Chicken Breast

If you haven't made Chicken Parmesan in an air fryer yet, consider this your invitation to get started. This recipe yields crispy, juicy chicken and ultra-melty cheese, which pairs beautifully with the acidity of tomato sauce. Before the final cook in the air fryer, be sure to line the inside of the basket with aluminum foil, and coat the foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking. As for serving? You can pair the chicken with a salad, such as a classic Caesar, or go for garlicky broccoli, Broccolini, or broccoli rabe.

To make these crispy chicken strips, Paola Velez first dredges the strips in a flour mixture, then dips them in a buttermilk brine — the same brine used to initially brine the chicken, bolstered with an egg — and finally coats the chicken with a mixture of ground plantain chips and panko. The chicken is paired with yuca fries that are crisped up in an air fryer and dusted with adobo seasoning for the finishing touch. Serve the chicken and fries with mayo ketchup for dipping if you'd like, as well as lime wedges and fresh parsley for garnish.

This simple white wine pan sauce enriched with créme fraîche and a generous handful of tender fresh herbs like tarragon, dill, and chives makes smart use of the pan drippings from pan-roasted chicken breasts. Simply pan-roast airline chicken breasts, set them aside to rest, and then, while the chicken is resting, use the drippings to build the flavor-packed white wine pan sauce, which comes together in about 10 minutes and delivers an elegant, silky texture. The delicate flavors of the white wine pan sauce are also a good pair for thick fillets of trout, salmon, or halibut, which may be substituted for the chicken breasts. To make this pan sauce from other proteins, start from step 2, working with 1 tablespoon of reserved drippings, and proceed as written. 

These four brilliant recipes turn simple chicken breasts into wow-factor weeknight dinners.

This quick-cooking recipe from cookbook author Grace Young showcases the technique for a "simple" stir-fry, where ingredients are continually added to the wok, layering flavor as each cooks perfectly. "Once you understand the basics of stir-frying, you don't have to limit yourself," Young says. Here, tender asparagus joins carrots and chicken in a speedy stir-fry seasoned with white wine instead of rice wine, and cream enriches the sauce.

Tender vegetables simmer in a mixture of chicken drippings and butter in this simple, speedy dish. The attached drumette gives these airline chicken breasts more flavor; bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs make a good substitute. Andrew Fortgang of Canard in Portland, Oregon, recommends pairing this dish with floral, spicy Gourgonnier. "Orange aromas of Gourgonnier draw me in; on the palate, it’s weighty, almost creamy, but with pepper and just enough acidity to balance.”