Air Fryer BBQ Chicken is such a simple way to prepare chicken for an easy weeknight dinner, or meal prepping recipe. Done in just about 20 minutes, you'll love this easy air fryer chicken recipe!

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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken is such an easy way to prepare chicken for an easy weeknight dinner, or meal prepping recipe. You'll love this quick air fryer chicken recipe!

You’ll love this easy air fryer dinner recipe...

It is so EASY! If you're looking for a chicken recipe done in 20 minutes or less, including prep time, you will absolutely love this recipe. It's perfect for an easy family dinner or if you're looking for a quick meal prep recipe with chicken breast, this stores and reheats great.
It is CUSTOMIZABLE. Use your favorite BBQ sauce, if you're trying to keep things low sugar, you can opt for a 0 Sugar BBQ Sauce or you can kick the heat up a bit with a Spicy BBQ Sauce.

Can you put raw chicken in the air fryer?

Yes, you can totally put raw chicken in the air fryer. As with any recipe with raw chicken, just be sure to wash everything it touches super well.

How long does it take to gill chicken in the air fryer?

It takes anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breast. I always prefer to buy thinly sliced chicken breasts. I also recommend that you slice or pound your chicken breasts prior to cooking.

Ingredients Needed

Here's what you'll need to make BBQ chicken in the air fryer.

BBQ Sauce, of choice
Thinly Sliced Chicken Breast, boneless
Granulated Garlic
Chipotle Powder or Paprika
Salt

Air Fryer BBQ Chicken is so easy to make! It's such a quick air fryer dinner recipe.

How to make air fryer BBQ chicken

With a few minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of cook time, you can have BBQ chicken in just about 20 minutes.

Preheat your air fryer to 400F. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat option, let it run at 400F for 5 minutes.
While your air fryer is preheating, spread your spice mix (garlic, chipotle powder and salt) on both sides of your chicken breasts. If you need more, feel free to sprinkle on additional seasoning to your liking.
Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick spray and place your chicken in the basket. You do not want your chicken overlapping. If they are slightly touching in some areas, that's fine, but do not overlap or overstuff your air fryer basket.
Air fry at 400F for 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and air fry at 400F for an additional 3 minutes.
Next, keep your chicken in the air fryer basket and generously spread BBQ sauce on top of the chicken. You don't want to flip the chicken and spread it on the bottom half, it'll get too sticky in the air fryer.
Air fry the chicken with the BBQ sauce on top at 400F for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Tips for making the best BBQ chicken in the air fryer

Don't overcrowd the basket. You want your chicken to cook evenly and cook thoroughly. To ensure that happens, do not overcrowd your air fryer basket.
Don't forget to spray the basket. The last thing you want is to be scraping the chicken off the air fryer basket. Don't forget to spray!
Flip your chicken after 8 minutes. This, similar to the non-overcrowding of the basket, ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and thoroughly.
When in doubt, use a meat thermometer! If you're ever in doubt whether or not your chicken is cooked, don't be afraid to use a meat thermometer!

What's the best air fryer?

We use the PowerVortex XL air fryer, but if you're looking to make multiple things at once... like air fryer BBQ chicken and sweet potato fries, I highly recommend the dual air fryer, like this Ninja Dual Air Fryer.

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What to serve with BBQ chicken?

Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries - I love the combination of BBQ and sweet potato. Cooking frozen sweet potato fries in the air fryer is the perfect side dish!
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad - If you're trying to incorporate some more veggie side dishes, this shaved brussels sprouts salad is so refreshing.
Homemade Coleslaw - Coleslaw and BBQ are such a classic combination. You can even make sandwiches with coleslaw, chicken and some buns!
Old Fashioned Baked Beans - Similar to coleslaw, old fashioned baked beans are such a BBQ side dish classic.
Cornbread - I mean, who doesn't love cornbread?!

Want some more easy air fryer dinner recipes?