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.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.
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.
Jill says
I can’t wait to get an air fryer to try this recipe. But I really wanted to say I LOVE your blog name!
Tanya says
Thank you so much Jill, I really appreciate it 🙂
Jeffrey Mullen says
The technique is good, but I don't know why you promised that it wouldn't be spicy. The hot sauce doesn't disappear. It ends up in the chicken, like Nashville hot wings. My family didn't like it because of that.
Tanya says
Hi Jeffrey, it actually wasn’t spicy at all to us or others who have made this recipe. We use Texas Pete hot sauce, any other hot sauce that is spicier than that brand, like Sriracha, may have different results.
Lisa E says
I just made this tonight with Frank's Original Hot sauce and we loved it. My husband, who likes EVERYTHING spicy hot, said it was delicious could have been spicier for him lol! Great flavor! I will make this again and if it's just for the hubs, I'll kick the heat up a notch.
Tanya says
Yay! So glad you all liked it. Frank's is a great hot sauce to use for this recipe.
Kristy says
Awesome recipe! We had to make a few adjustments for to altitude and some missing ingredients, but the results were delicious! We live at about 5000' elevation, so we cooked at about 360F for a few minutes longer on both sides and double checked the internal temperature with a food thermometer for safety. Also, I've never used seasoning salt, so we replaced this with Old Bay and it was AMAZING!!!
Tanya says
Yay, so glad you liked them and good tip for the altitude adjustment. Also, Old Bay is amazing and a great sub for seasoning salt.
Cindy says
Can’t wait to try this, Can you use boneless chicken breasts?
Tanya says
You can, but the results may be slightly different. The chicken may not be as crispy as pictured.
PK says
I used breast strips and they came out pretty good! I definitely want to try with skinned pieces next time though.
Plus, it was spicy because we marinated for 24 hours in the buttermilk and Frank's.
Floyd says
Hi I tried your recipe without the cayenne pepper and the chicken was really flavorful and juicy, but the skin came out burnt on a few of the chicken breasts. I sprayed olive oil midway through the cooking time on the dry patches of batter, and used the same 390 degrees at 25 minutes on my Ninja Airfryer. Any idea what can be done to prevent this?
Tanya says
Hi Floyd, so glad the chicken was flavorful and juicy. My guess is that the chicken were closer to the heating element on top of the Ninja, causing some spots to burn. You could try again making sure that the pieces aren't too large or lowering the temperature by about 20-30 degrees and coooking a little longer.
Debra Scoular says
If I need to double this recipe how do you recommend we keep first batch warm, juicy and crispy while waiting for second batch to cook? We have a large family so we have to double it. Can't wait to make this tonight and I will definitely follow up with full recipe review.
Tanya says
Hi Debra, You'd probably need to keep them warm in an oven set to about 225 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the first pieces warm. I wish there was a better way without turning on the oven but it's probably the best way to keep them warm and crispy.
Liz says
Really good. Nothing like traditional southern fried chicken. But just as good in its own way,
As I had no parchment or oil spritzer, I heated a seasoned stoneware pan with a light layer of olive oil. Then cooked my chic turning it over halfway. Crispy, juicy AND crunchy. I used buffalo sauce instead. The smell while cooking is amazing. Thank you!
Scott says
Thank you for this. We were given an air fryer for Christmas, so this was our first recipe using it. Amazing! I doubled it, using a whole chicken. Marinated for only 2 hours (weeknight meal) with buttermilk and Sriracha. It was SO moist and delicious. Great crust, too!
I'm so glad I found you! THANK YOU.
If you're into it, I'd love to interview you for my podcast, Way Off the Record: http://www.WOTRpod.com
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad you liked it Scott. Feel free to email me about the podcast interview, tanya@myforkinglife.com and Congrats on launching it!
Riley says
Do you pre heat the fryer at all?
Tanya says
For this recipe, I usually don't. If your air fryer recommends pre-heating, then I would preheat.
Lynn says
I thought the purpose of an air fryer was not to coat it
Tanya says
In order to get the chicken pieces nice and golden, you need a light spray of oil. Most air fryer brands encourage a light spray of oil over certain foods, especially breaded foods.
Char Ohle says
Just followed this recipe tonight and everyone loved it. I will be making it again. Thank you.
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad everyone liked it 🙂
Beth says
I have made this recipe twice, Spouse loves it, as do I. Very easy, quick and delicious.
Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe!
Tanya says
Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂 I'm glad you liked it.
Elizabeth Waksmunski says
I haven't tried this recipe yet but I'm looking forward to doing so. I have a new Breville Smart Oven Air and I am still in the learning phase. I am planning to use parchment paper but am wondering if the chicken will still be crispy if I don't poke holes in the parchment paper. I don't want to get grease drippings on the heating elements...learned the hard way when I cooked chicken wings without using parchment paper first time out.
Your advice is most appreciated.
Tanya says
Hi Elizabeth, I don't think the chicken will get as crispy without the holes. The air circulating around the chicken really helps with the crispiness and I found that the holes help.
Don says
Awesomely Done!!! I modified it a little bit (cause some of those ingredients I didn't have) but your technique and overall assistance was a great help!!!!... I could never get this air fryer to work right for me until now!
Erika says
Thank you for this recipe! My whole family LOVED this...even my kids who are super picky when it comes to things being "too spicy". I followed the recipe exactly, except I only used 1/8 tsp cayenne in the flour mixture, but I kept everything else the same. My oldest even asked for seconds! Surprisingly, I could not find a fryer chicken cut up at my grocer, so I did use skinless chicken breasts. However, I did not have too much trouble with the crispy coating staying on. This one will be on heavy rotation at our house for sure!