This Air Fryer Fried Chicken is golden brown, juicy, and full of flavor. It’s one recipe you have to try in your Air Fryer.
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Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the
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This recipe has over 150 5-star reviews! Check out our comments to discover why readers love this fried chicken made in the air fryer.
If you’re living in the South, then knowing how to make fried chicken is a must. I tried for the longest to avoid posting a fried chicken recipe on the blog because, in all honesty, I didn't tend to get excited about fried chicken.
Until now. For years, when my Southern husband requested fried chicken, I’d just shrug and make him these air fried chicken wings covered in an Asian sauce instead.
But one day, I went ahead and made a traditional Southern fried chicken recipe right in my Air Fryer. It was phenomenal. I had to apologize for taking so long to make it and I had to apologize for hating on fried chicken all these years. Now it’s a part of our monthly meal rotation.
I like to cut a whole chicken up into separate portions, it's economical and nothing goes to waste. I can make air fryer fried chicken thighs, air fryer fried chicken drumsticks, and also use the breast meat and wings too.
For the juiciest chicken, I like to marinade my Air Fryer Fried Chicken in buttermilk, which tenderizes the chicken and also adds a great tangy flavor.
Ingredients
- Whole chicken cut into separate pieces (breast, thigh, wing, and leg)
- Hot sauce - I use Texas Pete.
- Buttermilk
- All-Purpose Flour
- Seasoning salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- Canola or vegetable oil
How to Make Air Fryer Fried Chicken
First, you will want to marinate your chicken. I use a mixture of half buttermilk and half hot sauce. I learned the hot sauce trick from my mother-in-law. The buttermilk helps keep the chicken juicy on the inside and the hot sauce adds flavor to the chicken. Don't worry about it being spicy, it won't be. You can marinate in the refrigerator anywhere from 1 hr to as long as 24 hours.
Combine flour, Italian seasoning, seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. I use a whisk to ensure that my flour is fully seasoned.
Grab a pair of tongs and remove one piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing it to drain off a bit, and place it in the flour mixture and use the tongs to make sure the chicken pieces are fully coated.
Place a piece of parchment paper with holes in the Air Fryer. This has been my best solution for not having the breaded fried chicken stick to the bottom of the Air Fryer. Just make sure that you don’t put the parchment paper down without food on top. If it there is no food to hold it down, it could fly up into the heating coils on top of the air fryer and start a fire.
Place your floured chicken piece on top of the parchment paper. Make sure the chicken pieces are not overlapping or touching. The more space the better.
Frying the Chicken Pieces
Close the air fryer drawer and set the temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and timer for 25 minutes.
After about 13 minutes, open the Air Fryer. Your chicken should look like the photo below on the left (still showing some dry flour spots). Grab your Air Fryer oil spray bottle and spray those flour spots. Then grab some tongs and flip your chicken. Spray this side of the chicken as well, covering all flour spots. Close your Air Fryer and let it resume cooking.
Once your cooking cycle is done, use a quick-read thermometer to ensure your chicken is fully cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and enjoy 🙂
There you have it! Delicious Southern Style Buttermilk Soaked Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
Additional recipes
If you like chicken, try these out:
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken (Peruvian Style)
- BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
If you're looking to fry fish instead, try this recipe for fish in your air fryer.
What to serve with Crispy Fried Chicken
Looking for some recipes to serve this chicken with? Try these out:
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges (KFC Copycat)
- Sweet and Spicy Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
- Kale and Broccoli Salad
- Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens
- White Cheddar Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Sautéed Beet Greens
- Old Fashioned Potato Salad
Notes on Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- I do not recommend overlapping the chicken pieces in this recipe. It’s best to have the chicken spaces in a single layer and not touching. That way the air can get around the chicken to crisp it up and give it that nice and crispy golden layer.
- Remember to spray lightly with oil. The purpose of the oil in this recipe is to cover the dried flour spots. Not spraying with oil will have those flour spots tasting like you would imagine they would, dry flour. I use either canola or vegetable oil for my air-fried chicken.
- Some breading will fall off, whether you use the liners or not. However, much less breading falls off when using parchment liners.
- If using parchment liners, make sure that you place the chicken on top of them before starting the Air Fryer. Not doing so will cause the liners to fly into the fan, get caught, and possibly start a fire.
- Timing will vary depending on the Air Fryer brand. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken has at least reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. My chicken usually reaches 180 degrees or more and is still juicy and deliciously crisp.
- This chicken is best served on the same day. If reheating, place chicken in Air Fryer and cook at 370 for about 10 minutes.
- Use any part of the chicken you like that has skin on. The breading may not stick to skinless chicken and it may not be as crispy.
Pin Air Fryer Fried Chicken for Later
Watch me make this chicken from start to finish.
How to store leftover fried chicken
To refrigerate: Keep any leftover fried chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To heat up the next day warm the chicken in a preheated oven at 400F until warmed through. Leftovers also make a great addition to salads and sandwiches the next day.
To freeze: Once cooked and cooled, place any pieces of leftover chicken into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. As the chicken is already cooked it can be reheated from frozen in a preheated oven at 350F. When ready to enjoy place the frozen chicken onto a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes to reheat.
FAQs:
Yes, absolutely, just ensure you cook it until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The pieces of chicken are marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce. When ready to cook lift a piece of chicken and shake it gently to remove any excess marinade. This marinade will help the breading mixture to stick to the chicken.
If you don't have buttermilk in the fridge don't worry, there are a few good substitutes for buttermilk. Try adding a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk; alternatively, mix 1 ¾ teaspoons of cream of tartar to a cup of milk; or mix some sour cream or plain yogurt with a little milk or water to thin it down a little.
Once the chicken is coated in the breading place the pieces into the Air Fryer in a single layer, allowing space between each piece of chicken for the air to circulate. Do not be tempted to overcrowd the basket or the chicken won't crisp up. Next set the Air Fryer to a hot 390 degrees Fahrenheit so the chicken cooks fast and high. Finally, I like the flip the chicken over halfway through, this also allows me to spray any flour spots with a little extra oil so the coating crisps up nicely.
I like to use Canola oil or vegetable oil as it has a higher smoke point which is ideal for frying chicken. Don't be tempted to use olive oil as it has a lower smoke point and is likely to burn.
Your chicken will not crisp up if using boneless chicken. I recommend using skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces.
You can place your chicken pieces in the fridge for 10-15 minutes after breading, and before air frying. This will help if you have trouble with the breading staying on.
If you have tried my Air Fryer Fried Chicken or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- ½ whole chicken cut into separate pieces (breast, thigh, wing, and leg)
- ½ cup hot sauce
- ½ cup buttermilk
Seasoning
- ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Oil for spraying Canola or Vegetable
Instructions
- Place chicken pieces in buttermilk and hot sauce. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate anytime from 1-24 hours.
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place a parchment liner in the Air Fryer basket.
- Remove a piece of chicken from the buttermilk mixture and place in the flour mixture, coating all sides of the chicken and shaking off any excess flour. Place the chicken pieces in the basket in a single layer.
- Close the Air Fryer basket and set temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and timer to 25 minutes. Start the Air Fryer.
- After 13 minutes, open the air fryer and spray any flour spots on the chicken. Flip the chicken and spray the other side with oil, ensuring all the flour spots are covered. Close the Air fryer and cook for 12 more minutes.
- Once the timer is up, open the Air Fryer and check chicken pieces with a quick read thermometer. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken.
Video
Notes
- I do not recommend overlapping the chicken pieces in this recipe. It’s best to have the chicken spaces in a single layer and not touching. That way the air can get around the chicken to crisp it up and give it that nice and crispy golden layer.
- Remember to spray lightly with oil. The purpose of the oil in this recipe is to cover the dried flour spots. Not spraying with oil will have those flour spots tasting like you would imagine they would, dry flour.
- Some breading will fall of, whether you use the liners or not. However, much less breading falls of when using the parchment liners.
- If using parchment liners, make sure that you place the chicken on top of them before starting the Air Fryer. Not doing so will cause the liners to fly into the fan, get caught, and possibly start a fire.
- Timing will vary depending on Air Fryer brand. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken has at least reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. My chicken usually reaches 180 degrees or more and is still juicy and deliciousy crsip.
- This chicken is best serve the same day. If reheating, place chicken in Air Fryer and cook on 370 for about 10 minutes.
- Use any part of the chicken you like that has skin on. The breading may not stick to skinless chicken and it may not be as crispy.
- I use Texas Pete hot sauce in this recipe. If you are sensitive to heat or use a spicier brand, reduce the amount of hot sauce.
- Air Fryer Parchment Liners (They come in different sizes so make sure to select the one that correlates to your size of Air Fryer)
- Oil bottle for spraying
- Tongs for flipping (I like to have a few around)
- Quick Read Thermometer
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 5, 2019. It has been updated with additional helpful tips.
Margret says
This technique is on point! I was highly skeptical of air fried chicken (other than wings), but it turned out delicious. (I did alter the ingredients a bit -- about 3/4 c. buttermilk and 1/4 c hot sauce (Crystal), and then I seasoned the flour with only Tony Cacherie's (which blends cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion).) So juicy. For the parchment paper, I just cut little diamonds by folding it lengthwise multiple times and cutting on the folds. I'm making it again tonight.
Tanya says
Thank you Margret! Great idea on cutting the holes in the parchment paper.
Valerie says
Hi Tanya - this sounds delicious! Can you tell me how big is your air fryer? I'm new to this and want to buy one big enough, but I'm short on counter space and want to get as small as I can with the most bang for my buck.
Tanya says
Hi Valerie, the Air Fryer in this post is about 4qts I believe. The one I use for the majority of my recipes is 5.3 qts and it's not much bigger than this one on the counter, but it has a lot more space inside.
Valerie says
@Tanya, Thanks Tanya! Would it be possible for you to share the brand name of the 5.3 quart fryer?
Tanya says
Absolutley. it's the Bella Pro 5.3qt that's on Amazon.
Valerie says
@Tanya, Thanks! Just bought it and subscribed to your newsletter -- looking forward to all your delicious recipes! This Chicken will be the first!
Jim says
First let me say that overall this is a good recipe that I'll most likely make again with some changes. The first issue I have is with the hot sauce. Soaking the chicken in a 50/50 mix of hot sauce and buttermilk is obviously going to make the chicken very spicy and it did. To the point that you couldn't taste anything else. So please don't tell the readers "Don’t worry about it being spicy, it won’t be." I also think the parchment paper did more harm than good. Unless you poke 100 holes in it your chicken will at some point be sitting in fat. Just spray the air fryer tray before cooking if you're worried about it sticking. Next time I make this the buttermilk will be increased and the hot sauce will be reduced to about a tablespoon, no parchment paper & cut the cayenne in half. I like spicy food but this was too much.
Tanya says
Hi Jim, thanks for the feedback. I used Texas Pete hot sauce as I indicated in my post which isn't spicy. My toddler ate it and enjoyed it. I agree, certain brands of hot sauce are extra spicy so those will need to be reduced.
Nancy Newton says
@Jim, the air fryer parchment paper she talks about DOES have holes in it..no need to poke them..specifically made for airfryers....they really are nice for making clean up easier..
Travis M. says
Used this recipe tonight. Turned out great!
Tanya says
Thanks Travis 🙂
Sherrill says
HI! I cannot eat dairy. What would be a good alternative to the buttermilk?
Tanya says
Hi Sherrill, This vegan buttermilk should work in place. https://lovingitvegan.com/how-to-make-vegan-buttermilk/
Leigh says
While I didn't mind. They hot sauce overwhelms every other flavor.
Florence says
I made this recipe tonight with drumsticks, because they did not have chicken thighs at the store, when I was there. It was delicious! I highly recommend this recipe!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Florence 🙂
Pam says
Tanya, I haven’t fried chicken in a long time because of the mess, but this chicken turned out so perfectly crispy outside and tender and juicy on the inside. I actually panicked when I could not find our Frank’s hot sauce in the refrigerator so I used what I had, the smoked chipotle pepper sauce by Tabasco. It is definitely our new favorite recipe!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Pam! I agree, I'm all for the less mess when it comes to air frying chicken.
Donna says
I am trying this tonight but I am using split boneless chicken breasts. I am guessing the time will be greatly reduced? Do you have any idea how long I should air fry?
Tanya says
The time would be shorter. For boneless chicken, it will depend on how thick they are. I'd start checking at around 15 minutes.
Pegi says
I tried this today. I’m not sure what I did wrong but the coating fell off on one side and the side on the paper stuck so basically had necked chicken. I have a large nuwave fryer and the time and temperature were off. I was busy and should have watched it closer but not sure I’ll try it again.
Tanya says
Hi Pegi, it may be that there was too much buttermilk on the chicken before it was placed in the flour. You could also try and preheat the air fryer as well. That should help with any coating issues. You could also bread first, let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes in the fridge, and then cook.
Marybeth says
Your recipe was one of the first recipes I tried with my air fryer. The chicken was absolutely wonderful. It was so juicy and flavorful. I lived the idea of the 1:1 ratio of bitter milk and hot sauce. I used Franks cayenne pepper sauce. Thank you so much!!
Tanya says
Thank you so much Marybeth 🙂
kschof says
My husband and I loved this recipe! The directions were spot on and the flavor was great. This is a keeper for sure. So glad we tried it, thank you for sharing!
Tanya says
Thank you 🙂
Nay Nay says
Had to really watch chicken. Had a BIG chicken. I added more time. Just followed the recipe. Turned out awesome! I will use your recipe again. Clean up was a breeze!
Tanya says
Thanks Nay Nay! The clean up is one of the reasons why I love making my fried chicken this way 🙂
Maria says
Can you use almond flour instead of all purpose?
Tanya says
I haven't added it but other people have. Almond flour browns much more quickly than all purpose, so you would have to keep an eye on it. Reducing the temperature should help or using smaller pieces and reducing the time by a few minutes.
Eva says
Flavorful, moist and a big hit! We didn’t have buttermilk so used lemon juice with unsweetened almond milk and marinated the chicken a few hours before cooking. We also used tapioca flour to give it an extra crunch. Wow!!! We cannot believe how tasty it turned out with our healthy substitutes. Thanks for the great recipe!
Tanya says
Thanks so much Eva! And thanks for mentioning the subs, super helpful. I'll have to try with tapioca flour soon.