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) dropping 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!
Table of Contents
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 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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We used an OMORC 6 qt air fryer. It was just barely too small for my 5lb turkey, so I had to cook the turkey on its side. To compensate for that, instead of flipping it only once like the recipe says, I flipped it every 20 minutes to make sure I cooked it evenly. This worked perfectly,!
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!
More air fried recipes you might serve with this turkey:
- You can cook a whole sweet potato in the air fryer for a healthy side dish that tastes great with a crispy air fried skin!
- This air fryer broccoli and cheese casserole is the perfect holiday side dish.
- Our air fryer baked potatoes are the perfect thing to serve at any meal.
- If sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, my favorite potatoes are these garlic butter roasted potatoes!
Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound bone-in turkey breast thawed
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
- Place the turkey breast on a large plate or baking sheet.
- Add the remaining ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to combine.
- Gently loosen the skin around the meat and rub about ⅔ of the butter mixture under the skin.
- Rub the remaining butter mixture over the outside of the turkey breast.
- Place the turkey, skin side down, in the air fryer basket and cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Carefully flip the turkey over and cook, skin side up, for 40 minutes more or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- Remove the turkey to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Carve and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
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