cook it. It helps it cook faster and more evenly, which keeps it more moist.
- Put an air fryer liner in your air fryer basket to avoid extra mess.
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before cutting into it. Just like a good steak, it needs time to reabsorb the juices.
- Top the chicken with chopped fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro are good options) and some fresh lime juice before serving. It makes it look pretty, and the lime juice adds a fresh, zesty flavor.
Serving Ideas
- Serve it in a Chipotle-style rice bowl with black beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and fajita veggies.
- Make chicken tacos with flour tortillas, crunchy lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and fresh pico de gallo.
- Make a chicken bacon ranch wrap with this chicken, cheese, ranch dressing, and crumbled bacon all wrapped up in a big flour tortilla.
- Serve it as a whole breast with cooked vegetables! We love it with our horseradish cauliflower mash, air fryer baby carrots, or air fryer BBQ brussels sprouts.
- Serve it over a salad. It would be perfect with our classic wedge salad.
Frequently asked questions
Store the leftover chicken in an air-tight container for 3-4 days. To reheat, put it back into your air fryer at 350°F for 2-3 minutes, or until warm on the inside.
It's a little bit spicy if you're not tolerant of heat. If you want to tame it a bit, leave out the ground cayenne.
This chicken is great in a rice bowl, taco, wrap, or on a salad. You can also serve it with vegetables. Check out our serving ideas in the section above.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Blackened Chicken
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
This air fryer blackened chicken recipe makes it easy to cook super flavorful and moist chicken breast. It comes out perfectly every time, takes less than 15 minutes in the air fryer and only requires a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Add ground cayenne, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and cumin to a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. Add it to a large mixing bowl, then drizzle it with olive oil and top with the seasoning mixture. Rub it in with your hands until evenly coated.
- Air fry the chicken at 400°F for 6 minutes, then flip your chicken and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Notes
Nutrition facts are only an estimate.
If you have a thick piece of chicken, try pounding it out before you season and cook it. It helps it cook faster and more evenly, which keeps it more moist.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 342
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 704.6 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.8 g
- Protein: 51.5 g
- Cholesterol: 165.5 mg
Michael says
Love how easy and delicious this recipe is!