Homemade Chicken Dog Jerky Treats in the Air Fryer

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.

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Homemade Chicken Dog Jerky Treats in the Air Fryer

Yield: 27

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

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.

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Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless (preferably frozen)

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Cut thin, uniform slices. For a chewier jerky, cut with the grain.
3. Spray the basket of your air fryer with nonstick cooking spray and place the chicken pieces on it.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 piece
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 14