Air Fryer Shake and bake chicken is a great way to make a quick and easy dinner. Just shake the ingredients together and cook in your air fryer. It’s that easy! And the results are delicious.
If you are like me, you are always looking for good chicken recipes that your family looks forward to. This homemade shake n bake chicken is a winner.
It’s golden and crispy from the outside, tender, and juicy from the inside. Give this recipe a try and I bet you’ll love this simple dish.
Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
This kitchen appliance cooks chicken using hot air, which results in a crispy texture without all the added fat, yet it remains juicy too. This is an easy weeknight meal that takes minutes to prepare and not too long to cook either. We love easy recipes that the whole family loves.
You might just love this chicken recipe so much that you make it a couple times a week.
How to Make Shake and Bake Chicken in Air Fryer
It takes less than 30 minutes to get your shake and bake chicken to the table. Save time by preheating the air fryer.
Prepare your chicken breasts by either butterflying or thinly slicing. This will cut down on the cooking time.
Pat dry with paper towels. Then coat each piece of chicken with the olive oil leaving 1 tablespoon for mixing with the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Into a large freezer bag, mix the breadcrumbs, corn starch, garlic salt, onion powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, black pepper, and paprika.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the dry mixture and mix in the bag until a sandy texture is created.
Add the chicken pieces to the bag one at a time. Shaking the bag to coat. (Once the chicken is all coated, any leftover seasoning in the bag should be tossed).
Place the chicken breasts in a single layer into the air fryer and cook for 17-25 minutes. The thinner your chicken, the faster it will cook. There is no need to flip the chicken in the air fryer as the air circulates all around the meat. Pro Tip. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray oil to keep the chicken from sticking to the basket.
For best results, let your chicken cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. This will keep the outside coating crispy on both the top and bottom and keep the juices inside the meat.
Serve with your favorite sides.
Oven Baked Shake and Bake Chicken
All you have to do is coat them with some oil and shake with the breadcrumbs and herbs and bake them. If you want really juicy chicken breasts, you should cook them at a high temperature such as 400 F to seal in the juices but be careful not to overcook them.
This recipe can be made with any pieces of chicken. Just add the dry ingredients to a freezer bag and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then the chicken one piece at a time.
Shake to coat and place on a baking sheet lined with a rack. This will allow the hot air to bake the chicken all the way around, which helps the coasting crisp up. You should bake chicken breasts in a 400 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. This baking time is for boneless and skinless chicken breasts of approximately one-inch thickness.
Chicken thighs at 400 degrees Fahrenheit will take about 30-35 minutes. So, make sure the use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 when it is done.
Ingredients and Variations
Breadcrumbs. For this recipe, I use plain breadcrumbs. However, if you like more seasoning, go ahead, and use seasoned breadcrumbs. Panko also works well. Or you can make your own breadcrumbs using stale bread. Information on how to make your own is further down in this blog post.
Corn Starch. This helps add to the crispiness. If you don’t have any on hand potato starch works well too.
Garlic Salt. This recipe uses the garlic and salt that are together. However, if you prefer, you can use garlic powder and salt separately. When I do that I use ¾ Teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt.
Onion Powder, Dried Parsley, Dried Thyme, Black Pepper, and Paprika. This spice combination works well together. If you prefer a spicy shake and bake you could add 1 Teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 Teaspoon of chili powder, or ½ Teaspoon of Cayenne pepper.
Olive Oil. I prefer olive oil. However, you can really use any type of oil you prefer.
Chicken. More often, we use chicken breasts, but this works well with any piece of the chicken you prefer, chicken thighs, chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, or chicken breasts. It can be bone-in or deboned. Honestly, any type of chicken will work with this recipe, even boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can also substitute using pork or turkey.
Add Parmesan Cheese. It is amazing how much flavor this adds. Of course, we love cheese in this house of any kind! Just add freshly grated cheese to the shake and bake mixture in the bag. It will coat the chicken and be delicious when baked.
How Long to Cook Air Fryer Chicken Breast
In an air fryer 375 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature for air frying chicken. Because the air fryer uses convection heat, you do not need to set it as high as you would an oven.
Here are some estimated times on how long to cook air fryer chicken breast depending on the size and thickness.
The amount of time it takes to cook chicken in an air fryer will vary based on the size of your chicken breasts. Pro Tip. No need to flip the chicken when using an air fryer.
- Small Breasts (5 to 7 ounces): 7 to 10 minutes
- Medium Breasts (8 to 10 ounces): 10 to 12 minutes
- Large Breasts (11 ounces or more): 12 to 16 minutes
Check the internal temperature by inserting the thermometer in the center of the chicken. Look for 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Storing Leftover Chicken and Reheating
This air fryer chicken will keep in the refrigerator up to one week when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, just place back in the air fryer and bake until heated through. Approximately 8 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can Homemade Shake and Bake be Used with Pork?
Yes. This crispy coating and seasoning mix pairs nicely with pork. In fact, I have another recipe dedicated to shake and bake pork chops.
Shake and bake pork chops recipe are a simple way to prepare this meat. Just a few simple ingredients and you have tender, juicy pork chops that are crispy on the outside and bursting with flavor.
Make Your Own Breadcrumbs
Making your own breadcrumbs is a great way to use up stale bread. All you do is place bread on a baking tray and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 minutes turning once.
The bread will be dried out and slightly crispy. Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Add to a food processor and pulse until you have breadcrumbs. It should only take two or three short pulses.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep for two weeks to one month.
Make Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Seasoning Ahead of Time
Make this seasoning ahead of time and make extra to save time. Add the Breadcrumbs, Corn Starch, Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, Dried Parsley, Dried Thyme, Black Pepper, and Paprika to an airtight container. It will be shelf stable for up to 1 year.
Sometimes, I like to double the recipe and store it in my pantry. That way, when I am ready to make shake and bake chicken, I just need to scoop some into a bag, add the little bit of oil, then coat my chicken. It just makes weeknight meals so much easier to do.
What to Serve with Shake and Bake Chicken?
The first thing that we think about when making this chicken is a sauce. Here are a few of our favorites to serve with this chicken recipe. It just might become your favorite dinner.
Sweet & Tangy Pineapple BBQ Sauce
Sriracha Mayo Dipping Sauce has just the right amount of heat.
Make this honey garlic butter sauce in 5 minutes and transform just about anything from boring to fabulous.
Garlic Butter sauce is an easy way to bring your everyday meals to a restaurant-quality look and taste.
We love making these side dishes to round out this shake n bake chicken to a delicious and easy meal.
Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
Crispy hash browns are delicious breakfast potatoes or great side dish like your favorite steakhouse.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Vegetable Casserole. Let your vegetables cook away while you are at work, come home and finish the family meal in 30 minutes.
Chinese Slaw Recipe with Ramen Noodles
Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Breadcrumbs plain
- 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
- 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil, split
- 4 Chicken Breasts Butterflied or sliced thin
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the chicken breasts by butterflying it or slicing it thinly. Pat dry with paper towels. Then coat each piece of chicken with the olive oil leaving 1 tablespoon for mixing with the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Into a large freezer bag, mix the breadcrumbs, corn starch, garlic salt, onion powder, dried parsley, dried thyme, black pepper, and paprika.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the dry mixture and mix in the bag until a sandy texture is created.
- Add the chicken pieces to the bag one at a time. Shaking the bag to coat. (Once the chicken is all coated, any leftover seasoning in the bag should be tossed).
- Place the chicken breasts in a single layer into the air fryer and cook for 17-25 minutes. The thinner your chicken, the faster it will cook. There is no need to flip the chicken in the air fryer as the air circulates all around the meat. Using a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. When it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it is done. Pro Tip. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray oil to keep the chicken from sticking to the basket.
- When done, remove the chicken and let it rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. This will keep the outside coating crispy on both the top and bottom and keep the juices inside the meat.
- Serve with your favorite sides.
