Different brands of frozen breaded chicken breasts cook differently. They all vary in size, thickness, type and heaviness of the breading so you’ll have to adjust timing. For best and even cooking, don't overcrowd the basket and cook the chicken in a single layer. All air fryers are different and some cook much hotter than others. Once you cook your first batch, you’ll know more of what works for your model of air fryer and size of food. These were tested on basket style air fryers. Read more recipe notes below the recipe.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Servings: 2servings
Calories: 260kcal
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
About 2-4 frozen pre-cooked breaded chicken breasts
For the Nashville Hot Sauce:
1/4cup(60g)butter
1/4cup(60ml)oil
1Tablespoon(15ml)ground cayenne pepper, or 2 Tablespoons for extra hot
2Tablespoons(30ml)brown sugar
1teaspoon(5ml)garlic powder
1teaspoon(5ml)paprika
1Tablespoon(15ml)Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1/2teaspoon(2.5ml)salt, or to taste
1teaspoon(5ml)black pepper
For Serving
6-8slices(6-8 slices) white bread
Pickles, whatever you prefer - bread & butter, dill, or both
Make the Sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl or saucepan (butter, oil, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, Worcestershire or soy sauce, salt and pepper). Microwave or heat until butter is just melted (the hotter it is, the harder it will be to emulsify the spices in the liquids). Whisk thoroughly until smooth.
When the sauce is cooler, it doesn’t separate as easily so we like to brush sauce on the chicken when the sauce is slightly cooler or room temperature. If you want your sauce warmer, then keep stirring or whisking the sauce as you brush the chicken so that you have as little separation of sauce/oil as possible. The warmer the sauce is, the more the spices will want to separate from the liquids.
Place the frozen breaded chicken breasts in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Make sure they aren't overlapping. No oil spray is needed.
Air Fry at 380°F/193°C for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over.
Continue to Air Fry at 380°F/193°C for another 2 minutes. Check the chicken breasts and if needed, add another 2-3 minutes or until heated through and crispy to your preference.
Place chicken on top of white bread. Brush both sides of chicken with the hot sauce. Top with pickles and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Air Frying Tips and Notes:
No Oil Necessary. Cook Frozen - Do not thaw first.
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Lay in a single layer.
Recipe timing is based on a non-preheated air fryer. If cooking in multiple batches of chicken back to back, the following batches may cook a little quicker.
Recipes were tested in 3.7 to 6 qt. air fryers. If using a larger air fryer, the chicken might cook quicker so adjust cooking time.
Remember to set a timer to flip/toss as directed in recipe.