Frozen Breaded Chicken Breast In Air Fryer

Frozen Breaded Chicken Breast In Air Fryer may be the crunchiest and easiest meal ever! Crunchy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, these chicken breasts taste better than cooked in the oven. No oil, pre-heating, or thawing is required. Dinner is ready from the freezer to the table in 20 minutes.

Cooking Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer? Check out our Brined Chicken Roast for a perfect Sunday meal.

Why You Will Love These Frozen Breaded Chicken Breast In Air Fryer:

This is one of the fastest and easiest hands-off recipe there is. It is great to have a stock of frozen chicken breasts in the freezer for when you are short of time and energy or when you just cannot be bothered to cook elaborate meals from scratch.

No prepping is required here, as all you do is pull these chicken breasts out of the freezer and throw them in your air fryer. Wile the chicken cooks, toss a salad to eat on the side or to stuff everything as sandwich filling. These are lovely to carry as lunch as well.

Incredible Texture: A very satisfying crunch, without deep frying in oil.

No oil spray, oil, or any additional ingredients are required to cook the chicken.

Advantages Of An Air Fryer

Before I got an air fryer, I would cook breaded chicken breasts in the frying pan with oil. But the soaked up oil always added way too many calories to my overall meal. Since I was often distracted with a million things, I would end up forgeting about the stove, and burn my schnitzels to a charred crisp.

The oven took much longer to cook these chicken breasts, and that did not include the pre-heating time. Also, I needed just 2 or 4 schnitzels for dinner, which made heating up a whole oven, such a waste of energy. It also heated up my kitchen, which was not pleasant during some of our Aussie summer days.

With an air fryer, the cooking time reduced by a lot. A relatively smaller air fryer basket needs less energy to heat up. Since the timer is set before cooking, I have never burnt my food. Not having to use much oil is a big plus too. I like that I do not have to hang around the kitchen to supervise the cooking. A big plus, is that its safer than the stove or oven for my tweenager to use as well.

How are Breaded Frozen Chicken Breasts / Chicken Schnitzels made?

Schnitzel is a German term for thin slice of meat. Meats like beef, pork, or chicken are lightly pounded by a mallet-like tenderizer, breaded and then fried. It is similar to Japanese Katsu or French Escalopes.

Frozen breaded chicken breasts are raw inside. So we are not just re-heating them, we need to cook them thoroughly.

List of things you need to Air Fry Chicken Breasts

Frozen Chicken Breasts / Chicken Schnitzel

Tongs

Meat Thermometer (not a must, but it is inexpensive and good to have)

How to cook Frozen Breaded Chicken Breasts in Air Fryer

1. Place frozen breaded chicken breasts straight in to the air fryer. There is no need to thaw them. Make sure there is enough space between them.

2. Close the air fryer basket, and turn the temperature up to 400 F / 200 C. Cook for 10 minutes. Then with a pair of tongs, carefully turn the chicken breasts, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Insert the meat thermometer in the thickest part of chicken breasts and check if the internal temperature has reached a minimum of 165 F / 75 C. At this point the meat will be completely cooked and the juices will run clear.

If you do not have an air fryer, just follow the instructions on the packaging for oven cooking.

Some Useful Tips and Notes

1. There is no need to pre-heat the air fryer. if pre-heating, reduce cooking time by a few minutes.

2. I have cooked these Frozen Chicken Breasts Schnitzel in a Phillips XXL Air Fryer. If using a smaller air fryer, you may need to increase cooking time till the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 74°C / 165°F. Cooking time also depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

3. You do not need extra oil for Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts. You do not even need an oil spray.

4.  Breaded Chicken Breasts can be cooked frozen. Due to their thickness, you can cook them without thawing. It is safer to reach a high internal temperature as quickly as possible. So skip the thawing.

5. Air fryers work by circulating hot air in the basket, making for efficient frying. For best results, keep the gap between the chicken breasts. If they do not all fit in one basket, batch fry in smaller quantities. The extra time will be worth it. Since the air fryer is already heated from the first batch, the following batches may cook a bit faster. 

6. Once cooked, let the chicken breasts rest for 5 minutes. The muscle fibres relax and reabsorb the juices, which keep the chicken moist and juicy. If cut into immediately after cooking, the juices will evaporate and make the chicken breasts drier.

7. Since the heating element and fan are from top to bottom, flip food at halfway point. It is helpful to have an alarm for reminder. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Frozen Breaded Chicken Breasts In an Air Fryer

What can I serve with these chicken breasts?

These chicken breasts make a great protein snack. To make a meal out of them, add some carbs like potatoes, rice or sandwich bread. To keep the carbs lower, serve with a side of soup, or salad.

Some suggestions are as follow

Gourmet Mixed Green Salad

Guacamole

Curried Peas Rice

Air Fryer Roasted Root Vegetables

Nasi Goreng Kampung (Indonesian Fried Rice)

Lao Gan Ma Chili Noodles

Chickpea Cucumber Feta Salad

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Honey Roast Carrots In Air Fryer

Air Fryer Crispy Cauliflower Bites

Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade

How long will cooked chicken breasts last in the fridge?

Cooked chicken breasts will stay in the fridge for about 2-3 days. To eat, heat in microwave or air fryer till internal temperature reaches 75 C or 165 F.

More Content You Might Enjoy:

Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

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Some suggestions for Air Fryer Boneless Breaded Chicken Breasts

Woolworths Chicken Schnitzel

Bird’s Eye Chicken Tenders

Kirkland Signature Chicken Breasts

Perdue Boneless Skinless Frozen Breasts

Aldi Chicken Breasts Schnitzel

Tyson Panko Breaded Chicken Breasts Tenderloin

Fast Fixin Homestyle Chicken Breast

Perdue Chicken Breasts Tenders

Disclaimer:

SInce we are not medical professionals, nothing shared here should be taken as medical advice. Always consult with your doctor if a particular diet, fasting regime, supplements, or exercise program is suitable for you. Our nutritional values are calculated by Spooncular API. While we try our best to ensure these values are correct, please confirm these independently.