Air Fryer Chicken Bites
Air fryer chicken bites are a fast and easy way to make chicken for any meal in just 10 minutes. These air fryer chicken cubes are tender, juicy and the perfect finger food or simple addition to any meal. Use them as the main protein, in salads, grain bowls, wraps or tacos.
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Why you will love this recipe
- So easy – making chicken bites in the air fryer is so easy! Use kitchen shears to cut the chicken into bite size pieces, toss with olive oil and spices and put the chicken in the air fryer. So simple and they come out perfectly every time.
- Simple ingredients – you likely have all the ingredients you need to make air fryer chicken bites in the pantry and fridge right now. You can use chicken breast, chicken thighs or chicken tenders to make into chicken cubes for the air fryer. The spices are simple and can easily be changed based on how you plan to use the chicken. These healthy air fryer chicken bites are naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Whole30 and low carb.
- So many uses – make this chicken anytime you need dinner quickly. You can change the spices to pair well with any meal. Use the chicken in pasta, salads, grain bowls or lettuce wraps. You can even eat air fryer chicken chunks for a snack with your favorite dipping sauce!
- Perfect for busy weeknights – these un-breaded chicken nuggets are going to save the day on those nights when you need dinner fast! The bite-size chicken pieces are the ultimate finger food and everyone will enjoy them.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – olive oil helps to coat the chicken to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the air fryer basket when cooking. You could also use avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
- Apple cider vinegar – apple cider vinegar helps to create a well balanced flavor profile and creates a dressing for the chicken when paired with the olive oil. You could also use lemon juice, lime juice, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Spices: Salt, paprika, dried thyme – these spices help to add flavor to the chicken without overpowering it. They are very neutral flavors so this chicken will go with almost any dish as is. You can also change out the spices (see some ideas below) to pair with whatever you are making.
- Boneless, skinless chicken – you can use boneless skinless chicken breast, chicken thighs or chicken tenders to make air fryer chicken bites. The key is that you want to cut the chicken into about 1-1.5 inch bites and the chicken needs to be boneless and skinless.
How to make air fryer chicken bites
Start by combining the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, dried paprika and dried thyme in a large bowl. Stir well to combine.
Cut the chicken into 1-1.5 inch pieces (make them as uniform as possible). Add the chicken bites directly to the bowl with the spices.
Stir the chicken well to ensure it’s well coated.
Add the chicken to the air fryer basket. Try to make it into one single layer as much as possible.
Cook at 375F for 10 minutes. When there are 7 minutes left, pause the air fryer and use silicone tipped tongs, flip the chicken. Continue cooking the last 3 minutes.
Top tips
- Be sure to cut the chicken into equal size pieces for even cooking. Use a sharp knife and a plastic cutting board (for easy sanitizing) or kitchen shears to cut the chicken up into cubes.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken tenders are often not as thick as chicken breast so may be done cooking in 9 minutes.
- Time saving tip: use chicken tenders or prep your chicken breast or chicken thighs in advance (1-2 days in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge).
- Be sure to coat the chicken with the spices, olive oil and vinegar in a large bowl to ensure the chicken is well coated. It’s tough to do this in the air fryer basket and you may lose some of your seasoning.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. My 6 qt air fryer can handle about 1.25 pounds of chicken at a time. It can slightly overlap but shouldn’t be piled on top of each other.
- Take the time to pause the air fryer and flip the chicken with about 3 minutes left. This helps ensure the chicken is well cooked on both sides.
- Use silicone tipped tongs to ensure you don’t scratch the air fryer basket as you are flipping the chicken.
- Use different spice blends to change up the flavors.
Other spice blends
- Taco – omit the dried thyme and add 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- Italian – omit the paprika and dried thyme. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- Greek – omit the paprika and dried thyme. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon oregano and use red wine vinegar in place of ACV.
- Ranch – omit the paprika and thyme. Add 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley and 1/2 teaspoon dried dill.
- Cajun – Add 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning to the spices listed.
- Curry – omit the dried thyme and paprika. Add 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and use lime juice in place of the ACV.
- Everything bagel seasoning – omit the dried thyme and paprika, add 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning
- Spicy – add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
How to serve air fryer chicken cubes
- As the main part of the meal – serve alongside rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, or veggies for a quick meal.
- On salads
- As part of grain bowls, rice bowls, quinoa bowls
- On tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls
- In wraps or lettuce wraps
- In pasta
- As a snack or appetizer – dip them in ketchup, buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, honey mustard sauce, ranch, creamy cilantro lime dressing, spicy tahini, sriracha mayo, chimichurri, hummus, lemon herb tahini, marinara, or sweet and sour sauce
Common questions
What is the best chicken to use to make air fryer chicken chunks?
You can use boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken thighs or even chicken tenders.
To save time, I would suggest using chicken tenders (they are quick to cut up into chunks) or to prep the chicken in advance (1-2 days, store in an airtight container).
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are going to be the most tender and moist when cooking (they are very forgiving and hard to overcook). They are also slightly more budget friendly. This is what I would recommend using, especially if you are planning on reheating the leftovers.
How long do you cook chicken bites in the air fryer
Because the chicken is cut into small 1-1.5 inch chunks, it cooks much faster in the air fryer. It takes about 10 minutes at 375F.
Note: You don’t want to increase the temperature above 375F because it can make the chicken tough.
How to reheat air fryer chicken pieces
- Air fryer – cook the leftover chicken in the air fryer at 350F for 3-5 minutes until warmed through.
- Microwave – cook leftover chicken bites in the microwave for 1-1:30 minutes.
- Toaster oven – cook until warmed through 4-7 minutes or so.
Can you make chicken cubes on the stove
Yes, you can make chicken cubes on the stove in 10 minutes. Check out the step by step process on how to make 10 minute chicken chunks on the stove.
Storing leftovers
Fridge – Store leftover air fryer chicken bites in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure they are in an airtight container.
Freezer – you can store leftover chicken cubes in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. It’s important that you allow the chicken to cool completely before putting it in the freezer.
Substitutions
- Olive oil – olive oil coats the chicken to help ensure it doesn’t stick to the air fryer basket and also to help the spices stick to the chicken.
- Apple cider vinegar – you can also use lemon juice, lime juice, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar in place of the ACV.
- Spices – check out the list above for other spices you can use.
- Boneless, skinless chicken – you can also make this with boneless, skinless turkey breast
More air fryer chicken recipes
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
- Air Fryer Greek Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Air Fryer Chicken Bites
Air fryer chicken bites are so easy to make, ready in just 10 minutes and perfect for any meal. Great for simple weeknight meals or quick and easy lunches. These healthy air fryer chicken chunks can be used in any meal, including pasta, wraps, salads or tacos. Whole30, gluten free, low carb and paleo friendly.
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Servings: 4
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, garlic powder, paprika and dried thyme in a large bowl.
- Cut the chicken into 1-1.5 inch cubes. Add the chicken right into the bowl with the spice mixture.
- Stir the chicken well until fully coated.
- Add chicken to the air fryer basket. Cook at 375F for 10 minutes.
- After 7 minutes, pause the air fryer and flip the chicken (use silicone tipped tongs. Continue to cook 3 more minutes.
Equipment
Notes
Top tips
- Be sure to cut the chicken into equal size pieces for even cooking. Use a sharp knife and a plastic cutting board (for easy sanitizing) or kitchen shears to cut the chicken up into cubes.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken tenders are often not as thick as chicken breast so may be done cooking in 9 minutes.
- Time saving tip: use chicken tenders or prep your chicken breast or chicken thighs in advance (1-2 days in advance, store in an airtight container in the fridge).
- Be sure to coat the chicken with the spices, olive oil and vinegar in a large bowl to ensure the chicken is well coated. It’s tough to do this in the air fryer basket and you may lose some of your seasoning.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. My 6 qt air fryer can handle about 1.25 pounds of chicken at a time. It can slightly overlap but shouldn’t be piled on top of each other.
- Take the time to pause the air fryer and flip the chicken with about 3 minutes left. This helps ensure the chicken is well cooked on both sides.
- Use silicone tipped tongs to ensure you don’t scratch the air fryer basket as you are flipping the chicken.
- Use different spice blends to change up the flavors.
- Taco – omit the dried thyme and add 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- Italian – omit the paprika and dried thyme. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- Greek – omit the paprika and dried thyme. Add 1 tablespoon italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon oregano and use red wine vinegar in place of ACV.
- Ranch – omit the paprika and thyme. Add 1 tablespoon dried chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley and 1/2 teaspoon dried dill.
- Cajun – Add 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning to the spices listed.
- Curry – omit the dried thyme and paprika. Add 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and use lime juice in place of the ACV.
- Everything bagel seasoning – omit the dried thyme and paprika, add 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning
- Spicy – add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
205
Fat
9
g
Carbohydrates
1
g
Fiber
0.3
g
Sugar
0.1
g
Protein
28
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!
This was incredibly salty with the 1tsp of salt noted…. Almost inedible. I might try it again using 1/2 the salt and letting the chicken sit in the mixture for a little while. Without marinating it I don’t feel like there is any benefit of the apple cider vinegar.
I appreciate the feedback, I typically use sea salt, so if you are using regular table salt, you may need less. As far as the apple cider vinegar, I find that adding vinegar helps the chicken brown up when cooking, but you are welcome to try the recipe without it. If you do, please come back and let me know! Happy cooking.
Tasted so great!! Super simple and easy dinner! We made some asparagus on the side and rice.
Thank you for coming back to leave a review! So glad you enjoyed them!
The family loves these. Perfect with rice or mashed potatoes.
I love hearing this Zoe. These are so good piled on a bed or rice!