Air fryer turkey breast is a wonderful alternative to a whole turkey if you’re feeding a small crowd. You can save the oven space for all your delicious sides. Plus, it cooks in about an hour, saving you valuable time. If you like this recipe, then try these tasty air fryer recipes next: air fryer stuffed peppers, air fryer Brussels sprouts, and air fryer chicken wings.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Turkey — bone-in, skin on turkey breast is the best option for succulent results. Use one half of a turkey breast. If you buy a frozen packaged turkey breast, it may be the whole thing, unsplit. You can divide the breast by cutting down the center like you would spatchcock a chicken. Herb butter turkey rub — softened butter, garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, and black pepper give the turkey the most mouthwatering flavor. The butter will also help the outside turn a gorgeous golden brown and produce addictively crispy skin.
How to Make Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- After allowing the turkey to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes, pat both sides dry very well with paper towels.
- Make the herb rub for the turkey in a small bowl. Mix together softened butter, minced garlic, minced rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Gently loosen the skin on the breast and rub ½ of the butter mixture under the skin. Rub the remaining garlic butter mixture all over the outside of the turkey breast.
- Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Place the turkey in the air fryer basket skin-side up and air fry for 10 minutes.
- Flip the turkey over and air fry for another 30 minutes. Flip the turkey again (the skin side will be facing up once more) and air fry until the skin is golden and crispy, about 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Let the turkey breast rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Opt for bone-in skin-on turkey breast. Bone-in turkey breast is so much more juicy and flavorful than a boneless turkey breast! If desired, you can use a boneless breast, but the cooking time will be 20 to 30 minutes less. Thaw the turkey breast completely. A turkey breast takes a fraction of the time of a whole turkey to defrost, but don’t forget this important step if you purchase it frozen! Thaw the breast in the refrigerator a day ahead, or overnight, depending on its size. Let it sit at room temperature. Set the turkey breast on the counter about 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking so it warms up just a bit. This will help the turkey cook more evenly in the air fryer. Pat the turkey dry. This seemingly unimportant step is absolutely vital if you want crispy, crackly skin on your air-fried turkey breast. Use a meat thermometer. When cooking poultry, it’s important to ensure the meat is fully cooked before you eat it. A meat thermometer or instant read thermometer is the best way to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast. According to the USDA, all poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. In this recipe, I cook the turkey breast in the air fryer until its internal temperature reaches 160°F. While it rests, the residual heat from cooking will cause its internal temperature to rise to 165°F, and it will be ready to enjoy after the resting period. This little trick safeguards from overcooking and results in the best juicy turkey breast! Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes. As I mentioned above, while the turkey rests, its internal temperature will continue to rise. But flavor magic happens during this time, too! In those 10 minutes, the juices will be absorbed and redistributed in the turkey, so you have succulent, incredibly tender turkey. Ingredient substitutions: You can use ¼ to ½ teaspoon garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. You could also use other fresh herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, oregano, or sage, instead of rosemary. You can also use olive oil in place of butter if necessary, but butter does add the most flavor. Make a gravy with the drippings. Though this method won’t produce as many drippings as an oven-roasted turkey, there will still be a delicious, super flavorful fond in the bottom of your air fryer. So, please don’t waste it and make my turkey gravy recipe! Add some broth to the air fryer basket and swirl it around to help loosen the drippings.
If you’ve tried this air fryer turkey breast recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
