Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce

Name: Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts; 2 TBSP old style whole grain mustard; 2 TBSP chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish; 4 garlic cloves, smashed; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper; 1 lemon, zested and juice; 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

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by Killing Thyme // May 27, 2022 (updated October 12, 2022)

These super flavorful Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce are quick, easy, and perfect for weeknights.

A Weeknight Dinner That’s Poppin’ With Flavor!

Tangy and bright is the theme with these easy, tender, and juicy air fryer chicken breasts. Between the punchy mustard and the tart lemon, every bite is full of big bold flavors! And the kicker? It’s cooked in under 10 minutes when cooked in the air fryer. Fancy enough for weekend entertaining; unfussy enough for a weeknight family dinner. That’s my jam.

Now About Those Poppin’ Ingredients.

If you’re on the fence about whole grain mustard, I think this recipe could sway you into obsession. It did for me, anyway. Not only do those mustard seeds add to the presentation of the chicken breasts, but they add a little tender crunch to your bite. Old style mustard has extra intensity as well, which is a huge reason for the big flavors in this recipe. Here’s a list of what you’ll need:

Chicken breasts
Old style whole grain mustard
Fresh dill
Garlic cloves
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Lemon, zest and juice
Extra virgin olive oil

How Long to Cook Chicken Breasts in an Air Fryer.

This will depend on the thickness of the breasts. For this recipe, I purchased two very plump pieces of meat, butterflied them, then separated them to create four thinner cutlets. Of course, tenderizing the meat thins them out even more. In this recipe, you’re looking at about 9 minutes total. You’ll cook the fillets for five minutes on one side, flip them, and cook them for another four, or until the internal temperature reaches 165º F. Having a meat thermometer is always essential in getting your poultry to be tender and juicy without the worry of it being undercooked.

Here’s How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Breasts With Mustard Sauce.

After a quick bath in the mustard sauce, these chicken breasts take less than 10 minutes to cook. I’m not one to marinade chicken often—not since America’s Test Kitchen busted the myth and told the world that marinating poultry doesn’t do anything. (Don’t worry, brining poultry does work.) But I do like to let these tenderized breasts sit in the mustard sauce for at least an hour prior to cooking. Since the breasts are flattened with a tenderizing, I find that letting them sit in the sauce flavors the exterior a little extra. Here’s what you’ll do:

Place the mustard, fresh dill, smashed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and the lemon zest and juice into a large mixing bowl, and give it a good whisk with a fork.
Butterfly chicken breasts down the middle and separate so you’ve got four thin chicken breasts.
Place the chicken breasts, two at a time, into a gallon freezer bag. Seal the bag, pushing any extra air out, and set the bag onto a hard flat surface like a cutting board.
Using a meat tenderizer, give the chicken breasts a few good whacks. They’ll flatten out to create cutlets.
Place the chicken breasts into the mustard sauce one by one, dredging each one to coat, then pop the bowl into the fridge for about an hour.
After an hour, remove the chicken breasts from the fridge and, with tongs, place them into the air fryer basket, spooning some of the mustard sauce over them; set the bowl with remaining sauce aside.
Cook the chicken breasts at 360º F for five minutes. Then open the air fryer, carefully flip the chicken breasts over with tongs, and spoon the remainder the the sauce over the cutlets. Cook for another four minutes, or until the internal temperature registers at 160-165º F.
Remove the chicken breasts from the air fryer and place them onto a serving platter to rest for about five minutes.
Garnish with a bit of extra fresh dill and serve with lemon wedges.

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Recipe Tips + Tricks.

If you prefer to make this recipe with plump chicken breasts and don’t want to butterfly them, you can! You will however need to cook your chicken in the air fryer for longer. With full chicken breasts, you’re looking at anywhere between 12-16 minutes, flipping halfway through.
If you don’t have that extra hour to marinate the chicken breasts in the mustard sauce prior to cooking, simply toss them in the sauce and get cooking. I wouldn’t suggest marinating the chicken in advance any longer than 2 hours due to the lemon juice. The acidity can ruin the texture and overall quality of the meat.
To ensure the best cook, check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts with a meat thermometer before flipping them over. If the internal temperature is climbing quickly, you may want to knock a minute or two off of the second round of cook time. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 160-165º F.
Use a rolling pin to whack the cutlets if you don’t have an actual meat tenderizer.

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