Air fryer pesto chicken is easy to make using only 4 simple ingredients. The pesto chicken is juicy and flavorful.
I love making chicken in my air fryer so much. It's just so fast and easy! Recently, I made this air fryer pesto chicken for my son and me and we both loved it. It's only 4 ingredients, so super easy and flavorful.
I typically have been using store-bought pesto for this because it's easy, but you can easily use your own homemade pesto for the chicken if you prefer.
You can use the pesto chicken in so many ways! Just sliced up as a main, or it's great on top of pasta or in grain bowls or salads. It's so versatile! In the photo above, I served with with some pasta and fresh tomatoes. I added another scoop of pesto to the top for extra pesto flavor!
Ingredients
- Chicken breast
- Pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
How to make air fryer pesto chicken
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Trim the chicken breasts if needed. Add them to a bowl, and then add the pesto, olive oil, and garlic powder.
Coat the chicken breast in the olive oil, pesto, and garlic powder, rubbing in to coat both sides of the chicken as much as possible.
Add pesto chicken to the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 380 degrees F. Flip, then cook for another 5-10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Total cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
Chicken should be juicy and delicious!
Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve as desired. You can add more pesto to the top for extra pesto flavor if you want!
Recipe tips
- The cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breast. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This will help keep the chicken juicy.
- This recipe works well with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but cook times will need to be adjusted.
- You can add more pesto to the top for extra pesto flavor, depending on how you're serving the chicken.
Air fryer chicken recipes
- Air fryer chicken breast
- Air fryer honey dijon chicken
- Air fryer pretzel chicken
- Air fryer panko chicken
- Air fryer Greek chicken bowl
- Air fryer tandoori chicken
Air Fryer Pesto Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 3 Tablespoons Pesto plus more for serving (if desired)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Add chicken breasts to a medium bowl. Add the pesto, olive oil, and garlic powder.
- Rub ingredients into the chicken breasts so both sides are coated.
- Add chicken to the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes at 380 degrees F.
- Flip, then cook for another 5-10 minutes until internal temperature of chicken reads 165 degrees F.
Notes
- The cook time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breast. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This will help keep the chicken juicy.
- This recipe works well with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but cook times will need to be adjusted.
- You can add more pesto to the top for extra pesto flavor, depending on how you're serving the chicken.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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