Heart-Healthy Air Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
Air fryers are more popular than ever due to the fact that you can cook many of your favorite fried recipes with much less cooking oil. Air fryers work by blowing hot air around the exterior of the food to cook it (also known as convection cooking). This creates a crispy, browned exterior very similar to fried food with less oil.
The tasty air-fried chicken breast is a great dish that nearly everyone can enjoy. The breast is the leanest part of the chicken, meaning it has the least amount of fat and makes it an ideal choice when following a heart-healthy diet. This recipe calls for whole wheat breadcrumbs instead of refined white flour as a coating to increase fiber content. Panko breadcrumbs are lower in calories, fat, and sodium than regular breadcrumbs.
Heart-Healthy Air Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
- ½ cup reduced fat buttermilk
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can add more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions:
- Pound out chicken breasts to make the thickness even on both ends, about 1/2-inch thick to ensure the chicken cooks evenly. After pounding, cut each breast in half to make a total of 4 pieces.
- Place the buttermilk and the chicken breast pieces in a Ziploc bag to marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
- In a shallow bowl or dish, mix together the whole wheat flour, panko bread crumbs and spices.
- One at a time, take each piece of chicken breast directly from the Ziploc bag with the buttermilk and dip into the flour/spices mixture to coat completely on both sides. Place on a piece of parchment paper and repeat with all four pieces.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees. Once preheated, spray the basket of the air fryer with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place all 4 chicken breast pieces in the basket and spray the tops with non-stick cooking spray. Cook for 5-7 minutes on this side. Flip the chicken breast pieces, spray the other side with non-stick cooking spray and cook for 5-7 minutes longer. The overall cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the breast. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees with a meat thermometer and the crumbs are golden brown.
If you'd like more guidance incoporating heart-friendly meals into your life, you can schedule an appointment with a NorthBay nutritionist at (707) 624-7900.
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