Air Fryer Chicken Bites (No Breading!)

An air fryer basket with several unbreaded chicken bites.

Air Fryer Chicken Bites (No Breading!)

This yummy recipe for air fryer chicken bites uses simple ingredients and is ready in less than 15 minutes! The perfect easy dinner.

Course Main Course, Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings servings

Calories 181

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5” pieces (about 2 breasts)
1 tbsp. Avocado oil olive oil, vegetable oil, etc
¾ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon granulated garlic powder
¾ teaspoon granulated onion powder
½ teaspoon flaky salt or kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Add the oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, flaky salt, and black pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Stir together until well combined.
Add the chicken. Once your chicken is cut into 1.5” pieces, add it to the bowl and toss it to coat it in the seasoned oil. Set aside as you preheat the air fryer. Note: If desired, you can allow the chicken to do a quick dry brine for about 10-15 minutes. This increases the flavor, but isn’t necessary.
Preheat. Set your air fryer to 400ºF (204ºC) and allow it to preheat for 3 minutes, or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Place in the basket. Arrange half of the chicken pieces in the air fryer basket, leaving 1 inch of space (or more) between each piece. This will help them cook evenly and develop little crispy bits.
Cook. Place the basket into the air fryer and cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through cooking (if desired). The chicken bites are done when each piece reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165ºF (74ºC) at the thickest portion (or 160ºF before resting and 165ºF after a 5 minute rest).
Repeat. Remove the cooked pieces to a plate, then repeat with the remaining seasoned chicken bites.
Serve and enjoy. Serve them as-is, or with your favorite dipping sauce (we love Greek yogurt ranch dip). They also make delicious additions to wraps, rice bowls, salads, etc.

Notes

Adapted from my recipe for Air Fryer Unbreaded Chicken Tenders

Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for extended storage (2-3 months).

Chicken thighs: This recipe has been tested with chicken thighs, and the cooking time and temperature is about the same. Testers did find the chicken thighs a bit chewy, and had less of an “unbreaded chicken nugget” taste.

Salt: This is one recipe where flaky salt (we love Maldon) or kosher salt reigns supreme. Test rounds with fine table salt were okay - but even with an increased amount it just didn’t have the same flavor.

Meal prep: This recipe is great for meal prep! Just reheat portions as needed, or incorporate them into your favorite meal prep recipes (salads, rice bowls, etc).

One of my favorite ways to use leftovers it to make a personal buffalo chicken dip with ⅓ cup of Greek yogurt ranch, 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper sauce (Frank’s red hot sauce), ¼ cup of shredded cheese, and 3 chopped chicken bites. Microwave and serve with tortilla chips (or Quest chips) for a delicious and high protein snack/meal.

Variations

Ranch: Add 1 package of ranch dressing mix (or homemade ranch seasoning) in place of the listed seasonings.
Seasoning blends: We tried this out with 1 ½ tablespoons of Kinders Buttery Steakhouse seasoning and it was delicious! Use your favorite seasoning, but if salt is not one of the first 3-4 ingredients, be sure to add more to your taste.
Taco/fajita: Add 1 package of your favorite taco or fajita seasoning to the oil in place of the listed seasonings. Again, add salt if it is a low-sodium type. Be sure to check out my recipe for homemade taco seasoning too!

Nutrition