These easy, high-protein Air Fryer Chicken Bites, made with boneless skinless chicken breast chunks, are perfect for a quick dinner! I make a batch and use the other half for meal prep for the week.
Air Fryer Chicken Breast Bites
These easy naked Air Fryer Chicken Bites with no breading use boneless chicken breast chunks seasoned with Italian dressing, dried herbs, and spices. I like to think of them as grown up chicken nuggets, and they’re so versatile! I air fry them for dinner and save the other batch for lunches for the week. I love using my air fryer for cooking chicken breasts! What I love about this air fryer chicken breast version, it’s quicker than my brined Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe because there’s no need to marinate the chicken very long. Some other chicken breast favorites are Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan, and my favorite Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich.
Why This Air Fryer Chicken Recipe Works
- Delicious: These chicken breast bites are anything but bland! They’re seasoned with Italian dressing, herbs, adobo, salt, and sazon if you want even more flavor.
- Fast and Easy: This air fryer chicken bite recipe is simple. Just cut the chicken breasts, season the pieces, and air fry. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
- High Protein: One serving has 38.5 grams of protein, making this dish an easy way to get a good amount of your required daily protein.
Air Fryer Chicken Bites Ingredients
- Chicken: Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.
- Italian Dressing: Buy your favorite brand or make homemade Italian dressing for the chicken marinade.
- Adobo Seasoning: Adobo is a Latin spice blend consisting of onion and garlic powders, salt, pepper, and other spices.
- Italian Herbs: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, substitute any dried herbs, like oregano, basil, and parsley.
- Salt to season the chicken
- Sazon seasoning contains coriander, cumin, annatto, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and pepper. It is optional but delicious if you want to add it. Buy it at the supermarket, use or make homemade sazon.
How to Make Boneless Chicken Bites in the Air Fryer
- Season the Chicken: Combine the chicken with the dressing, adobo seasoning, dried herbs, salt, and sazon if using.
- How Long to Air Fry Chicken Bites: Place the chicken in an even layer. Cook at 400°F for 12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. It’s ready when the bites are browned and cooked through.
What to Serve with Chicken Bites
These simple chicken bites are versatile and work with various sides.
- Main Dish: Serve this chicken with rice, beans, or sweet potatoes with a green salad, Brussels sprouts, or green beans.
- Tacos: Wrap the chicken in tortillas and top with salsa and cheese.
- Bowls: Make a grain bowl with chicken, veggies, and a fried egg and drizzle with more Italian dressing.
- Salads: Throw the meat on any salad for extra protein.
How to Meal Prep Chicken Bites
Leftover chicken bites will last up to four days refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat them in the air fryer or microwave for quick lunches during the week.
You can also freeze cooked chicken bites:
- Let the chicken cool, and then flash-freeze the chunks on a sheet pan.
- Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and store for up to three months.
- To eat, either thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or heat them from frozen in the air fryer at 350°F for about five minutes, shaking the basket halfway.
Air Fryer Must-Haves
More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
- Blackened Air Fryer Salmon Bites
- Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Breaded Cubed Steak
Air Fryer Chicken Bites
Equipment
- Air Fryer (I love this pretty white one from AllCool)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes (I prefer organic)
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Sazon seasoning , homemade or store bought, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the chicken with Italian dressing, adobo seasoning, dried Italian herbs, kosher salt and optional, sazon.
- Spray the basket with oil. Air fry the chicken in an even layer, in batches as needed at 400F 12 minutes, or until browned and cooked through, shaking the basket halfway.
Fantastic!! Made this for dinner last night and enjoyed by all. Thank you for a quick yet delicious recipe.
Very tasty but too much salt. Will make again but leave the salt out of the marinate and just use the salt from the greek seasoning.
Still not try yet
what a great way to take advantage of chicken breast on sale. I made a little extra marinade for a bit over 3 lbs of chicken and added a bit more vinegar for tanginess. Delicious and so quick. Can be used so many ways. Thanks Gina. For those who said it was dry, I suggest take it out and check part way through. Not everyone cuts up chicken the same.
Really good! Loved the seasonings. I used my chicken in chopped salads, and then one day I put the leftovers on the stove on low and mixed in a scoop of cream cheese and let it simmer for a bit and ate it with rice and peas, soooo good! I love an interchangeable recipe.
Me too! 🙂
These are great. May family loves them. I cook and freeze them all the time. I use them for a quick meal or meal prep. I was ready to cook a batch today and our electricity went out. I out them in the freezer raw and I plan to thaw and cook them this weekend. I hope that works.
Cooked the chicken for 8 min at 375 in my Ninja air fryer. Turnned out perfectly. We would have loved it but the sauce was not that good. I may have done something wrong. Would make again with a different sauce.
Fast, easy and so good!! Seeing reviews that chicken was dry and wondering what I did differently? I always overcook my chicken because I am afraid of undercooking and mine were super moist!
Time is way too long, I cooked mine for half time 6 minutes as suggested and they were nearly done. 8 minutes is more like it
Came out great! Ty
The chicken is tough and dry
These are delicious! I love all of your recipes! Mine took about 8-10 min in the AF. I thought the seasoning as listed was perfect and I used 2 lbs of chicken
This recipe is delicious! It is in regular rotation at my house and it is one of my favorite recipes.
Very flavorful! I made half of the recipe and the Coconut Chicken Rice Bowls for meal prep for this week. This is definitely going on repeat. I used the tropical Sazón (for meats/poultry/fish). My husband is eating them off the plate as they’re cooling! I hope I have some left for lunches!
I made the Air Fryer Chicken Bites. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! A quick and easy recipe the entire family LOVED!! So yummy!
My nuggets came out really dry so I am not going to rate the recipe. I will reduce the cooking time next time.
Love these chicken bites! I make every few weeks to prep lunches for the week.
These chicken bites are great! I followed the recipe except that I left out the salt. I’ve already made this twice and this will be a regular for us!
Great lunch option and easy to make. New points are 1
I made this in the Instant Pot since I only had frozen chicken and I was dying to try this. Once it was done and shredded, I crisped it in the air fryer. It was so good!
Wow, I didn’t expect that!
I had a breast but at a loss and wanted it fast and easy.
I mostly followed the recipe that wasn’t right in front of me….
THIS WAS GREAT! Jam packed with flavor and so easy.
This will be a ‘go to’ on a regular basis and the leftovers great for a salad or maybe even an orange marmalade dipping.
Out of this world! Gina, this is yet another Skinnytaste hit in our house, from the 4yr old to the 50 yr old! Amazing flavor. I made it as described and wouldn’t change a thing!
Thanks Kacey!
These came out great.
Sounds great – question if not using an air fryer how would you translate cooking time to traditional oven or pan on stove top?
Skillet about 5 to 6 minutes on high.
Very delish – I will keep this recipe. But, what is considered a serving?
Obsessed! I have been making this weekly. Would love some variations on marinated if you have any ideas.
Hands down, the best chicken I’ve ever had!!!!!! I pop it in my mouth like popcorn while I’m cooking it! Haha! Thank you x1,000,000!!
Lol, glad you enjoy it!
The whole family loved them.
This recipe was way too salty. I followed directions and used Kosher salt, but nobody in my family could eat it.
How much kosher salt did you use total and did you make 2 lbs?
Delish! I ran out of sazon and subbed it for sofrito and it was wonderful!
This has become a family favorite and a recipe that I know my entire family will eat anytime! We often make bowls with rice or quinoa and broccoli. The leftovers are so good too!
Great!!
I’m confused. How long should chicken marinate in Italian dressing before cooking?
My new favorite for meal prepping for salads!
I left out the extra teaspoon salt and it was still too salty for our taste. Next time I’ll cut the adobo in half. Only took about 7 to 8 minutes to cook.
We loved the mixture of dressing and spices. This was very simple to make too. We did have to adjust the cooking time down, but that was simply because we did smaller chunks of chicken more than anything. (Or our air fryer runs hot.) It was a very, fast and pretty healthy meal when added to a salad and veggies.
Loved it! I didn’t have the Sazon but followed the rest of the recipe and it was delicious. So quick and easy – perfect for a Friday night
So simple and so good
Super yummy and easy to make!
The chicken itself was delicious as far as texture and juiciness. However, I omitted the extra teaspoon of salt and it was still wayyyy too salty. No one could even eat it:( It smelled good🤷🏻♀️ Definitely will use half the seasonings listed & it does not need any added salt!!
Are you using table salt vs Diamond Crystal Kosher salt? It will be saltier, so you will have to cut back by half.
I used Kosher Salt and it still incredibly salty. I love the other flavors, next time no salt at all.
The flavor is great but the cook time is way too long. Maybe it’s because I’m using a brand new air fryer but the cook time was more like 8 minutes rather than 12.
8-9 minutes cook time was enough for our Ninja air fryer. Flavor is great but there was way too much salt, especially when including the optional sazon. Not inedible but definitely taken down a notch. Will try again with modifications.
If you use table salt, it will be saltier, so use less or adjust to your taste.
My favorite air fryer chicken recipe! So easy to make.
The flavors really surprised me. I don’t cook with Sazon much and this was absolutely delicious! So flavorful and juicy! Will become a weekly staple in my room.
These are delicious! They turned out perfectly, very tender, moist. Great recipe!
This was fantastic! Everyone in the family loved this. It’s easy, healthy and tastes great!
This was so quick and easy but best of all tasted great. Ate them with a side veg as a main meal and plan to use the remaining on salads and in bowls this week!
Super easy and delish.
What are the measurements of the seasoning I am only using 1lb of chicken since the recipe calls for 3lb?
This recipe is off the freakin hook!!!!!
My chicken bites were too salty and overcooked. I believe they don’t need salt.
This was a hit in my household.The older kids and adults enjoyed the Adobo and Sazon the younger kids not so much. I learned not to cut the pieces too small as they dried out. I also reduced the amount of salt by half. Pounding the thicker pieces down with the palm of your hand and a cleaver helps to get a more uniform size. I also reduced the time to 5 min before and after the shake. This recipe really showed me that my air fryer is a great tool in the kitchen.
YUM!!! Couldn’t be easier & so convenient to have on hand. Thanks, Gina!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! The chicken is juicy and flavorful and tastes just as delicious leftover. I made packets of the seasonings and sent them to my college student along with the Italian dressing. He provided the chicken and LOVED this meal (he added rice and broccoli)!
The flavors really surprised me. I don’t cook with Sazon much and this was absolutely delicious! So flavorful and juicy! Will become a weekly staple in my house.
I didn’t use the Adobe or sazon and I added Rosemary in the place of parsley. I used Good Seasons dressing made with the best olive oil and white wine vinegar. My first time cooking in an air fryer! Not only did the bites turn out juicy, flavorful and delicious, but the cooking time was SUPER fast!
Wow, this couldn’t be easier. And it was delicious. Even my picky husband ate it and asked for more the second day!
Love this recipe! We use kosher salt but also cut the salt amount by half – I need to watch my blood pressure. 😉 We like it so much I’m making it for the second time this week as an easy go-to for it big family.
Was wondering if i cooked this in a conventional oven?? Love it so much I’d love to share it with our extended family up north, but no air fryer there. Will it change it much??
LOVE this recipe! Makes enough for dinner with leftovers to add to my lunch salads. I’m not a fan of salty foods, so I omitted the tsp of salt – just the adobo and sazon was perfect!
Delicious and so simple! Perfect to top salads or add to tacos
Delicious! Perf for meal prep for lunch!
Question: since sazon also has salt in it, and it’s listed as an optional ingredient, should the 1 tbsp salt in the recipe be reduced if using? Thanks!
I don’t but you can if you wish.
I don’t have an airfreight, can these be made in the oven?
Why is it 1 point as opposed to 0?
You can see the point breakdown if you click the blue ww button…
Can I prepare this recipe with chicken thighs?
easy, fast and delicious!
Came out delish!!!!!!
The were outstanding. My husband and I nibbled at the bird while I cooked the second batch. I drizzled a touch of lime after they were cooked and they are delicious. Thanks!
Hi Gina,
This was amazing! Soo easy and great for those busy weeknights! I made this last night for dinner and saved the rest for protein for our salads for lunch the rest of this week. I must thank you, your blog is always my go-to for planning my meals for the week. All of your recipes are delicious and straightforward. Thank you, Gina!!
I made this recipe and it is great so easy to make and so tasty.
So flavorful! Worked great on top of a nice big salad. Tender chicken with lots of yum. I thought the seasoning mixed seemed like a strange combo, but I trust Gina. It works, go with it! I have an air fryer built into my oven, adjusted the cook time to 20 minutes for 3 1/2 pounds of chicken. Even though I used more chicken than the recipe called for, I didn’t adjust the amount of marinade and it was just fine.
Thank you for the recipe! It’s great to have a tip on how to reheat the bites from frozen. That’s super helpful.
Just wondering if the 1 mg of sodium is accurate. With salt in the salad dressing, adobo seasoning and the sazon seasoning plus 1 tsp of salt, it seems like the sodium content would be higher. We are very careful of our sodium intake. Thank you for your follow-up.
Thanks for catching that, I just fixed.
This recipe is now my go to for chicken breasts. I never know what else to do with them and this provides a great protein snack, can go on salads – so many uses. I didn’t have the exact ingredients but similar and I followed the recipe otherwise exactly and these are moist, browned and tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
I assume this can be made in a toaster oven type air fryer.
Love your recipes!! I I don’t have an air fryer. Would instructions and temp be the same for a convection oven?
You could easily cook this on a skillet high heat in batches, spraying the skillet with oil first.