Air Fryer Turkey Breast

Air Fryer Turkey Breast comes out with skin that crackles when you cut into it and meat that’s still juicy underneath. It frees up your oven on the one day of the year you actually need the space. And it’s the right amount of turkey for a normal sized table.

Every Thanksgiving day around 3pm, the same thing happens in my kitchen. The turkey needs the oven. So do the potatoes, the stuffing and the rolls. The oven can be one temperature at a time and it has never once cared about my schedule.

So the turkey breast goes in the air fryer. A 4 to 5 pound bone in breast takes about an hour on the counter, the skin crisps nicely, and the oven is free for everything else. It’s also the right amount of turkey for a table that isn’t 20 people. Nobody needs to be eating turkey sandwiches in December.

The one thing I do differently is start it skin side down and flip it halfway. That’s the difference between skin that crisps and skin that steams.

• Bone in turkey breast (4 to 5 pounds, skin on): Skin on is not optional, it’s the whole reason you’re using an air fryer. Bone in takes longer than boneless but the meat against the bone stays noticeably juicier. Measure your basket before you buy it.
• Olive oil (2 tablespoons): Carries the seasoning and helps the skin brown. Don’t go heavier, because excess oil in an air fryer basket smokes.
• Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon): I use my own Italian Seasoning blend. Store bought is fine.
• Smoked paprika (1 teaspoon): This is where the color comes from. Regular paprika works, but smoked gives you that deep roasted look without any extra time.
• Salt (1 teaspoon): Into the oil mixture so it spreads evenly instead of sitting in patches.
• Black pepper (1 teaspoon): Freshly ground if you’ve got it.

Prep the turkey: Pat the turkey breast completely dry with paper towels, including under the skin flap where water collects. Dry skin crisps and wet skin steams, and this takes 30 seconds.

Mix the seasoning: Stir together the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Brush it generously over the whole breast, both sides.

Preheat: Preheat the air fryer to 350°F, about 5 minutes. Turkey going into a cold basket costs you crisp skin.

Cook skin side down: Place the breast skin side down and cook 30 minutes.

Flip and finish: Turn it skin side up and cook another 30 minutes, until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F. Keep the probe away from the bone, which runs hotter and will lie to you. The flip matters because the hot air moves fastest across the top of the basket. Skin facing up the whole time just dries out slowly while the meat steams underneath it. This way the breast releases its steam first, then the skin gets 30 minutes of direct airflow with nothing fighting it.

Rest and carve: Move it to a board and rest 10 minutes before slicing. Cutting in early dumps the juice onto your cutting board instead of leaving it in the meat.

All times at 350°F, flipped halfway, cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.

The 5 pound bone in time is the one I’ve cooked repeatedly and can vouch for. The rest are scaled from it, so treat them as starting points. Air fryers vary enormously in how hard they actually run.

The rule that overrides the table: cook to temperature, not to time. An instant read thermometer is the most useful thing you can own at Thanksgiving. Start checking 10 minutes before the low end of your range.

A boneless turkey breast roast, which is what most supermarkets sell as a Butterball or similar, works in this recipe with 2 changes.

Take about 10 minutes off the time, per the table above. Boneless cooks faster because there’s no bone slowing the heat through the middle.

And if yours comes in netting, leave the netting on while it cooks. It’s holding the roast in a shape that cooks evenly. Cut it off after resting, right before slicing.

One honest note: a boneless breast has less fat and no bone insulating it, so it goes from juicy to dry faster than bone in does. This is the version where the thermometer stops being optional.

• Measure your basket before you buy the turkey. A 5 pound bone in breast fits mine with room to spare, but air fryers vary a lot. If it’s going to be tight, buy a 3 pound breast and use the table.
• Don’t crowd it. Air needs a path around all sides, and a breast pressed against the wall will steam on whatever side is touching.
• If the skin browns faster than the inside cooks, tent a small piece of foil over the top for the last stretch.
• Don’t plan on gravy from the drippings. There aren’t enough in an air fryer basket to build one. Make it separately, or use what’s there to stretch a gravy you’ve already started.

Fridge: 4 days in an airtight container. Slice it first, it stores better and reheats faster.

Freezer: 3 months. Freeze it sliced in portions with a little broth or gravy, which keeps it from drying out on the way back.

Reheating: Cover the slices, add a splash of broth, warm at 325°F for about 15 minutes. The air fryer works at 300°F for 3 to 4 minutes, but watch it, because it will dry out cooked turkey faster than anything else in your kitchen.

What to do with the rest: this is where the good part starts.

• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
• Turkey Noodle Casserole
• Turkey Rice Casserole

To go with it:

• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Chives
• Quick Yeast Dinner Rolls
• Air Fryer No Knead Bread
• Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes on Craving Home Cooked
• Caramelized Onion Gruyere Mashed Potatoes on All My Cravings

For the leftovers:

• Turkey Tetrazzini
• Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
• Turkey Noodle Casserole

More turkey and air fryer: