Aug 13, 2019

Crispy Air Fried Chicken Breasts (Keto/Low Carb)

I've discovered the secret to making the BEST Air Fried Chicken Breasts that are tender, juicy, and loaded with delicious flavor! This fried chicken recipe is also a low carb keto recipe!! Can you believe it?!

And just when you think it couldn't get any better, this air fried chicken is super easy to make, the whole family is sure to love it, and (maybe the best part) clean up is a snap!

Crispy Air Fried Chicken Breasts on a plate with salad and a dish of dressing for a delicious low carb keto dinner

To say I was skeptical that air frying could make crispy fried chicken is an UNDERSTATEMENT! It's true. I wasn't going to buy into the whole air fryer frenzy, but one day I was at my neighbor's house when she asked me if I had any air fryer recipes to share.

HA, I LOL'd and shared my skepticism. That's when she shoved her little air fryer in my face and asked me to take it home and test it for her. So I did and I discovered the secret to making the best Air Fried Chicken (scroll down for the air fried chicken recipe) as well as many other air fryer recipes I'll be sharing with you in the future! I'm hooked!


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Air Fried Chicken Breasts on a parchment lined baking tray ready to serve for a low carb keto meal

HOW TO MAKE AIR FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F
  2. If your chicken breasts are thick, slice in half through the middle like you would butterfly the chicken breasts only you go all the way through to make two thinner breasts. Lay the chicken breast flat on a cutting board and place one hand on top of the breast to steady it. Turn your knife on its side and slice through the middle of the chicken breast. (Refer to picture #1)
  3. Bread chicken - One at a time, dip the chicken breasts in the egg mixture to coat and then dredge through the breading mixture making sure the chicken is coated evenly. Continue to bread each chicken breast. (Refer to picture #2)
  4. Oil basket - Brush air fryer basket with oil or use cooking spray per directions for your air fryer
  5. Air fry chicken - Place breaded chicken in air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry for 14-16 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle and an instant read thermometer reads 150°F. You don't need to turn the chicken over or shake the basket. Just let them cook. You might only be able to fit 2 chicken breasts in your air fryer basket at a time. Air fry remaining chicken in same manner until all chicken is cooked through.
  6. Rest time - allow chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

WHAT AIR FRYER DO I RECOMMEND?

  1. My friend's air fryer I tested is the Dash Compact Air Fryer. This is a good little air fryer perfect when cooking for 1 or 2 people. It worked really well! I feel comfortable recommending this air fryer.
  2. After posting a few air fryer stories on Instagram, Hamilton Beach sent me a larger air fryer to test. The 2.5 litre programmable Hamilton Beach air fryer worked really well also and you can see the results in my air fryer spotlights on Instagram. I can recommend this air fryer and it works well for a family of four.
  3. After falling in LOVE with air frying, I set out to find the best air fryer for our family. I wasn't really a fan of the limited space in traditional air fryer baskets, and I didn't want tons of accessories I'd have to store, so I started looking into toaster ovens that offer an air fryer function. That's when I found my FAVORITE air fryer! The winner is... drum roll please.... the BREVILLE SMART OVEN AIR. This little powerhouse of an oven does it all, even air frying!! So, after much deliberation and research of similar ovens with an air fryer function, we decided to take the plunge and are so happy we did! A great feature is we are able to fit more on the tray when air frying. We LOVE this oven so much and highly recommend it, not only for the air fryer capabilities, but for roasting, baking, reheating, and basically everything. I use this counter-top oven more than my range!
How to halve chicken breasts to make them thinner and easier to cook

How to bread chicken breasts

Breaded chicken breasts on a rack in a baking tray ready to go in the air fryer

HOW TO BREAD CHICKEN

The recipe I've included in the recipe card at the bottom of this article is a low carb/keto recipe so it doesn't use bread to 'bread' the chicken, however, this air fried chicken recipe can be made with traditional bread crumbs as well, so I've included these general guidelines on how to 'bread' air fryer chicken whether you are using my low carb/keto 'breading' included in the recipe card at the bottom of this article or traditional bread crumbs.
  1. Set up a breading station with 2 food safe containers big enough so individual chicken breasts will lay flat. (See note below for my absolute favorite containers!) Set this up in assembly line fashion and place a baking tray with a rack at the end to set each piece of chicken once breaded (refer to picture #3 above). TIP: For easy clean-up I lay paper towels under the containers to catch any crumbs or spills.
  2. In one container add your egg mixture - 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  3. In the other container add your breading mixture - 3.5 ounce bread crumbs (I use a low carb option - see recipe below), 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, & 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. The secret to the BEST air fried chicken breasts is in the 'bread crumbs' I use (more on my secret later), but you can use your favorite bread crumbs if desired.
  4. Use chilled chicken breasts. Remove chicken from fridge when ready to bread so it is chilled. This helps breading adhere to the chicken.
  5. Use DRY chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. This is one of the keys to making sure the breading stays on the chicken.
  6. Dip one chicken breast in the egg mixture to coat both sides. Then dredge the coated chicken breast in the bread crumb mixture being sure to completely bread both sides. Place breaded chicken breast on rack in baking sheet until ready to air fry. Continue to bread all 4 pieces of chicken. TIP:Line the  baking tray with foil for easy clean-up. (Refer to pictures #2 and #3 above)

Click here to check out my absolute favorite food containers. Not only do I use these containers for breading food, but I also use them for storing leftovers. I LOVE these containers because they stack compactly so they don't take up a lot of room in my cabinets, and they stack neatly in the refrigerator too. They are BPA free as well as dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe!! The lids fit tightly and they are inexpensive too, so if I take food to a family member or friend it's not too big a deal if I don't get it back. Although, I love these so much, I'm always sad when they go missing. I've even given these as gifts haha. That's how much I swear by them!!
Crispy Air Fried Chicken Breasts cut into to show juicy interior on a plate with salad and a dish of dressing for a delicious low carb keto dinner

HOW CAN CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN BE LOW CARB/KETO?

The secret to making the CRISPIEST air fried chicken breasts is in the breading, and the breading I use also keeps my air fried chicken a low carb keto recipe! The secret is NOT using bread at all! Instead I use crushed PORK RINDS!

Stop rolling your eyes and making that ewwww face and hear me out. I don't love pork rinds either. I would never just grab a bag of pork rinds and start popping them. I don't like them, Sam I am! I don't like them in a plane! I don't like them on a train... okay, you get the idea. I don't like pork rinds. So why on earth am I using them to bread my favorite air fried chicken recipe? That's a good question. I reluctantly tried this breading option when I was looking for a low carb option for chicken parm. My Keto Chicken Parm recipe was born and I never looked back. Now I bread EVERYTHING with pork rinds, y'all! I'm not even kidding you!

The fat in the pork rinds makes a crispier coating on the air fried chicken and melts down into the chicken keeping it juicy and delicious. Do you want to know the most amazing part? Brace yourself - you might not believe this, but it's true. The crispy coating doesn't taste at all like pork rinds!! Ahhhhh it's a miracle coating for air fried chicken!! Crispy, juicy, LOW CARB, and no pork rind flavor! These air fried chicken breasts are winning dinner!!

WHAT GOES WITH AIR FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS

Anything you'd serve with fried chicken will go great with this crispy air fried chicken breasts recipe. To keep this air fried chicken recipe low carb and keto I typically serve it with steamed vegetables or a garden salad and our favorite dressing which, right now, is my homemade Creamy Italian Dressing

If you aren't carb conscious then I recommend serving this air fried chicken recipe with one of my orzo pasta recipes such as this Cheesy Orzo or, one of the most popular recipes on Life Tastes Good, my Orzo Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan.

PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER!







Air Fried Chicken Breasts, Air Fried Chicken
Dinner, Low Card, Keto
American
Yield: 4
Author:

Crispy Air Fried Chicken Breasts (Keto/Low Carb)

I've discovered the secret to making the BEST Air Fried Chicken Breasts that turn out tender, juicy, and loaded with delicious flavor! This fried chicken recipe is also a low carb keto recipe!!
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 30 M

ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 3.5 ounce pork rinds, crushed (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups when crushed)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 large chicken breasts, chilled & patted dry (approximately 2 lbs), split in half to make 4 thinner chicken breasts

instructions:

How to cook Crispy Air Fried Chicken Breasts (Keto/Low Carb)

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F
  2. If your chicken breasts are thick, slice in half through the middle like you would butterfly the chicken breasts only you go all the way through to make two thinner breasts. (Refer to picture #1 above)
  3. Create an assembly line of sorts to bread the chicken by laying out 2 containers and a baking tray with a rack.
  4. In one container add your egg mixture - 1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  5. In the other container add your breading mixture - 3.5 ounce pork rinds, crushed (1 1/2 to 2 cups), 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, & 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Stir to mix well.
  6. Pat chicken dry. Dip one chicken breast in the egg mixture to coat both sides. Then dredge the coated chicken breast in the bread crumb mixture being sure to completely bread both sides. Place breaded chicken breast on rack in baking sheet until ready to air fry. Continue to bread all 4 pieces of chicken. TIP: Line the baking tray with foil for easy clean-up. (Refer to pictures #2 and #3 above)
  7. Brush the air fryer basket with oil or use cooking spray per directions for your air fryer
  8. Place breaded chicken in air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry for 14-16 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle and an instant read thermometer reads 150°F. Air fry remaining chicken in same manner until all chicken is cooked through.
  9. Allow chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

NOTES:

1. A food processor makes quick work of crushing the pork rinds, but you can also crush them in a baggie using your hands, a rolling pin, or a heavy skillet
2. For easy clean-up I lay paper towels under the containers at my breading station
3. Line the baking tray with foil for easy clean up. This will catch any breading crumbs that fall through the rack while breading the chicken
4. Be sure your chicken is chilled. Remove chicken from fridge right before you plan to bread it. This will help the breading stick
5. Pat the chicken dry before breading.
6. Be sure to place chicken in air fryer basket in single layer. DON'T STACK THE CHICKEN. If you stack chicken they will not get crispy.
7. When air frying the chicken, keep the air fryer closed. No need to turn the chicken or shake the basket when making air fried chicken breasts
Calories
505.17
Fat (grams)
19.88
Sat. Fat (grams)
7.73
Carbs (grams)
1.91
Fiber (grams)
0.18
Net carbs
1.74
Sugar (grams)
0.31
Protein (grams)
74.78
Sodium (milligrams)
1299.06
Cholesterol (grams)
236.94
Nutrition label disclaimer: Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Created using The Recipes Generator

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