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
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
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.
Harold Burton says
Second time I have tried this dish – absolutely delicious! Thanks ever so much for this!
Harold Burton
Laura says
First of all I would like to thank you, Tanya, for sharing this :). I sincerely appreciate that you gave us a healthier crispy skin chicken recipe. The cook time/temp was great, and I will use this as a jumping off point for buttermilk marinated Air Fryer Chicken.
When I make this again, however, it will be with significant family friendly revisions. I am not sure how no one is commenting about the spice, maybe it is just the hot sauce I used, but between the hot sauce in the buttermilk marinade AND the 1/2 t. of Cayenne Pepper in the flour mixture, this was burn my face/ears off hot! Half of our family couldn't eat it and we had popcorn for dinner instead.
For a family pack of chicken thighs (about 4 lb.), I used 1 c. buttermilk and 1/2 c. of hot sauce. I made the flour coating as stated and had enough to coat all the thighs. I will reduce the hot sauce to 2 T. max and probably only use a pinch of cayenne in the flour mix next time. I wanted to recommend that a spice warning actually be added to the recipe, it was that bad for our sensitive tongues :(.
Tanya says
Hi Laura, thanks for the feedback. It's likely the brand of hot sauce you used. I use the brand that I have linked in the recipe card, Texas Pete. It's not too spicy and adds flavor and a little kick.
judith judge says
i dont like hot sauce can i skip it and will the chiken still be as good
Tanya says
It'll be different, but still good.
Jen says
This recipe turned out great! My family loved it. I made it exactly as written the first time and it was excellent. The second time I made it I did make a couple of substitutions. I added a couple of Tablespoons of brown sugar and Paprika to the dredge and left out the cayenne. Turned out great as well. The hot sauce and the buttermilk seem to be the key to super moist flavorful chicken.I soaked mine over night both times. Thank you!
Kim says
This was the moistest chicken I've ever had. Or at least that i have made. I just used thighs and followed directions and time. Once I thought they were burning but when I cut into it they weren't done. Still had 8 minutes to go And was perfect
T. Hill says
I used this recipe with some bone in chicken breast. It was awesome. I did have to leave them in longer because the breast were huge. I will definitely use this again.
Lisa A Hiatt says
I haven't made fried chicken in a lifetime. I got an air fryer lid for my Instant Pot and decided to try it. It came out perfect!! I think the best part was marinating it in hot sauce! Gave the chicken such a great flavor! I will definitely make this again!!!
Yogi says
My family loved this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly as it was posted. I did notice on some pieces of chicken there was a spot where the skin fell off a bit. I did use parchment paper and strain the chicken after removing if from the marinade. Other than that it was perfect
Leah says
I wanted to make this for a friend with Cancer and her family. She struggles eating anything spicy. I realize I could just leave out the hot sauce but I still want to make sure it has a lot of flavor any suggestions?
Tanya says
Hi Leah, you could reduce the hot sauce to about 2 Tbsp. Also, you can use a mild-flavored hot sauce. I use Texas Pete and don't find it spicy in this recipe.
Cindy Williams says
@Leah,
I used a hole puncher to put holes in parchment. Spray it with oil lightly.
I didn’t soak in milk but rather seasoned chicken and then used seasoned my flour.
I Sprayed with oil mister and flipped when needed.( better not to flip I learned)
Checked with a thermometer.
clipperskipper says
Terrific recipe! Due to popular demand, I have been making this every other week for Sunday dinner. I too have a Cuisinart fryer, so 350 degrees @390F works best for the first 13 minutes, flip, then 325F for the remainder. I leave the basket open with cook spray, and line the drip tray with aluminum foil, so clean up is a snap, with better circulation.
Peg says
@clipperskipper, what is 350 degrees @390F mean? Did you cook it at 350 or 390? I have the Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven ... is that what you used? If so, what shelf position did you use?
Tanya says
Hi Peg, I cooked it at 390. I used my Philips Air Fryer and 390 is the highest temp on it. Mine has no shelf but if you're using a shelf, I'd use the lowest one.
clipperskipper says
@Peg, That should read 350F for 13 minutes, flip, then 325F for the remainder. Bottom shelf, I usually do five thighs.
Deokie Nabrizny says
5 stars My first time making fried chicken in my air fryer and it was a success! My husband was obsessed.
Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Charlene says
Thank you so much!! This is definitely the best air fry chicken I’ve tried. Just a little bit of heat with lots of flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. I impressed our 15 yr old grandson with my ability to make fried chicken😉
Nitrous says
great recipe. I added 20% of the flour as wheat dextrin....(AKA Evercrisp).... makes a big difference in terms of crunch!
That being said, how can a recipe using 4 pieces of chicken be a recipe for 4 people? 🙂
I pity the person who gets one little wing! 🙂
Doug
Tanya says
Lol, I do too lol
Lauren says
This recipe was PHENOMENAL! So easy, so delicious! I sprayed my basket with avocado oil and had zero sticking. Thank you for sharing, fried chicken is my weak spot and this recipe makes me feel much better about eating it!
Tanya says
Thanks Lauren! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Sonia says
🤯🤯🤯
Seriously this is perfection! I always felt that “fried chicken” left the chicken unseasoned. But the little tip with the hot sauce marinade! Boom! I made homemade buttermilk and it still came out amazing. Thank you for this recipe! 🍗🍗
Tanya says
Thank you so much Sonia 🙂