If you like making your own dog snacks try these super easy homemade chicken dog jerky treats made in the Air Fryer. All you need is fresh chicken breast and an air fryer and you’ll have a healthy dog snack for your favorite dog to chew on.
You might also like these vegetable chews dog treats.
Note this post has been updated (9/24) Every once in awhile I get in the mood to make homemade treats for my dog Izzy a homemade. So today I decided to try making these homemade chicken dog jerky treats in the air fryer. It worked really well!
It was so easy that I will definitely be making these more often for her. I like that I can make her something that is good for her and that she loves. Unlike store bought meat jerky snacks this doesn’t have any preservatives or added flavoring and spices. It’s just a great source of protein! Plus it’s less expensive than store bought treats.
This air fryer homemade chicken jerky is by far the easiest homemade dog treat that I have made so far. Note you can also make this in a food dehydrator but it just seemed faster in the air fryer.
Note that I changed this recipe a bit since it originally posted. A reader suggested that jerky should be precooked to reach a temperature that kills off bacteria before dehydrating. That temperature is 165°F for chicken.
I experimented and found a way to easily do that and have now added that step to this recipe. I don’t want anything to happen to any of your pups. The photo above is one of my older recipe without the precooking. And the ones below are of how they came out with this new step added.
How to make chicken dog jerky in the air fryer.
All you need to make this healthy dog treat recipe is a boneless skinless chicken breast. That’s it! A since chicken breast is a drier meat it dehydrates easily and using the air fryer makes the whole process faster than a dehydrator.
Step 1: First thing you want to do is using a sharp knife, slice chicken breast into uniform thin pieces. The size and thickness of the chicken strips will determine how long it will need to air fry.
TIP: Use a frozen chicken breast and let it thaw for 10 minutes. It will be much easier to slice. You can see the plate below for how thin I sliced it.
TIP 2: Slice chicken with the grain for a chewy piece of jerky.
Step 2: Spray your air fryer trays or basket with nonstick cooking spray and lay the chicken slices in a single layer on them. Don’t overlap or crowd them if you can.
Step 3: This is a new step I’ve added in which we precook the chicken a bit to get it to 165°F which is the recommended temp to ward off bacteria. So place the basket in the air fryer and cook at 280°F for 9 minutes. This is what it took for me to get mine to 165°F.
Step 4: Now it’s time to dehydrate the dog jerky. Set your air fryer temperature to 170°F and cook for about 1 ½ – 2 hours. Cooking time may vary depending on how thin you cut your chicken breast. You know when they are done they are hard and not spongy to the touch.
Mine took 1 ½ hours. I would check them after 1 ½ hours and if it needs to go longer just keep checking until you get the texture you like.
Step 4: Let them cool and then store jerky strips in an airtight container or baggie in the refrigerator. This batch should last for up to a week. Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.
I don’t know if these are Izzy’s favorite treats or not because she seems to like them all LOL!
NOTE: I don’t see why you couldn’t make this chicken jerky recipe for humans. You would need to flavor it somehow whether it would be a marinade or just spices. I have never done this but I have made beef homemade jerky in the air fryer and you can check that out for tips.
However I feel better about giving them to her because I know they don’t have any artificial ingredients or preservatives. Also I like cooking for my loved ones and she is definitely a loved one! And she’s always up for a tasty treat.
I hope you enjoyed this simple homemade dog jerky. If you want more healthy treats for dogs, here are my 6 homemade dog treats post so you can check them out.
Homemade Chicken Dog Jerky Treats in the Air Fryer
If you are looking for a healthy snack to make for your canine, you will love how easy these chicken jerky dog treats are when you make them in the air fryer.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless (preferably frozen)
Instructions
- If you use a frozen chicken breast it is easier to cut. Let it thaw for about 10 minutes and then you can more easily slice it thin.
- Cut thin, uniform slices. For a chewier jerky, cut with the grain.
- Spray the basket of your air fryer with nonstick cooking spray and place the chicken pieces on it.
- Pre-cook the dog jerky at 280°F for 9 minutes. This is the temp and time it took me to get the chicken to 165°F which is the recommended temperature for chicken to ward off bacteria.
- Next set the temperature to 170°F and cook for 1 ½ - 2 hours. Cooking time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken pieces. Start checking at 1 ½ hours and if it's spongy to the touch it's not done. Put it back in and continue cooking until you reach the desired texture.
- Store jerky strips in an air-tight container or baggie in the refrigerator for up to a week. This chicken dog treats recipe made 27 pieces. It was a mixture of larger and smaller pieces.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 27 Serving Size: 1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 14
Rita Miller says
The FDA highly recommends cooking beef to 160F and chicken to 165F BEFORE dehydrating so as to kill off any bacteria. I don’t think cooking at such low tems to dehydate actually kills off all the bacteria. Better to be safe than sorry. Don’t want our little furry friends to get sick.
Denise says
Hi Rita, I found this article which says that you can cook the strips in a 330°F oven for about 8 minutes so that it reaches 165°F before you dehydrate the meat. I will add this information to my post. Thank you.
Liam says
Could you use other meats? My puppy loves salmon, I wonder if this process would look the same
Denise says
Hi Liam, I think it will definitely work but the timing will be different. I would just keep an eye on it and if it doesn’t seem done put it back in. I hope you like it … or rather that you puppy likes it!
Diane N says
Could these chicken chews be made in a convection oven on oil sprayed cooling racks @ 180 for 2 hours?
Denise says
Hi Diane, you could definitely make these in a convection oven. I would try it but would start checking at say 1 1/2 hours. You know when they are done they are hard and not spongy to the touch. Hope that helps!
Doug says
My Air Fryer has near 15 settings. I chose “dehydrate.” Would “Bake” work the same? How about other settings? …or does using the “dehydrate” setting work best? Thank you Denise.
Denise says
Hi Doug, yes you can use just the bake setting on the air fryer. Just check it a few times to see that it’s working ok but many people make jerky in a regular oven so it should work fine. Hope your pup likes it!
Danni says
do they have to be refrigerated after cooking? or could they stay out in an air sealed treat jar?
Denise says
Hi Danni,
I always like to play it safe and refrigerate them. Store bought jerky has preservatives I believe and that is why they are stable sitting out.
So I would personally would keep them refrigerated. Hope that helps.
Denise
Beth says
I used already cooked shredded chicken for mine just because that is what I had. I just cooked it for less time and it worked great! Finely shredded…it took about 35-45 minutes.
Denise says
Hi Beth, Thank you for coming back and sharing your tips! I’ll have to try that.
Zzzyp says
I get my pup in 2 weeks and am looking forward to trying this in my air fryer
Denise says
Congratulations and good luck with your new pup!
Amy says
What type of air fryer do you use?
Denise says
Hi Amy, it was this one. https://www.amazon.com/Chefman-TurboFry-Air-Fryer-Dishwasher/dp/B07KWFC5Y7/?th=1
It’s nice because of the trays. However I think you can make this with any air fryer.
Phil says
Hi do I set to bake or air fry
Denise says
Hi Phil,
Set your air fryer to 180°F and cook for 2 hours. Yours might take more time or less time depending on how thin you cut your chicken breast. You know when they are done they are hard and not spongy to the touch. Hope that helps!
Faye says
Can I use cooked chicken
Denise says
Hi Faye, I really don’t know. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work but I’ve never tried it and I’m not sure how long you would bake it for. Sorry I’m not much help. Please let me know if you do.
Upasana says
Hello,
do you use the air fry setting or the dehydrate setting on your air fryer?
Denise says
I don’t think mine had an dehydrate setting so I just used the air fryer setting. Hope that that helps!
Sarah Ogden says
Can these be frozen?
Denise says
Hi Sarah, I don’t see why not. I store mine in the refrigerator but the freezer would probably work. Good luck!
Carolyn Williams says
This worked great. Thank you.