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.
Lexy says
Super yummy. we've come back to this recipe a couple times and it doesn't disappoint. Very flavorful and moist. we used boneless skinless chicken thighs and still worked great.
Tanya says
Thanks so much Lexy! so glad you like the recipe 🙂
Craig H says
I have an Instant Pot with an Air Fryer Lid. I can only fry a few pieces at a time but your recipe came out great. The buttermilk-hot sauce brine makes the chicken very moist and flavorful and your herbed breading is very tasty.
Tanya says
Thank you Craig 🙂
Diane M says
I used bone in, skin on thighs twice. The first time I followed your instructions to a tee, and the skin got almost black before the 25 min were over.
The next time I lowered the temp to 350 planning to increase the time but again, after about 10 min on each side, the skin gets so burnt. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
I have a cuisinart which wasn't cheap. my boyfriend (who loves fried chicken) and I were very disappointed both times.
I read all these reviews saying how excellent this recipe is so it makes me think I'm doing something wrong!!!
Tanya says
Hi Diane, from what I know about Cuisnarts, they are known to run a little hotter than most air fryers.
Diane M says
@Tanya, what do u recommend? I'll be honest when i say many of my dinners are burnt. I regret getting this air fryer. I did broccoli tonight at 350 for 10 min and it was black. I feel like I am missing out. I did wings a few times and when i lowered the temp it was good. I feel like. I don't want to try anymore and waste time, money and good dinners...
Tanya says
I understand your frustration. I don't own this brand but only read about the high temps from others. I'd continue to reduce the heat and it should work fine. I'd suggetsing cooking all your chicken recipes on a lower temp until it's done since it worked out well for the wings.
Nikki Evans says
@Diane M, I am currently making this chicken in my Cuisinart Air Fryer. I followed other directions listed here and cooked on the lower pan setting for 13 minutes at 350 and then flipped and finished cooking at 325 for 12 minutes. My pieces are rather thick and are taking extra time but the fry is perfect!
S. Park says
Thanks for this great recipe. It was a bit too spicy for my son with the half cup of hot sauce so I used about 3 Tablespoons and it was perfect. Chicken was juicy and the skin crispy.
Dana Osborn says
Hi, I want to make this recipe this evening for my family and have had the chicken marinating overnight. My only problem is, I don't have parchment paper. Can I still make this recipe and it turn out the same?
Tanya says
yup, the parchment paper is just to help with the sticking but you can still make it without it. Spray the basket with oil before adding the chicken.
Carol says
I should have added that I added a lot more buttermilk then a 1/2c since mine was about to expire anyway otherwise I realize it looks like I did the 50/50 ratio lol if you want to adjust my comment 🙂
Carol says
I have the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer and the skin on the chicken was burning when I checked on it 10 minutes into the cooking time. I've air fried chicken wings and breaded chicken fingers many times at 375-400F with no issues so I'm not sure what happened here. I definitely had it on air fry and not accidentally on broil. Air frying is supposed to be done on the higher rack position 2 but the highest points of skin were burning. I'd maybe try the lower rack 1 position, maybe the parchment somehow did something to the air flow. I don't know. And if you are using Frank's hot sauce, I added about a 1/2c to the buttermilk and no cayenne to the flour and it had a slight kick but wasn't hot. I couldn't even imagine a 50/50 ratio with Franks. It must be a lot hotter than other brands.
Stephanie says
Made this exactly as written. This was an experiment to see if we could convince our fried chicken-loving relative that the AF might be a healthier alternative. Consider us SOLD!! P.S. Really, really don't skip the hot sauce (Texas Pete or Cholula) - it adds all flavor and no heat!
Tanya says
Thanks Stephanie 🙂
POLLY says
I GOT A NEW LG STOVE THAT THE OVEN IS ALSO AN AIR FRIER CAN I USE THIS RECIPE IN IT?
Tanya says
Hi Polly, it should work fine, you may just need to adjust the cook time a bit.
Karen King Kramer says
I don’t have any buttermilk. Any substitutions?
Tanya says
Yep, just add 1 Tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. That can be used in place of buttermilk.
Jill says
@Tanya, use that whole cup or go back to 1/2 cup each?
Tanya says
Hi Jill, you would still only need the 1/2 cup of buttermilk. You can half the buttermilk recipe I've given in the above comment.
Angela says
Not sure what I did wrong, but ever piece of breading came off. I used the parchment paper, but it still came off.
Tanya says
Hi Angela, did you skin on chicken? if not, that could be an issue. I found that the flour stuck better on chicken with the skin. You could also try placing the chicken pieces back in the fridge after you have floured them. Keep them in there for about an hour and then proceed with the recipe.
Tiff says
@Angela,
I was sharing this recipe with a friend and saw this. I had this happen to me the first time I made it as well. I think the problem was too much buttermilk coated on the chicken. To fix this, I let the chicken sit in a strainer for a little while so most of the marinade drains off of the chicken (it will still be flavorful) then I flour right before putting in the airfryer. Also, I don't use parchment paper. I just use grapeseed oil or whatever oil I have on hand and make sure the airfryer tray is well oiled and also preheated. I had no issues with the chicken sticking. Hope this helps!
Gioia says
I just made this recipe using our Ninja Foodi XL 10-in-1 and it came out very, very good, thank you! I love fried chicken but each time I've tried to make it at home it comes out...meh. Not bad, but not great. No "tah-dah! Fried Chicken!"
I couldn't wait to try fried chicken in our new air fryer oven and I really hoped your recipe would be good. It was.
I followed it exactly. It was a tiny bit too spicy (although halfway in, I didn't notice). I used bone-in, skin-on thighs. I only cooked 6 the first time in the basket shelf so they wouldn't touch. Next time I will also use anther rack and do two at a time. The meat was very juicy, the coating very crispy. I am happy! I will leave out the cayenne pepper next time or reduce. I also covered the wire mesh airfry basket with parchment paper and then just repeatedly stabbed little holes in it. Tomorrow I will try without the parchment paper.
Thank you! Our big dog stole a piece and I was gutted, haha.
Tanya says
Thanks so much Gioia! So happy you all liked the recipe. lol, I'm glad the dog got to enjoy some too.
Vicki Pleasant says
Hi, do you recommend the air fryer that you used for this recipe. I have the ninja fryer and chicken did not turn out so good and followed recipe for ninja. I’m thinking and wishing I hadn’t spent that much and just had brought a cheaper fryer. Please let me no which one you use and details on this one and others u recommend. Thanks much! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Tanya says
Hi Vicki, I like the air fryer I use in this post but it's not a cheaper air fryer, it's the philips xxl. Other brands I use often and like are the Bella Pro 5.3qt and the Cosori 5.8 qt.
Kim-Marie says
I used this recipe for chicken thighs this weekend and they were amazing. My air fryer has shelves not a basket and they cooked beautifully. I bought a glass spray bottle and love it and will add another to my collection for Olive oil. I also made the crabs cakes and they were incredible as well.
Holly says
Hi! I too always marinate with buttermilk. I’ve never used the hot sauce in with the marinade but will definitely try it. I usually make Nashville Hot style. So we are looking to invest in an air fryer. What brand do you have and do you recommend it? TIA.
Tanya says
Hi Holly, I have a few air fryers, they all pretty much work the same. I use the Philips XXL, Cosori 5.8qt, and Bella Pro 5.3qt most often.