Air Fryer Turkey Breast
This recipe for Air Fryer Turkey Breast will show you how to make a juicy bone-in turkey breast in an air fryer. Flavored with a quick herb butter, this is one of the easiest and most delicious turkey breast recipes out there.
Thanksgiving turkey is a hot topic during the fall months. Between figuring out which turkey to buy and how much white versus dark meat you’ll need for your turkey day guests, it gets pretty confusing.
Not only is it confusing, but there are SO many ways to cook turkey, from oven roasting to smoking and even deep-frying.
Over this past year I fell in love with my air fryer, so it’s only natural that I try cooking a turkey breast in it. This recipe is great because it uses just the turkey breast and is cooked to perfection in only an hour. Most people around my holiday table prefer white meat, so a 4 to 5 pound turkey breast gets gobbled right up. No Thanksgiving leftover turkey in this house.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Roasting turkey breast in an air fryer is quick and easy.
The turkey bastes itself in the air fryer as the herb butter melts and tenderizes the breast leaving less work for you.
The result is a crispy-skinned breast with tender, juicy meat and amazing flavor.
I also love turkey breast in the air fryer because it leaves the oven open to cook the rest of the Thanksgiving spread.
🦃 Ingredients You’ll Need
- 3 to 4 lb Turkey Breast (bone-in, skin-on) – are great for feeding a smaller group of people and they take a lot less time to cook, meaning less stress on Turkey Day.
- Unsalted Butter – flavors, tenderizes and helps achieve a crispy skin on the turkey breast.
- Fresh Sage – is an herb common in many holiday dishes. It adds delicious flavor.
- Poultry Seasoning – is a great way to incorporate a variety of flavorful dried herbs.
- Sea Salt, Black Pepper & Garlic Powder – adds even more flavor.
📖 How To Cook Turkey Breast In An Air Fryer
1️⃣ 15 to 20 minutes before ready to cook, take defrosted turkey breast out of the fridge and let sit at room temp for 15 to 20 minutes.
2️⃣ Remove turkey breast from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Remove any excess skin with kitchen shears only from the neck area. Rub herb butter (recipe below) underneath the skin, on top of the skin and over the rest of the turkey breast until coated completely.
3️⃣ Place turkey breast in air fryer basket breast side down. Mold a piece of foil around the top of the meat to prevent burning and make sure the turkey isn’t touching the heat element.
4️⃣ Turn air fryer on 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, using tongs, flip turkey over and place the foil back on top. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 10 more minutes or until skin is browned to your liking.
5️⃣ Using tongs, remove breast from air fryer and place onto a plate. Tent with foil for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
🍽 How Many People Does One Turkey Breast Serve?
For this recipe, I used one bone-in, skin-on breast that was about 5 pounds, which will serve 6 to 8 people.
⏲ How Much Time Do You Cook A Turkey In An Air Fryer?
Air fryer turkey can be cooked at 350F. For each pound of turkey, plan on cooking for 12 minutes. Make sure your turkey is fully cooked by inserting a thermometer in the thickest part of the meat. Once the internal temperature reaches 165, it’s done.
🧈 Herb Butter Recipe For Turkey Breast
This herb butter recipe packs serious flavor into a turkey breast and helps achieve a golden-brown skin and tender, juicy meat.
1️⃣ Let butter sit out at room temperature long enough for it to soften.
2️⃣ In a small bowl, add softened butter, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and freshly chopped sage.
3️⃣ With a heavy spoon, mix well until fully combined.
👩🏻🍳 Chef’s Tips
Make sure you check the size of your air fryer. The air fryer I used is 8 quarts, which fit a 5 pound turkey breast perfectly. If yours ends up being too big for the basket, create a makeshift basket that elevates the turkey breast with aluminum foil or a heat safe trivet.
Let come to room temperature. Adding cold meat to a hot cooking setting will cause the meat to seize up and become less tender and juicy. No one likes tough turkey.
Dry with paper towels. Making sure your turkey breast is fully dry will help the herb butter stick to the meat and not sweat off during cooking.
Add foil on the bottom for easy clean up. There will be some oil and drippings coming off the turkey breast that that will fall to the bottom. For easier clean up, add a piece of aluminum foil to catch the drippings (which you can later use for gravy 😊).
🔁 Storing & Freezing
Cooked turkey will last for 3-4 days stored properly in the fridge or you can store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
❔ FAQ
Absolutely. The cook time will be slightly less, so make sure you have a meat thermometer on hand to check for doneness.
You sure can. It’ll take less time to cook to temperature than breast. Check internal temp with a thermometer.
No, please don’t. It won’t cook evenly. Turkey breast should be defrosted overnight before cooking.
If you have a larger turkey breast that doesn’t fit in the air fryer basket, you might need a larger air fryer or you can make a u0022basketu0022 with foil or a heat-safe trivet to catch the juices and drippings.
More Air Fryer Meats
Air Fryer Meatballs
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Air Fryer Beef Burgers
Air Fryer Sausage Balls
Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 5 lb Turkey Breast bone in skin on
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp Fresh Sage chopped
- 1 tbsp Poultry Seasoning
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
To Make Herb Butter:
- Let 4 tablespoons of butter come to room temperature so it is soft enough to mix herbs and seasonings into.
- Place butter in a small bowl and add in poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and freshly chopped sage.
- Mix together until fully combined. This will be rubbed under the skin and on top of the skin to flavor the turkey breast.
To Air Fry Turkey Breast:
- Remove defrosted turkey breast from fridge and let sit on counter at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes to take the chill off. This will prevent the meat from seizing up and becoming too tough.
- Remove turkey breast from package and pat with paper towels until completely dry. Remove any excess skin with kitchen shears from the neck area.
- Lift up skin and rub herb butter mixture under the skin, on top of the skin and over the rest of the turkey breast until fully coated,
- Add turkey breast to air fryer basket breast side down and place a piece of foil on top to prevent from burning. Make sure the the turkey breast fully fits in air fryer without it touching the heat element at the top.
- Turn air fryer on 350 and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, using tongs, flip turkey breast so the meat side is up and place the foil on top of the breast. Cook for 20 minutes longer.
- Remove the foil and cook for 10 more minutes or until skin is browned to desired look.
- Using tongs, remove entire turkey breast from air fryer and place onto a plate and tent with foil for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Can this be done with olive oil instead of butter?
Sure can!