Air Fryer Bbq Chicken

By Becky Hardin

Published Oct 13, 2023

Air fryer kung pao chicken on a white plate. - 2

Easy air fryer chicken dinner with a barbecue twist. - 3

Air fryer Kung Pao chicken on a white plate. - 4

Easy to make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken is the best quick fix for a protein-packed weeknight dinner! Chicken breasts are seasoned with a mouthwatering medley of spices before being air fried to juicy perfection. Oh, and you can’t forget the barbeque sauce, of course!

Two Air Fryer BBQ chicken breasts on a cutting board with sauce. - 5

What’s in this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Breast recipe?

This BBQ chicken recipe is currently at the top of my list of favorite air fryer recipes! With simple ingredients and quick cooking time, your chicken breasts will always turn out flavorful, juicy, and fully cooked.

Chicken Breasts: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can use bone-in breasts too–just increase the cooking time.
Barbecue Sauce : Use any type of bbq sauce you like to get the flavor you want. For something different, use this Carolina Gold mustard sauce , or Korean BBQ sauce !
Olive Oil: This helps the spices attach to the chicken, and adds moisture to protect it while cooking.
Herbs & Spices: A mix of smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt & pepper creates a delicious spice rub that complements that barbeque flavor.

Pro Tip: For added heat, double up on the cayenne pepper and sprinkle some crushed red pepper into your spice mix.

Can I make BBQ chicken thighs in the air fryer?

Yes, you can use the same spice rub and general recipe to make either BBQ chicken breasts or thighs in your Air Fryer. If you want to use bone-in chicken thighs, cook them at 400°F skin side up for 15 minutes, then flip them skin side down and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

A series of photos showing how to make BBQ chicken in the air fryer. - 6

Sliced BBQ chicken on a cutting board. - 7

How to Store and Reheat

Store Air Fryer BBQ chicken in an airtight container and/or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 days. Reheat it in the Air Fryer at 375°F for about 8 minutes.

How to Freeze

Freeze chicken breasts in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this air fried BBQ chicken with Air Fryer corn on the cob , ranch potato salad , mac and cheese casserole , sweet potato fries , coleslaw , or any of your favorite BBQ sides . Or slice it up to toss into a BBQ chicken salad !

Sliced Air Fryer BBQ chicken breasts. - 8

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
▢ ½ teaspoon oregano
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
▢ ½ tablespoon olive oil
▢ ½ cup barbecue sauce plus more for serving

Video

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 5 minutes.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and, if necessary, pound them to an even thickness using a meat mallet. Set aside. 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In a small bowl, stir the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and peppers together. ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Brush each chicken breast with oil, then evenly sprinkle the spice rub over both sides of each piece. ½ tablespoon olive oil
Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick spray and place the chicken in a single layer inside.
Cook for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is between 160-165°F.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and brush a generous layer of barbecue sauce on each piece. ½ cup barbecue sauce
Return the chicken to the air fryer and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving with more barbecue sauce, if desired.

Becky’s Tips

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes We Love

Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Yes, but they’ll need to be thawed first. Let the frozen chicken thaw in your refrigerator for about a day prior to cooking.

Yes! Just alter the cooking time to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

It should take about 20 minutes total to cook boneless chicken breasts, and an extra 2-5 minutes for bone-in breasts. Be sure to check the internal temperature and make sure it reaches 165°F after resting for 5 minutes.

Yes, I recommend flipping your chicken half-way through the cooking time to make sure it cooks evenly, and so that both sides get crispy.

I recommend following this Crockpot BBQ chicken recipe for something more suited to slow-cooking.

Yes, it is!

Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ cup barbecue sauce plus more for serving

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 5 minutes.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and, if necessary, pound them to an even thickness using a meat mallet. Set aside. 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In a small bowl, stir the paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and peppers together. ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Brush each chicken breast with oil, then evenly sprinkle the spice rub over both sides of each piece. ½ tablespoon olive oil
Spray the basket of the air fryer with nonstick spray and place the chicken in a single layer inside.
Cook for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature is between 160-165°F.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and brush a generous layer of barbecue sauce on each piece. ½ cup barbecue sauce
Return the chicken to the air fryer and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165°F.
Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving with more barbecue sauce, if desired.

Video

Notes

Nutrition

By Becky Hardin

Published Jul 12, 2017

This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.

Essential Grocery List

It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!

It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.

However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.

In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.

I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.

Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List

What to Buy at the Grocery Store

This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.

When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.

So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!