This air fryer turkey breast has perfectly crispy skin with juicy, tender meat. So simple to make for any dinner, no need to wait for a holiday!
Usually, when I am making turkey it is to feed a group of people. That stresses me out a little bit every time. Imagine messing up the turkey on Thanksgiving day!
If you’ve ever struggled with dry turkey or limp skin, this is the recipe for you!
Everyone knows the crispy skin is the best part, and that makes the air fryer perfect for the job!
If you’ve had fried turkey before, you know how good it can be. It doesn’t dry out and the skin is amazing.
Of course, it’s kind of terrifying (and messy) to drop a whole turkey in a pot of oil.
Enter the air fryer! It’s more of a roast turkey than a fried turkey, but it still solves the dry meat/limp skin issues. This air fryer turkey breast turns out just perfect!
If you want more than just the turkey breast, we also have an air fryer recipe for tender turkey legs or air fryer turkey meatballs!
Ingredient Notes:
Turkey– Be sure your starting with a thawed turkey breast. We can fit a four to five pound breast in our fryer.
Seasonings– Butter, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, paprika, salt, pepper, and rosemary make up our flavor pallette for this recipe.
How to make a turkey in an air fryer:
Place your turkey breast on a large plate or a baking sheet.
Mix the rub together to form a paste. We’re using butter, oil, garlic, and seasonings. Full recipe below!
Gently loosen the skin around the meat and rub about two-thirds of the butter mixture under the skin. This helps keep the breast meat nice and juicy.
Rub the remainder of the mixture over the outside of the turkey breast. This bit flavors the skin and helps it crisp up.
Place the turkey, breast side down, in the air fryer basket.
Cook for 20 minutes, then flip to the breast side up. Cook for another 40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the turkey breast is at 165 degrees F.
Remove the turkey to a carving platter and tent it with foil. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes.
Carve and serve!
We like to drown ours in gravy, obviously. 😉
Answer a question:
The rule of thumb for bone-in turkey is 1 to 1 1/4 pounds per person. This recipe is for a 4-5 pound turkey and intended to serve 4 people.
First, always thaw your turkey in the refrigerator! The guideline here is it will take a full day for every 5 lbs of meat. Again, for this recipe, you will want your turkey to start thawing the day before you plan on cooking it.
The thermometer should always go in the thickest portion of the breast. Be careful not to put the thermometer against a bone.
Air Fryer Tips and Notes for this Recipe:
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Meat thermometers are relatively cheap. I use mine all the time for the security of knowing it is cooked all the way through. The best part about this digital meat thermometer is that it has a magnet on it to just keep it hanging on the side of the fridge. It is a reminder to use it often, instead of letting it get lost in a drawer somewhere and estimating if the food is done.
When it comes to knives I am picky, and I don’t like to have a bunch of knives that only do one thing. Instead, I have one 7-inch knife that I use for EVERYTHING. It is great for chopping veggies or for carving a turkey!
Cutting Tip!
When you are slicing your turkey breast, cut it against the grain of the meat. Cutting the opposite of the grain pattern makes the knife work slightly harder, but it makes it easier to eat the meat. It gives the feeling of a much more tender cut and cooking process.
Comments & Reviews
Harriet says
Did you use the Air Fry setting or Bake or Roast ? Needs to be included in recipe.
Karly Campbell says
We use the air fry setting in all of our recipes.
Terri Joy says
We are having a 3 lb boneless turkey roast. I think it is skinless, but not certain about that. How would I cook it in the air fryer?
Karly says
Hi Terri! I’m really not sure – we’ve only done the turkey breast in the air fryer. My guess is that it will be similar, but I haven’t tested it myself.
Janet King says
I love my air fryer I have three of them
Chad Campbell says
That’s great, we love ours too!
dublaj says
The details mentioned inside the article are several of the best out there. Louise Dickie Valaree