This Air Fryer Fried Chicken is golden brown, juicy, and full of flavor, thanks to a simple buttermilk and hot sauce marinade.
You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Be sure to check out the blog post itself for extra tips and tricks!
5 Star Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Linda says, "I’ve made this several times and it always turns out yummy."
Southern fried chicken is a classic comfort food, but for a long time, I wasn’t that excited about it. In fact, the only fried chicken I usually ate was air-fried chicken wings tossed in an Asian-inspired sauce.
That changed when I made fried chicken in my air fryer. Marinating the pieces in buttermilk and hot sauce gave me fried chicken that was beautifully golden on the outside and juicy on the inside, with way more flavor than I expected.
Whether you’re new to frying chicken or just looking for an easier way to make it at home, this air fryer version is a simple, flavorful place to start.
With love, Tanya
AIR FRYER FRIED CHICKEN AT A GLANCE
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Marinade Time: 1–24 hours
- Total Time: 35 minutes (plus marinating)
- Serves: 4 people
- Best For: Comfort food cravings, Sunday dinners, family meals, game day, and when you want classic fried chicken with less oil
A Quick Look at the Ingredients Needed
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Whole chicken cut into separate pieces (breast, thigh, wing, and leg)
- For the Marinade: Hot sauce (I use Texas Pete) and Buttermilk. Choose a mild hot sauce and avoid very spicy ones like sriracha.
- Seasoned flour: All-purpose flour, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper.
- Canola or vegetable oil: for spraying the chicken.
How to Make Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Step 1: 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. Don't worry about it being spicy; it won't be if you use a milder hot sauce. You can marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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. Use the tongs to make sure the chicken pieces are fully coated.
Step 4: Lightly spray your air fryer basket with oil, or add a parchment liner with holes if your basket tends to stick. Place the floured chicken pieces on top, in a single layer, with space between each piece so the air can circulate. If using parchment, be sure the chicken is on the liner before you start the air fryer—loose parchment can fly up into the heating coil and be a fire hazard, and could start a fire if it hits the heating element.
Step 5: Close the air fryer drawer, set the temperature to 390 degrees Fahrenheit, and set the timer to 25 minutes.
Step 6: 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.
Step 7: 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.
Other Chicken Recipes in the Air Fryer You May Enjoy
If you like chicken in the air fryer, try these out:
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken (Peruvian Style) - the marinade for this recipe is simply amazing.
- BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Breast - For that BBQ flavor, but made quickly in the air fryer.
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets - Another way to fry chicken in the air fryer, these nuggets are brined in pickle juice, then breaded and air-fried.
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings - My go-to way to make wings these days. I love cooking wings in the air fryer and tossing them in all kinds of sauces.
Make it a Meal
Fried chicken deserves good sides. Here are some of my favorites to make this a full meal.
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges (KFC Copycat) - Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, these KFC-style Air Fryer Potato Wedges are an easy, family-friendly side dish for your Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
- Sweet and Spicy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts - If you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts, these sweet, slightly spicy, crispy bites might change your mind.
- Kale and Broccoli Salad - I love serving this crunchy kale and broccoli salad on the side for something fresh and green with all that crispy chicken.
- Southern Style Pressure Cooker Collard Greens - These collard greens give you that classic Southern flavor without babysitting a pot on the stove all day.
- Old Fashioned Potato Salad - this salad is perfect for fried chicken nights, cookouts, and potlucks.
Tanya's Top Tips
- I do not recommend overlapping the chicken pieces in this recipe. It’s best to have the chicken pieces in a single layer and not touching. That way, the air can circulate around the chicken, crisping it and giving it a nice, golden crust.
- 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. Use an oil with a high-smoke point for your chicken.
- If using parchment liners, make sure you place the chicken on 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 reached at least 165°F. My chicken usually reaches 180 degrees or higher and remains juicy and deliciously crisp.
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, warm the chicken in a preheated oven at 400F until warmed through.
For freezing: Once cooked and cooled, place any pieces of leftover chicken into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQs:
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.
You can, but the results will be a little different. The skin helps the coating stick and get extra crispy, and bone-in pieces stay juicier. If you use boneless, skinless chicken, reduce the cook time and keep a close eye on the internal temperature so it doesn’t dry out.
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 Recipe
Video
Ingredients
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.
Nutrition
Notes
- I do not recommend overlapping the chicken pieces in this recipe. It’s best to have the chicken pieces in a single layer and not touching. That way, the air can circulate around the chicken to crisp it and give it a nice, golden crust.
- 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 off, whether you use the liners or not. However, much less breading falls off when using the parchment liners.
- If using parchment liners, make sure you place the chicken on 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 reached at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. My chicken usually reaches 180 degrees or higher and remains juicy and deliciously crisp.
- 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
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This post was originally published on March 5, 2019. It has been updated with additional helpful tips.
Asya says
This recipe is amazing!!! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
brenda williams says
I don't like anything spicy what would be good to add to the buttermilk?
Tanya says
You can leave the hot sauce out or you can try to add mustard instead.
Yvonne says
Wow.. this recipe is absolutely delicious! So easy to make.. so crispy yet so succulent and full of flavour! I already can't wait to maKe this again! Thank you!
D.J. Lewis says
After steps 1 - 4, (marinating the chicken and coating it in seasoning) do you think it wouldbe okay to freeze any extra chicken I may not be ready to use? I'm a single girl with a small air fryer so it would be nice to only cook as needed and then freeze any leftover chicken.
Tanya says
Great question. That should work fine, but I suggest just freezing the chicken in the buttermilk mixture in a sealed freezer bag/container with the air sucked out. I would defrost and bread the chicken when it's ready to cook.
D.J. Lewis says
@Tanya, thank you!
Sandra Newcomer says
Juicy tender chicken that tastes like the hot sauce it was marinated in. If you aren't a fan of overpowering hot sauce you will not like it. I used Frank's. That is all you can taste.
Tanya says
Hi Sandra, I use Texas Pete hot sauce, as linked in the recipe card. Any brand of hot sauce works fine but Siracha will make it really spicy and Frank's is best for buffalo chicken.
TJ says
OMG! I used this recipe this evening....and all I can say is WOW!
I've tried air fryed chicken before with not so great results. But following this recipe, my family loved the chicken. Definitely saving for future use. Thank you for sharing!!
Tanya says
Thanks so much TJ 🙂
Anthya says
Great recipe!! My family loved it, even my picky little eater. The parchment paper was genius which made the clean up process a breeze. This will definitely go in rotation on our chicken dinners.
Joann says
Would like a coating that would work on skinless chicken. The parchment paper tip was good.
Jenny W. says
@Joann, I used this recipe on boneless skinless chicken thighs last night and it was delicious. The breading may have stuck a bit better with skin on chicken, but if you're looking for a healthier option I would still go for it!
John K says
@Joann, I've been using about 1/3 breadcrumbs (Italian seasoned is what I had) substituted for a third of the flour and I've not had any issues with the breading coming off on skinless chicken (thighs and breasts, breasts I cut to smaller and thinner pieces). I don't use parchment paper either, just spray the air fryer tray with some aerosol olive or canola oil (Gourmia 6 qt. from Costco - $40 - comes with a non-stick tray). Also spray the chicken with a little oil per recipe. No sticking and coating stays put. I like the chicken a little spicy so I add some cayenne, 1/2-1 tsp, to the buttermilk (milk and vinegar, and if I have it I'll add a tablespoon of heavy cream too). Also fork/puncture the meat as it's in the buttermilk/hot sauce. Oh, and I find the cooking time a bit long, I go 20 minutes (again, no thick breasts though). Easy enough to check temp with a meat thermometer rather than overcook. Really good recipe, thanks!
Rosa Gomez says
I'm so happy to have come across your site and gave it a go. My husband and daughter raved about this chicken and it's a keeper. Thank you so making this so easy and I loved the tip about the spray oil on the floured parts 👌🏼. So delicious and juicy this will be my go to recipe when I'm feeling for fried chicken. Can't wait to try your other recipes
Elaine says
I made this tonight, it was juicy, tasty and crispy. I had some failed air fryer fried chicken before, not this one. I will also check your other recipes (my first time here, and glad I found your webiste).
Tanya says
Thank you Elaine 🙂
Maria says
Made this tonight. It was really good! Great flavor and we did not think that it was too spicy but we like spicy foods. Am going to try more of your air fryer recipes!
Pat says
I have learned so much from you about cooking in my Air Fryer. I have used several of your recipes and have loved everyone of them. Thank you so much for your recipes and tips for the Air Fryer.
Kim says
Just made this tonight. Only second time using my Air Fryer. My husband was skeptical, but said it tasted great. Chicken is very juicy and skin crispy. Would like to have a little more breading on outside, but all in all fantastic recipe. Thankful I found your site and recipes.
Tanya says
Thanks Kim, so glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Jere says
good
Nicole Jakob says
I can't usually eat fried chicken because it's too greasy. But that's all changed now! This IS AMAZING. The half buttermilk, half hot sauce- genius. And in the air fryer this was crisp with a great coating- no sacrifice neccessary. Wish I had a bigger air fryer but so happy to have found you and this recipe!!!!