Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts 🍗 are what to make when you forgot to take your chicken out of the freezer to thaw! 🙌🏻 There is no thawing required and I promise the chicken cooks through properly and it’s juicy, tender, with a light barbecue sauce glaze. Just 4 key ingredients for this easy air fryer chicken recipe that’s like a ‘get out of jail free card’ on busy weeknights!
Easy Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts Recipe
- No defrosting or thawing needed. The chicken breasts go directly from the freezer into the air fryer so there is no need to wait hours for chicken to defrost. Although this goes against everything most of us have ever been taught that you ‘should never cook chicken that’s not fully thawed’, I promise this method works.
- Chicken already thawed? Then I recommend heading over to and making my Air Fryer BBQ Chicken recipe since it features chicken that’s already been thawed and the times indicated in that recipe will be more spot on for you than in this recipe.
- So easy with just 5 minutes of prep. Stir together the glaze, coat the frozen chicken, and let the air fryer handle the rest to create tender chicken.
- Only 4 simple key ingredients for juicy chicken breasts. Just a bit of your favorite barbecue sauce, a bit of olive oil, honey and the chicken. I don’t even count salt and pepper but if you do, 6 ingredients.
- Versatile. I love have chicken cooked, meal prepped, and ready in the fridge. And with the chicken, I can serve it with vegetables, rice or potatoes; in a salad, in tacos, by itself, the options are endless!
- Cleanup is a breeze. Stir together the glaze in one small bowl and your air fryer basket is the only other thing to wash when dinner is over.
Ingredients in Frozen Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts: Choose pieces similar in size and that will fit in a single layer in your air fryer. Do not swap in bone-in chicken breast, nor chicken thighs, because I haven’t tested those and can’t speak to the results.
- BBQ sauce: Pick your favorite brand or use homemade. My go-to is Sweet Baby Ray’s or Trader Joe’s Sriracha Garlic BBQ Sauce for a bit of spice. I recommend using a thicker sauce rather than a thinner or vinegar-based barbecue sauce because a thicker sauce clings to frozen chicken instead of sliding off into the basket.
- Honey: I like to add a bit because it balances the smoky and savory quality of bbq sauce and helps the glaze caramelize. Maple syrup may be substituted or even a bit of brown sugar can be added.
- Olive oil: Avocado oil or another neutral oil works, though melted butter is not a good substitute here because it firms up the moment it touches the frozen chicken.
- Seasonings: Salt and black pepper are a must. Optionally, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, thyme, rosemary, cayenne pepper for heat, or other favorite seasonings of your choosing helps create extra depth of flavor.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
My favorite Air Fryers
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in an Air Fryer
- Preheat: Heat the air fryer if your model calls for it.
- Make the glaze: Stir together the barbecue sauce, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Also stir in any optional spices or seasoning blend.
- Coat and arrange the chicken: Brush the glaze over both sides of the frozen chicken breasts, then arrange them in a single layer with space between each piece. Tip: If the pieces are frozen together, separate them. If they’re stubborn, run them under warm running water or submerge them in a bowl of water for a few minutes.
- Air fry: Cook for about 25 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check that the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F as measured by a digital meat thermometer. Since all air fryers vary in their heat output, cook times range. So if yours needs extra minutes of cooking time, let it cook until done.
- Rest, garnish, serve: Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes to lock in the moisture before optionally garnishing with fresh herbs like parsley, basil, mint, or cilantro before serving. Pour any drippings from the air fryer basket over your chicken.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts
🍗 What to make when you forgot to take your chicken out of the freezer to thaw! 🙌🏻 There is no thawing required and I promise the chicken cooks through properly and it's juicy, tender, with a light barbecue sauce glaze. Just 4 key ingredients for this easy air fryer chicken recipe that's like a 'get out of jail free card' on busy weeknights!If your chicken is already thawed, I recommend making my Air Fryer BBQ Chicken recipe instead since it was developed for thawed chicken.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey, or as desired
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste if desired
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste if desired
- optional other dried herbs or seasonings, (cumin, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, smoked paprika, etc.; I suggest starting with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon and increasing if desired)
- 1-1.5 pounds frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts, (similar sized chicken breasts recommended; chicken breast tenders or chicken strips may be substituted and will cook faster; do not use bone-in chicken, I haven't tested chicken thighs)
- optional fresh herbs, for garnishing (fresh parsley, basil, mint, cilantro, green onions, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375F if you need to preheat yours.
- To a small bowl, add the barbecue sauce, oil, honey, salt, pepper, any optional extra seasonings, and stir to combine.
- Add the frozen chicken pieces* (see Tip below) to a plate or your air fryer basket and lightly brush them with the bbq sauce mixture on all sides (just pick them up with your hand and brush the underside). Set the extra sauce aside and brush it on the chicken when you flip it over midway through cooking.
- Tip – If there are any pieces of chicken* that are frozen together, run them under warm running water to separate them. If they're more stubborn, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes or so, or until they separate.
- Arrange the pieces in a single layer and air fry for about 15-20 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over, brush the remaining sauce all over each piece, and continue air frying for about 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is done.
- Chicken is done when it reaches 165F as measured by a digital thermometer; take the temperature and do not guess! Cook as long as necessary until your chicken is done. If you're cooking pieces of varying sizes, smaller pieces may be done sooner than larger pieces so pull those out when they are. Chicken strips or breast tenders will also cook much faster than larger chicken breasts.
- Important Cooking and Temperature Notes – Undercooking chicken is dangerous and overcooking results in tough and dried out chicken. Due to the unique nature of this recipe and you're starting with frozen chicken, it's obligatory to take the temperature! You never know which piece in the deep center of it may only be at 160F rather than 165F. All air fryers have very different heat outputs which affects how long the chicken will need to fully cook through. Food that's in smaller or more crowded baskets will tend to cook slower than when placed in a bigger or less crowded basket.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes on a cutting board or platter so that the natural juices redistribute.
- Optionally garnish with fresh herbs, slice, and serve. Tip – Pour any juices that have collected in the air fryer over the chicken when serving it because there's so much flavor.
Notes
Storage: Leftover chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave as desired or serve chilled from the fridge in salads, wraps, sandwiches, etc.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 219cal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 959mg, Potassium: 485mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 90IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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