Air Fryer Turkey Breast – hands down the best turkey I’ve ever eaten. SO tender and juicy. Cooks in under an hour! Bone-in turkey breast marinated in Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce and cooked in the air fryer. Perfect for the holidays or any day of the week. The turkey meat is great for your holiday meal, casseroles, soups, and sandwiches. A must if you have an air fryer!
Best Air Fryer Turkey Breast Recipe
Anyone else looking forward to Turkey Day in a few weeks? We love our Thanksgiving turkey. I have fallen in love with my air fryer, so I had to give a bone-in turkey breast a try before the big day. O-M-G! This is the BEST turkey I’ve ever eaten! Super tender and juicy. I didn’t even brine the turkey and it was the juiciest turkey I’ve ever eaten. If you have an air fryer, you MUST make this for the holiday. Heck, I make this turkey almost monthly since I got my air fryer. It is so easy to make. The turkey meat is great for casseroles, soups, and sandwiches.
How to Cook Bone-In Turkey Breast in the Air Fryer
Cooking a bone-in turkey breast in the air fryer is super easy. I started by cutting the ribs off of the turkey breast. You want to cut the ribs off of the breast so it will sit flat in the air fryer basket. I just used a pair of scissors and they came off in a jiffy. It was super easy to cut them off the breast.
Next, I marinated the whole turkey breast in some Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce. I let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator. If you don’t have that much time, just let it hang out in the marinade for at least an hour.
Once the turkey has been marinated, remove it from the marinade and place in the air fryer basket. Cook the breast until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. I suggest an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. You don’t want to serve raw turkey!
If you don’t want to marinate the turkey, I suggest brining the turkey. Here is our favorite turkey brine: https://www.plainchicken.com/brined-thanksgiving-turkey/
I used the Philips XXL Air Fryer and was able to fit a 4.5-pound whole turkey breast in the basket.
How Many Minutes to Cook a Bone-In Turkey Breast Per Pound?
To reach a safe internal temperature of 165ºF, you want to cook your turkey breast about 12 to 13 minutes per pound. So, if you have a 4-pound bone-in turkey breast you will cook the turkey breast for about 50 to 55 minutes.
What to Serve with Turkey
This turkey was incredible. SO tender and juicy. I couldn’t get over how easy it was to make. Beats the heck out of baking a turkey. I love that I can make a turkey any time of the year with ease. I know most of you will be making this turkey for your holiday meal. Here are a few of our favorite side dishes that go great with this delicious turkey:
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Air Fryer Turkey Breast
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 1 (4 to 5-lb) bone-in turkey breast, ribs removed
- 1½ cups Italian dressing
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Instructions:
- Using kitchen shears, remove ribs from turkey breast.
- Place turkey breast in a large ziplock bag. Pour Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce over turkey. Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.
- Remove turkey from marinade and discard the marinade.
- Place turkey breast skin side down in the air fryer basket. Cook at 350ºF for 20 minutes.
- Turn over the turkey breast and cook an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove turkey from air fryer and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes:
Steph
What about a boneless breast??? Modifications?
A boneless turkey breast would not take as long to cook.
I’ve Googled and still do not know what it means “cut the ribs off”. Every answer to this question shows & tells how to debone a breast Can one just buy a boneless turkey breast ? Maybe you would be so kind to give us a more in depth explanation or photo of “cut the ribs off” . Thanks
There are little ribs attached to the turkey breast. You will want to use some kitchen shears and cut those little bones off. When you take the turkey out of the packaging you will see them. You can leave them on if you would like.
Can you elaborate on how to remove the ribs?
There really isn't much to elaborate on – take some kitchen scissors and cut the ribs off. When you look at the breast, you will clearly see the ribs. They cut right off – super easy.