Air Fryer Turkey Breast
🦃🍁⏰ Create a complete Thanksgiving or holiday meal in an hour! No brining, no fuss, no stress! Just a few ingredients needed for juicy turkey breast with a crispy exterior that the whole family will rave about!
Servings: 6
Calories: 295cal
Equipment
- Air Fryer (I suggest a large or XL air fryer of ~5.8 quart capacity or larger)
Ingredients
- 3- pound boneless turkey breast thawed if frozen (budget ~24-36 hours) and keep netting or string on if it has it (OR use a 4 to 5.5 pound bone-in turkey breast, thawed if frozen)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely minced and to taste (or sub with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
Instructions
- Thaw: Make sure your turkey has been properly thawed in the refrigerator if using a frozen turkey. Tips - Plan for it to take 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey, plus a bit more. If your house is cold and your fridge runs cold, it could be more like 36-48 hours. There's no harm in letting it sit in your fridge an extra day. Better that than to cook a turkey that hasn't been fully thawed.
- Prep: To a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, and all remaining spices and seasonings, and stir to combine.
- Place the turkey breast on a cutting board or plate, and lightly drizzle it with olive oil all over, and using clean hands, rub it in all over.
- Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mix all over the turkey and pat it in with your hands all over on the top, bottom, and sides. Tip - I usually season it with a bit more salt and pepper at this point too.
- Air Fryer: Place the turkey in your air fryer with the skin side, or top side, facing down. Air fry at 350F for 20 minutes.
- Flip: Flip it over, and continue air frying for another 20-30 minutes, or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of ~158F at the thickest or deepest part.
- Doneness Tips: I cannot stress the important of taking the temperature rather than guessing! Poultry is safe to consume at 165F but if you wait to pull it from your air fryer at 165F, it'll likely dry out. Therefore, I like to pull mine at about 155-158F, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes, during which time the internal temp will continue to rise to a safe 165F. Boneless turkeys are usually more tightly bound with netting so they may take longer to cook; however, bone-in turkeys are heavier in general so it can be a toss up which will take longer. Rather than going by the time on the clock, you really need to check the temperature.
- Rest: The turkey breast needs to rest for 10-15 minutes so that the internal temperature can rise properly and to lock in the natural juices and redistribute them. Slicing too early will cause the juices to run out, and unnecessarily creating dry turkey. Slice against the grain.
- Gravy, optional: While the turkey rests, since you likely don't have drippings (from a whole turkey involving butter and natural fats), I recommend making my Chicken Broth Gravy.
- Serving: Optionally garnish with additional fresh herbs, parsley, or as desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Leftover turkey will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leftovers Tips - If you don't nibble at it as-is, my recommendations are to make 30-Minute Turkey Noodle Soup, Turkey Sliders, or Turkey Tetrazzini.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 295cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 856mg | Potassium: 567mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
