Make juicy, flavorful chicken with this Gluten-Free Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken, ready in less than 30 minutes!
I believe I have finally found the BEST Air Fryer Chicken, one that pairs so well with Air Fryer Truffle Fries. I’m sure most of us grew up on those classic Shake N Bake commercials and this brings it all back, except this time you can just combine some great seasonings from your pantry to make this Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken.
Plus, if you’re like me and need to make it gluten-free, it’s very easy to do that with a simple swap of breadcrumbs.
What do you need for Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken?
- Gluten-Free or Regular Panko Breadcrumbs
- Gluten-Free or Regular Fine Breadcrumbs
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Lemon Pepper
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
- Sour Cream
- Grapeseed Oil Spray
This recipe uses two types of breadcrumbs, one is Panko breadcrumbs, and then the other is regular breadcrumbs. Panko Breadcrumbs are going to be more coarse so they will give it a nice crunch. The regular breadcrumbs will fully coat the chicken.
Along with this, grapeseed oil cooking spray is also a great addition to this recipe because it makes the chicken even more crispy. Olive Oil Spray will work as well, but as always remember that it has a lower smoke point than Grapeseed.
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts are going to be used for this recipe. It would also work with chicken thighs; however, the cooking times would need to be altered so watch those closely. We use 4 chicken breasts for this recipe, if yours are thick, they can be cut lengthwise in half, this way you would only need 2 chicken breasts to create 4 servings.
How do you make this recipe gluten-free?
The only swap needed to make this gluten-free is to use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
I almost always use 4C Foods Gluten-Free Plain Breadcrumbs and 4C Foods Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs. These are readily available at Walmart. Any brand you prefer will work, but these are the two that are easiest to find, at least in my experience.
Other than the breadcrumbs, the remaining ingredients are naturally gluten-free; however, as always check all ingredients before using.
Tips for Making Gluten-Free Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken:
Once the chicken is prepped and the seasonings are prepared, each slice of chicken will be coated with sour cream before being coated with the bread crumb and seasoning mixture.
This can either be combined and placed in a bowl or a Ziploc bag. If you use the Ziploc bag method, this is the traditional shake-and-bake method. The sour cream-coated chicken would be placed in the Ziploc bag with the seasonings and then you guessed it…shake it up and bake it or in our case air fry it!
The sour cream is needed and will act as the glue for the seasoning mixture to adhere to the chicken.
The chicken can be placed in the air fryer basket either as is or lined with parchment paper. Remember that if you use parchment paper, do not turn the air fryer on until there is food weighing down the parchment paper.
There needs to be room left between the chicken, so be sure not to overcrowd the basket and place it in a single layer. If needed, make this in two batches. If you want to keep the first batch warm, place it on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees F while the second batch cooks.
Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F, it is considered done. This is best checked with a meat thermometer. My all-time favorite meat thermometer is this Thermapen, this one will outlast many and is great to use all year long for a variety of foods.
The step-by-step instructions will be in the recipe card below.
Variations of Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken:
- Make it Spicy – Add chili powder and paprika to the breadcrumbs.
- Make it Kid-Friendly – Add grated Parmigiano cheese and bacon bits to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Make it Deluxe – Serve it topped over marinara pasta with grated Parmesan Cheese on top.
This chicken can even be used as a chicken sandwich too, it tastes great on a bun!
How do you store leftovers?
Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
For best results, when ready to reheat, set the air fryer to 300 degrees F and cook for 5 minutes or until warm.
Now are you ready for the BEST Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken? Plus, it can easily be made gluten-free too. It’s time to go Shake N’ Bake!
Gluten-Free Air Fryer Shake and Bake Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free or Regular Panko Breadcrumbs Coarse Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free or Regular Breadcrumbs Fine Breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast See Note
- 1/3 Cup Sour Cream
- Grapeseed Oil Spray
Instructions
- Mix the Panko breadcrumbs, regular breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon pepper in a small bowl or Ziploc bag. Set aside.
- Unpack, dry the chicken with a paper towel, and place it on a plate. Trim any excess fat or cut the chicken so each piece is the same size.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the sour cream on the chicken breast, on both sides. If you don't have a brush, use the back of a spoon or knife.
- Place the coated chicken into the breadcrumb mixture, either in your bowl or the Ziploc bag.
- If using a Ziploc bag, seal the bag and shake it up to coat the chicken. If using a bowl, roll the chicken in the mixture to fully coat.
- Place the chicken into the air fryer basket, depending on size, it may need to be done 2 per batch.
- Coat the chicken with grapeseed oil spray. This is optional; however, it will make the chicken more crispy.
- Cook at 380°F for 13-15 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time.
- The internal temperature should be at least 165°F to be considered done.
- Place on a cooling rack and serve or continue making the remaining batch.
- If you want to keep it warm while cooking another batch, place in the oven at 200°F on a baking sheet to keep warm.
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