Name: Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts ( - boneless, skinless); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup barbecue sauce

30-minute air fryer BBQ chicken breasts with simple seasonings and perfectly cooked juicy chicken meat smothered in barbecue sauce.

My best tip to make air fryer BBQ chicken as smoky as it is during summer backyard cookouts is to add the BBQ sauce last and continue cooking chicken breasts for an additional 8 minutes with the sauce.

Gina’s Recipe Rundown:

Texture: Moist and tender chicken breasts with light stickiness from the glaze on the outside. You don’t even need to marinate chicken to make it so soft and juicy.

Taste: Delicious chicken meat with simple spices like paprika, garlic, onion, and the rich earthy, and smoky flavor of BBQ sauce. Finger-licking good balance of sweet, acidic, and savory.

Ease: A foolproof recipe for a fast dinner for an easy weeknight dinner.

Why I love it: Crispy Outside, Juicy Inside – The air fryer locks in moisture while giving the chicken that perfect crisp without needing a ton of oil.

With this simple recipe – no more boring or dry chicken dinners, I guarantee! Plus, it barely takes half an hour to make a meal for 4 people or just for two of you and keep delicious leftovers.

If you love to use your air fryer, try my teriyaki chicken or lemon pepper wings.

Table of Contents

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

An easy weeknight meal that comes together in 30 minutes.
Only simple ingredients: chicken, spice rub, and barbeque sauce.
Healthy dinner as air frying doesn’t use much oil. There is no need for any olive oil or nonstick spray.
Year-round recipe. When you can’t get the grill going, you can still enjoy those signature summer BBQ flavors.
Amazing for meal prep and freezer-friendly.

Ingredients Notes

For exact measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – use raw fresh chicken breasts that are at room temperature. Frozen chicken holds a lot of moisture and all that liquid will come out during cooking.
Seasoning for dry rub: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, Kosher salt, and black pepper
Barbecue sauce adds tons of flavors, you may even want to skip salt or pepper. Be sure to buy sauce with low sugar as sugars will burn in the air fryer. You can use homemade BBQ sauce too.

I have a few homemade BBQ sauce recipes for you to try: Carolina BBQ Sauce, Texas BBQ Sauce, Keto BBQ Sauce, Spicy Dijon Mustard BBQ Sauce, and Huckleberry BBQ Sauce – pick your favorite!

Kitchen Equipment

Air fryer
Liner or parchment paper (for easier clean-up after cooking)
Plate or cutting board
Bowl
Optional, meat thermometer to check when the chicken is finished cooking
Pastry brush
Opt – cooking spray – but I like to use cooking oil in a sprayer

How To Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

1: Prep The Chicken Breasts

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C) – it takes about 5 minutes.
Lay the chicken out on a prep plate or cutting board. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels then spray with a little oil to make them crispier.

2: Prep Dry Rub For Chicken

Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the spice mix on the chicken and rub/press it in so it sticks well.

3: Air Fry

Transfer the chicken to the heated air fryer basket or try. Chicken should lightly sizzle when the basket is preheated well enough.
Cook for 10 minutes and be sure to space chicken breasts and only do a single layer at a time to allow the meat to cook evenly. The chicken breasts at this point can be at about 125℉.
It would be great to flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time.

4: Brush BBQ Sauce On

Brush the BBQ sauce on the chicken and continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes – or until the internal temperature is 165°F (74°C) and the juices run clear. It will add a nice subtle charred taste.
If you are working in batches, repeat with any remaining chicken.
When finished cooking, let the chicken breasts cool and rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve with cornbread, side of slaw, or rice. Top the glazed BBQ chicken with some chopped parsley or cilantro.

Storage

Store leftovers of the air fryer BBQ chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

Reheat in an even layer in the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 3-4 minutes.

You can freeze the air fryer BBQ chicken breast for 2 months in double wrap with foil. Thaw overnight and reheat the same way.

Make ahead. You can make the spice rub one week ahead and marinate the chicken 1 day ahead of frying.

Substitutions & Variations

Use chicken thighs (tenderer meat), drumsticks, tenders, or wings. Note that thighs should be cooked until the internal temperature is 175F.
Make it spicy: add hot sauce, sriracha, cayenne pepper, chili powder, or minced spicy peppers in adobo. You can use taco seasoning for the chicken too.
Add a little bit of brown sugar to spice rub for caramelized flavor. Be careful, as sugar can burn during air frying.
BBQ sauce can be substituted with Worcestershire sauce (with or without added liquid smoke).
Add liquid smoke if you want to have an ultra-smoky flavor or soy sauce (for Asian BBQ sauce).
Add tang with tomato ketchup, or some vinegar (balsamic is great too), and some pungent flavor with dry mustard.
Add pineapple for some acidic and sweet touch.

Expert Tips To Make BBQ Chicken In The Air Fryer

For extra flavor, brush additional barbecue sauce on the chicken just before serving.
If you want the chicken breasts to cook evenly, you can slice them into pieces of even thickness. It will also make the cook faster.
If you use the chicken pieces with bones in and skins on, increase the cooking time to 18 minutes.
Take the chicken breasts out of the fridge about 1 hour before cooking. Cold chicken doesn’t cook as evenly as room-temperature one.
Do not rub the barbecue sauce on before cooking, it will lead to burning the sides of the chicken.
You don’t have to let the chicken “marinate” in the dry rub, it doesn’t change the flavor much, but it can make the meat slightly tender (let it rest for up to 24 hrs covered with plastic wrap).
Keep in mind that there are so many variations in size and capabilities in air fryers these days – the cook time will vary depending on the fryer you have.

More BBQ Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Oven Chicken Thighs BBQ

Coca-Cola Chicken

BBQ Ranch Chicken Casserole

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