Air Fryer Chicken Bites (Crispy But No Breading)
Crispy, breading-free chicken bites made in the air fryer with a sweet-spicy seasoning.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 poundschicken breastboneless and skinless cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cupbrown sugar
- 1 teaspoonCajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoongarlic powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1/4 teaspooncayenne pepperoptional- see notes about picky eaters
Instructions
Instructions
- Cut the 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch chunks, keeping pieces as uniform as possible. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl combine ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional — omit for picky eaters).
- Pour the spice mixture over the chicken in the large bowl and toss until all pieces are evenly coated.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 2–3 minutes if your model recommends preheating.
- Use tongs to place the coated chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving space between pieces; cook in batches if they won’t all fit in one layer.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes total. At the 5-minute mark, open the basket and use tongs to toss or turn the chicken so it browns evenly.
- Verify the chicken is fully cooked: the internal temperature should read 165°F and there should be no pink in the center. If needed, continue cooking in 1–2 minute increments until done.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and let it rest 2–3 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Bowl
- Tongs
Notes
Notes
If you have picky eaters, too much spice or heat may be a concern for you. Try adapting the recipe the first time you make it by using half the Cajun seasoning and swapping black pepper for the cayenne pepper. You can then slowly increase the spices over time to get to a level both the picky eater and the rest of your family are satisfied with.
You can swap out the Cajun seasoning for any other seasoning that goes well with the brown sugar. BBQ seasoning or BBQ rub is a great option that goes great with the brown sugar. An Asian seasoning such as Korean BBQ seasoning also works well with the brown sugar.
Other seasoning mixes such as Montreal Chicken seasoning, lemon pepper,
Italian seasoning
or even everything bagel seasoning can be used but I would recommend leaving out the brown sugar and instead add two tablespoons of cooking oil.
If you have picky eaters, too much spice or heat may be a concern for you. Try adapting the recipe the first time you make it by using half the Cajun seasoning and swapping black pepper for the cayenne pepper. You can then slowly increase the spices over time to get to a level both the picky eater and the rest of your family are satisfied with.
You can swap out the Cajun seasoning for any other seasoning that goes well with the brown sugar. BBQ seasoning or BBQ rub is a great option that goes great with the brown sugar. An Asian seasoning such as Korean BBQ seasoning also works well with the brown sugar.
Other seasoning mixes such as Montreal Chicken seasoning, lemon pepper,
Italian seasoning
or even everything bagel seasoning can be used but I would recommend leaving out the brown sugar and instead add two tablespoons of cooking oil.