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Dirty Garlic Chicken Fillets | Quick Air Fryer Recipe
Dirty Garlic Air Fryer Chicken Fillets
Juicy chicken, loaded with garlicky flavour and basted in Dirty Garlic butter until golden, rich and ridiculously good.
Garlic butter chicken. Moreish style.
If garlic butter chicken sounds good, this takes it somewhere better.
Chicken fillets are generously coated in Dirty Garlic Seasoning, left to soak up the flavour, then air fried while being repeatedly basted with seasoned butter. The result is juicy chicken with a golden, garlicky crust and plenty of buttery flavour.
Serve it with cheesy pasta and a simple salad, slice it into wraps, or just eat it straight from the chopping board. We won't judge.
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Flavour Profile
Juicy chicken with loads of savoury garlic flavour, rich buttery edges and a golden, herby seasoned crust.
Garlic:
Buttery:
Savoury:
Rich:
Herby:
Recipe Info
Ingedients:
600g chicken breast fillets
Moreish Dirty Garlic Seasoning, enough to coat generously
200g salted butter
Prep time: 10 minutes + minimum 1 hour marinating
Cook time: Approx. 18–20 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4
Difficulty: Easy
To serve:
Cheesy pasta
Fresh salad
Finely grated Parmesan (optional)
Made with Dirty Garlic
Dirty Garlic is doing the heavy lifting here. Packed with bold garlic and savoury flavour, it seasons the chicken before cooking and goes straight into the melted butter for basting. That means you get flavour all the way through, then another hit of garlicky goodness on the outside.
Watch it Come Together
Big garlic flavour. Zero complicated cooking. Watch Dirty Garlic, seasoned butter and the air fryer turn simple chicken fillets into juicy, golden, garlicky goodness.
1. Season the chicken
Trim the chicken fillets and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Coat generously with Dirty Garlic Seasoning, making sure you cover every side. Really massage the seasoning into the chicken rather than simply sprinkling it over the top.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If you've got the time, leave it for up to 24 hours for even more flavour.
Top Tip: Don't rush the seasoning. Getting it properly worked into every side of the chicken makes a noticeable difference to the finished flavour.
2. Start air frying
When you're ready to cook, preheat your air fryer to 180°C.
Arrange the chicken fillets in the basket in a single layer, leaving some space around each one for the hot air to circulate.
Start cooking at 180°C, turning the fillets every few minutes so they colour evenly.
3. Make the Dirty Garlic butter
While the chicken starts cooking, melt the butter and stir in a generous amount of Dirty Garlic Seasoning.
After the chicken has been cooking for around 5–6 minutes, brush it generously with the seasoned butter.
Turn the fillets and baste the other side.
Top Tip: Salted butter works brilliantly here. Dirty Garlic brings the flavour; the extra salt gives the finished chicken an even bigger savoury hit.
4. Baste, turn, repeat
Continue cooking, turning and brushing the chicken with more Dirty Garlic butter roughly every 3–4 minutes.
Those repeated layers of butter and seasoning are what build the golden, garlicky crust, so don't just baste it once and forget about it.
Cook for approximately 18–20 minutes in total, depending on the thickness of your chicken and your air fryer.
5. Rest and serve
Check the thickest part of each fillet is thoroughly cooked before removing it from the air fryer. If using a food thermometer, 75°C for 30 seconds is one FSA-recommended safe combination.
Give the chicken one final brush of Dirty Garlic butter, then leave it to rest for around 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with cheesy pasta and a fresh salad, then finish with a generous grating of Parmesan if you're feeling filthy.
Top Tip: Grate Parmesan over the chicken while it's still hot. It'll soften into the buttery coating rather than just sitting on top.
Don't Waste a Bite
Got chicken left? Good. Cold Dirty Garlic chicken is far too useful to waste.
Chicken wraps – slice thinly with lettuce, cheese and garlic mayo.
Loaded fries – chop it up, pile onto crispy fries and cover with cheese.
Chicken pasta – slice and stir through a creamy pasta sauce.
Garlic chicken salad – serve cold with leaves, tomatoes, Parmesan and dressing.
Toasties – chicken, mature cheddar and a little garlic mayo. Job done.
Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate them and use within 48 hours, following FSA leftovers guidance.
Top Tip:
Marinating overnight is worth it. An hour will give you good chicken, but leaving the Dirty Garlic Seasoning to work overnight gives you much deeper flavour. Then keep layering that seasoned butter on during cooking – that's where the golden, garlicky crust comes from.
Gear For Air Frying
You don't need a drawer full of gadgets to get great results from your air fryer. We've pulled together the air fryer gear we rate for easier prep, cooking and clean-up.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I prepare Dirty Garlic chicken the night before?
Yes. In fact, we'd recommend it. Coat the chicken in Dirty Garlic Seasoning, cover and refrigerate overnight. It gives the seasoning plenty of time to flavour the chicken before cooking.
Can I cook these chicken fillets in the oven instead?
Yes. The recipe has been developed for an air fryer, but you can cook chicken fillets in the oven too. Cooking time will vary depending on their thickness and your oven, so check they're thoroughly cooked before serving rather than relying purely on the clock.
How do I know when the chicken is cooked?
Cut into the thickest part and make sure there's no pink meat and the juices run clear, or use a food thermometer. The FSA lists 75°C for 30 seconds as one safe cooking combination.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast fillets?
Yes. Dirty Garlic works brilliantly with boneless chicken thighs too. You'll need to adjust the cooking time to suit their size and thickness and make sure they're thoroughly cooked before serving.
Do I need to use salted butter?
No, but it works particularly well here. Unsalted butter will still give you the rich garlic-butter coating; salted butter simply adds an extra savoury kick.
What should I serve with Dirty Garlic chicken?
Cheesy pasta and a fresh salad are our first choice, but it also works with chips, roasted potatoes, rice, vegetables, wraps or sliced over a loaded salad.
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