Our air fryer chicken sandwich recipe is a healthy solution to your cravings.
Are you torn between eating healthier and your favorite treat? You don’t have to be anymore, because the chicken burgers we’re about to show you are crispy and delicious, yet far healthier than most places’.
How Our Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich Healthy
If fast foods are what you consume on a daily basis, switching to air-fried foods like this one is a great decision.
First of all, air-frying requires much less oil. This allows you to enjoy crispy foods with none of the excess calories from frying in oil.
Second, air-fried foods are much lower in acrylamide compared to deep-fried foods because they require little to no oil. Experts found that consuming foods high in acrylamide is linked to an increased risk of cancer.
The bottom line is, the more we can exclude deep-fried foods from our diet, the better.
Chicken sandwiches are often high in sodium and saturated fats because they tend to be over-seasoned and contain heaps of mayonnaise. Our version has just enough of these ingredients to taste delicious and still assure a healthy intake of said substances.
Main Ingredients
1. The Chicken
Chicken sandwiches are best made with chicken breasts. They are packed with protein, low in fat, and easy to work with (since they’re boneless).
As with all recipes, we use room-temp ingredients only, especially the meat. If you have no other choice but to use frozen chicken, be sure to check out our alternative instructions in the next few sections.
2. The Seasonings
A delicious burger requires a well-seasoned patty, so we marinate the chicken with some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and sriracha. These are all basic burger patty spices, except for sriracha — its mild heat makes the burgers more appetizing.
We also add a little olive oil to the chicken, which helps to retain moisture and makes for juicier bites. See our Air Fryer Chicken Patties for more ideas on seasoning your patty.
3. The Breading Station
Our breading station has plain flour, an egg mixture, and a breadcrumbs mixture.
Since the chicken is already seasoned, there’s no need to further season the flour. You can use either all-purpose flour or cornstarch.
To make crispier chicken, we beat our egg with a splash of milk to thin out the egg layer. The thinner it is, the more crunchy the end result will be.
Once floured and dredged in the beaten egg, the chicken is coated in a mixture of breadcrumbs, butter, and parmesan (for extra savoriness). The butter will melt and react with the breadcrumbs, frying it in the process while leaving a gentle, lingering aroma.
4. Burger Toppings
To keep things simple, we go for the classic toppings: mayo, tomatoes, lettuce, and red onions.
To be able to eat a lot of mayonnaise without consuming tons of saturated fat, we mixed two parts mayo with one part Greek yogurt. The tangy yogurt balances out the sweet taste of kewpie mayo, making the sauce super indulgent.
Can You Cook Frozen Chicken?
When it comes to frying frozen meat, always make thawing a priority. It’s almost impossible to cook them inside and out evenly.
If you have no other choice than to cook frozen meat, be glad that you’re working with boneless cuts because there is a way.
First, submerge the chicken breasts in a bath of water to thaw them out partially. You should use this time to wash and slice the veggies, measure the ingredients out, or even prepare the breading station.
Pat them dry with paper towels and proceed with steps 1, 2, and 3. That is, to marinate them, prepare the breading station (if you haven’t), and give them a nice coating.
At this point, they’re still really cold on the inside so the best option is to cook them slowly. Adjust the heat to 300°F and air-fry the chicken for about 15 minutes (flip halfway).
Then, crank the heat up to 350°F and give them a final heat blast for 2 minutes. This step is to turn the outside crispy.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftover
It’s best to keep the components separate (and covered) in the fridge and try to eat them within 5 days. We don’t recommend keeping them in the freezer — the veggies will turn mushy and the chicken will be really dry.
To reheat, place the buns and chicken into the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes at 300°F. Wait for them to cool down a little before you assemble them.
As with most crispy foods, we don’t recommend keeping leftovers at all because they won’t taste the same after reheating. If you often have a tight schedule, there is a lot you can do beforehand:
- Wash the lettuce leaves, spin them dry, and store them in the fridge
- Wash the tomatoes and store them whole in the fridge
- Make the sauce and store it in the fridge
- Marinade the chicken pieces, portion them into individual containers, and store them in the freezer.
If you want food the day after, move your desired portion of chicken breast to the fridge to thaw. You’ll only need to coat the chicken, air fry, cut the tomatoes, and assemble your delicious sandwich once the chicken finishes.
For more air fryer ideas, have a look at our best air fryer dinner recipes.
What to Serve With
We’re serving the chicken sandwiches with some air-fried french fries and a glass of juice. The balance of sweetness and tanginess makes the drink a tasty alternative to coke.
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Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich Recipe
This air fryer chicken sandwich recipe will help you make a delicious fast food meal in 25 minutes. It's a healthier option than any takeout chicken burger.
- cook TIME 20 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 497 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts (divide into 8 (or 4) pieces)
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 oz tomatoes (sliced)
- 2 oz lettuce (picked and cleaned)
- 1 oz red onions (sliced)
- 1 egg (medium)
- 0.25 oz parmesan (grated)
- 1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinate 8 pieces of chicken breast (20 oz) with 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp sriracha, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Make sure every piece of chicken gets seasoned evenly. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
Beat 1 medium egg with 2 tbsp milk in a bowl.
Combine 1 tbsp melted butter, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, and 0.25 oz parmesan in another bowl.
Place 1/4 cup all-purpose flour into a large dish. Take a piece of chicken with your dry hand, dip it in the flour, and shake to remove the excess.
Dredge it over the egg mixture with your wet hand, flip, and allow the excess to drip off.
Place it into the breadcrumbs, use your dry hand to sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto the chicken, then press to coat both of its sides. Place it onto a rack or a baking sheet. Repeat to coat the remaining pieces.
Lay all of the pieces into the air fryer basket in a single layer (fry multiple batches if necessary), and air-fry for 10 minutes. Flip at the 7th minute.
While the chicken’s cooking, combine 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise with 1 tbsp Greek yogurt in a bowl. Optional: toast the buns in a non-stick pan over medium heat until warm.
Assemble the burger: Start with the bottom bun, add lettuce, tomato slices, red onion, and enjoy!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- Nultyeasy to make and tastes delicious.