With our air fryer bone-in turkey breast recipe, you can make the best crispy turkey breast in less than an hour! It doesn’t get much better than air frying turkey with a simple garlic herb butter that infuses tons of flavor.
Air Fryer Turkey Breast (Bone-in)
Our bone-in turkey breast in air fryer recipe needs just a quick seasoning made of herbs de Provence, garlic salt, and black pepper, which is based over your turkey breast with a mix of butter and oil. The results are a perfectly crisp bone-in turkey breast that is seasoned to perfection and unbelievably moist.
Traditionally served at Thanksgiving, turkey is a poultry dish that is largely ignored the other 51-weeks of the year. And, while that makes sense when you are talking about a whole bird, with our air fryer bone-in turkey breast recipe you can have the best part of your Thanksgiving dinner without the 4-hour cooking process.
This recipe was used in our home several years ago when we were hosting a small Thanksgiving dinner in our home. While cooking an entire turkey was an option, we had just purchased our very first air fryer and were excited to see how well a bone-in turkey breast in air fryer recipe would work.
In a word – perfectly!
Best served as an alternative to cooking a whole bird on Thanksgiving, air fryer bone in turkey breast pairs well with your favorite holiday side dishes including air fryer whole potatoes, air fryer frozen Brussel sprouts, and air fryer frozen biscuits.
What Makes This Recipe So Good!
- With our air fryer bone-in turkey breast you can make a super crispy yet moist turkey quickly.
- Adding a mix of common kitchen herbs and spices helps you to flavor your air fryer bone in turkey breast quickly and easily!
- With a cook time of just one hour our air fryer turkey breast recipe is noticeably faster than oven-roasted methods which typically need 1.5 hours to bake!
- The secret to a super moist bone-in turkey breast is to remove the turkey slightly before it has reached the proper temperature and allow it to finish cooking while it rests.
- Our air fryer bone-in turkey breast recipe is perfect for anyone who is looking for following a healthy eating plan including low-carb, keto, gluten-free, sugar-free, or dairy-free.
Key Ingredients
Leave the skin on your bone-in turkey breast, grab some kitchen basics, including garlic salt and pepper, and get ready to make the best air fryer bone-in turkey breast.
- turkey breast – bone-in with the skin on
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic salt – or use a mix of salt and garlic powder, or you could use minced garlic and salt too
- freshly ground black pepper
- herbs de Provence – you can also use Italian seasoning
- butter – get that buttery taste by mixing both oil and butter together, this allows the butter to cook at a higher temperature without smoking.
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
How to Air Fry Bone-in Turkey Breast
Cooking your bone-in turkey breast in air fryer is such a super simple way to ensure your holiday meal is a stress-free as possible! After a quick seasoning, we are going to leave the turkey breast alone and let the air fryer make it amazing (well, except for a quick rotation halfway through cooking).
Prep
In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.
Use paper towels to pat the turkey breast on both sides. This removes excess moisture and helps the exterior to get extra crispy during air frying.
Season both sides of the turkey breast by brushing it with the oil and herb mixture.
For easier clean-up, spray a little cooking spray on the air fryer basket.
Turkey Breast in Air Fryer Temperature
Your air fryer bone-in turkey breast will need to cook in a 350F air fryer.
For best results, we do recommend you preheat your unit for 5 minutes. If you preheat the unit before you prep the turkey breast it should be ready when the turkey is.
Turkey Breast in Air Fryer Cook Time
Place your seasoned turkey breast meat side down in your air fryer meat side down. Cook it for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, flip the turkey breast over and add 1 tablespoon of butter.
Continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F when a thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the breast.
For the best turkey breast ever, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before you slice it.
Variations
- Herbs de Provence is my all time favorite savory herb seasoning blend, but you could also use Italian seasoning or individual herbs such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
- For a super simple air fryer turkey breast, just opt for salt and pepper.
- If you would prefer to use a turkey leg, use the same steps and method but cook to an internal temperature of 160F.
- Add a rub seasoning mix such as a chicken rub or a pork rub
- Add some citrus to the air fryer like lemon wedges or oranges
- Brine the turkey breast hours or even a day before to infuse flavor and make it extra juicy
Air Fryer Turkey Breast Bone In Tips
- Make an air fryer turkey leg following the same steps! Simply cook the turkey leg to an internal temperature of 160F.
- If your air fryer has a rotisserie option, feel free to use that instead of your air fryer basket to make your air fryer bone-in turkey breast.
- Be sure to not exceed the weight limits of your model. To cook the turkey breast in the oven, use the same steps, it just might take a little longer to cook. While the turkey breast in the recipe was 2.5-3 lb, many air fryers will hold up to 4 lbs. It’ll of course just take longer to cook.
What to serve with turkey
- Gravy
- Cranberry sauce (homemade or canned)
- Stuffing or dressing (cooked outside of the turkey)
- Mashed potatoes
- Sweet potatoes or yams (baked, mashed, or in a casserole)
- Green beans (steamed, sautéed, or in a casserole with crispy onions)
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Cornbread or rolls (to sop up gravy)
What to do with leftover turkey breast
- Make turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
- Turkey wraps (with a tortilla, avocado, bacon, and ranch dressing)
- Turkey salad– cube the turkey and mix with mayo, dried cranberries, celery, and seasoning
- Make turkey club sandwiches with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on toasted bread
- Shred the leftover turkey meat and make turkey tacos
- Turkey pot pie – cube the turkey and mix with veggies, a creamy sauce, and top with a flaky crust
- Make a comforting pot of turkey noodle soup or turkey rice soup
Common Questions
You can opt to keep it simple with air fryer baked potato, air fryer green beans, and air fryer biscuits, or go all out and create typical holiday sides.
Store any leftover turkey breast you have in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use any leftovers within 4 days. You can also freeze the turkey slices in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat your leftovers in the air fryer, preheat the unit to 350F and cook until warm. Slices will heat faster, 3-5 minutes, whereas the whole piece will take longer. We do recommend reheating slices as the whole breast may dry out.
More Air Fryer Main Dish Recipes
💌 Be sure to join our air fryer recipes email list! Every week we’ll send you easy air fryer recipes from our Whole Lotta Air Frying site + our Whole Lotta Yum site! If you enjoy our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too!
📌 Pin for Later
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Bone-In Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb bone-in turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon + garlic salt or salt + pinch of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon + herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350F for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray to help make clean-up easier.
- Use paper towels to pat the turkey breast dry on both sides.
- Use a basting brush to brush both sides of the turkey breast with the oil and herb mixture.
- Place the seasoned turkey breast on the air fryer rack with the breast piece facing down.
- Cook the turkey breast for 25 minutes.
- Flip the turkey breast over and brush with butter.
- Finish cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make an air fryer turkey leg following the same steps! Simply cook the turkey leg to an internal temperature of 160F.
- If your air fryer has a rotisserie option, feel free to use that instead of your air fryer basket to make your air fryer bone-in turkey breast. Be sure to not exceed the weight limits of your model.
- To cook the turkey breast in the oven, use the same steps, it just might take a little longer to cook.
- While the turkey breast in the recipe was 2.5-3 lb, many air fryers will hold up to 4 lbs. It'll of course just take longer to cook.
Nutrition
© 2023 Whole Lotta Air Frying
Leave a Reply