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.
Madison G says
Hi! My husband and I just tried this recipe and were really excited — but it’s REALLY spicy. I’m not sure if you used a different kind of hot sauce, but we used Tobasco (which is pretty classic, southern hot sauce) and it was crazy levels of spicy.
So just wanted to let the folks know who might want a more mellow version of fried chicken!
Tanya says
oh no, I generally use Texas Pete, which has some spice but we can barely taste the spice in the recipe, just the flavor. Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Shane says
@Madison G, Tabasco is way too spicy for this application. I would use Crystal, Louisiana brand, or Frank's Red Hot. You want a vinegar based sauce that is not too spicy.
Lori Clark says
Have you ever cooked this recipe in the air fryer that is like an oven? I wonder if that parchment paper would work for it.
Tanya says
I've made breaded chicken in the oven air fryer, not this exact recipe though. I did use parchment paper in the oven and I found that it helped.
Tara says
newbie here as in I am using this air fryer I have had for over a year for the 1st time - please no judgement 🙂 I would like to use this recipe however I only have boneless chicken breast. will it work with boneless and what temp should I put it on and how long do I cook it. also, do I need to flip like you do with the original recipe.
Tanya says
Hi Tara, This works with boneless breast, albeit not as well as it does with bone-in chicken. Yes, I would still suggest flipping the chicken, you would just need to be careful when flipping to try and keep most of the breading on. As far as temp, I use 6 oz breast in the air fryer and those take about 13-14 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Larger chicken breast will take longer.
Dorothy says
I’m grateful your instructions stated what the pieces will look like through the cooking process and noting some of the coating will fall off versus some recipes that look as though they came straight out of Martha Stewart’s kitchen. I’ll certainly try this.
Tanya says
You're welcome! I take the photos exactly while I'm cooking because I want yours to look exactly like how mine does. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Michael says
Mine didn’t look at all like the pic, most of the flour fell off. What did i do wrong?
Tanya says
Hi Michael, was it skin on or skinless chicken? The flour may have some difficulty sticking to skinless chicken.
Mike says
This was so good. Had to use chicken breasts but I didn't run into much trouble with the flour not sticking.
Diane Constantine says
Is the parchment paper a special type for the airfryer, or just regular parchme t?
Tanya says
The one I use is a special type of air fryer liner. It's cut to fit your air fryer and has holes in it. They sell it on Amazon.
Michael says
@Diane Constantine, I used regular parchment paper
Amy says
Best Fried Chicken I've ever eaten!!!
Trista says
Hello Tanya,
We are looking to make this for our family, but some of the kids are fairly sensitive to spicy foods. With the hot sauce and cayenne pepper, how spicy does this turn out in the end, or is it not spicy at all and just added for flavor?
Thank you in advance!
Tanya says
I don't find it spicy, but a few people have. I'd use a hot sauce that isn't crazy spicy (Like Texas Pete) and cut the hot sauce and cayenne pepper in half.
Tasha says
Hi there! I am looking to invest in an air fryer but didn't see the link to the brand name and style you use? (I saw the accessories, so thank you!) How long have you had yours and how often do you use in a week? My new convection oven/microwave offers a "slim fry" but haven't had much success with it :/ Thanks again for your Southern Chicken Recipe!
Brandy Freeman says
@Tasha, I know this is an older comment but noticed noone replied to you. I have the Cosori 6.5qt air fryer & LOVE it! I've had it over a year & use it 2-3 times a week. It is very user friendly, holds a large amount of food so there's no need to cook in batches (unless you have an extremely large family.) Also the baskets are dishwasher safe making clean up a breeze. I purchased mine from Amazon. Hope this info helps ?.
Rik says
When I cook breaded chicken in my ninja foodi air fryer the breading comes out burned I cook at 390 for 22 minutes What am I doing wrong it sure doesn’t look like your chicken
Tanya says
My guess is that your chicken pieces are too close to the fan, causing the burn spots. I'd try using the lower rack and the air fryer setting next time, since the rack won't be as close to the heating element.
Jo Wright says
I made this and it turned out wonderful!!
Ang says
Hi Tanya, can I use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Tanya says
Hi Ang, I haven't used almond flour on this. My only concern is that almond flour may darken and brown much quicker than all-pupose flour, so I would keep an eye on it. Let me know if you try it.
Sonya says
I tried almond flour and it didn't turn out bad, like you said you just have to watch it more carefully
Tanya says
Thank you for letting us know how it turned out for you. It's good to know for sure that it can be used if needed.
Janet says
Oh my god what a fantastic recipe. This was my first experiment with my new Ninja Foodi, and it completely convinced us that it was a worthwhile purchase. Crunchy coating, tender juicy interior. Thanks so much for this Tanya, I’ll check your site for all of my air fryer adventures!
Sabrina says
Is this 318 calories for the whole recipe or one piece of the chicken?