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.
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 🙂