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.
Perry Titus-Glover says
Incredible
Kelly Brinley says
Chicken was fantastic!
Susie says
Hi Tanya, I really enjoyed this. My butcher only had 1 pound of bone in, skin on thighs, so I halved the ingredients. I didn’t have cayenne pepper for the breading- it was fine without it. I used Sriracha hot sauce for the buttermilk marinade, and was great! I plan on trying Pete’s next, as you recommended. This is a wonderful dish, thank you again for another fabulous air fryer recipe❣️
Shannon Kumar says
I’m planning to make this for Mother’s Day, as part of a chicken and waffles brunch! Was wondering if I could use foil instead of parchment paper? Amazon won’t deliver in time 🙁
Tanya says
Hi Shannon, I haven't tried it with foil paper so I'm not sure if that would prevent sticking and proper crisping. If your air fryer has one of those black non-stick baskets you should be fine without the parchment paper. I would suggest placing ample oil in the basket and being super careful when flipping the chicken, so the breading sticks better.
Brittany says
Hi, I tried this recipe last night and followed your instructions to a T. It came out perfectly with our bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside! The breading mostly stuck to the chicken, which was great. I had to do it in two batches, which worked fine too.
My only issue is that it WAS really spicy. My husband and I loved the spice, but our kids weren't able to handle it. I think next time I won't do a full half cup of hot sauce in the marinade.
Tanya says
Thanks Brittany! Feel free to cut back on the hot sauce in half on the next batch. I use Texas Pete a ton and don't find it spicy. Other hot sauces may be spicier.
Florence says
Used by air fryer for the 1st time this evening and tried your Fried Chicken recipe. The chicken came out perfectly moist and tender and the breading mixture stayed on perfectly also. I will admit I didn't have any hot sauce to use so I added cayenne pepper to the buttermilk which gave it a slight zing. My husband was impressed with the air fryer and your recipe. I will definitely make your Fried Chicken again and since it only takes 25 minutes to make I can have it on a week night
Tanya says
I'm so happy you both liked it. I'm all for weeknight air fried chicken.
Carolyn says
Wow! Made this in my brand new Instant Pot Duo Crisp tonight. First ever instant pot meal. This was phenomenal! Thanks so much for this! I bookmarked it!
Tanya says
Thank you Carolyn. So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Susie says
Hi! I love all your recipes! My husband likes bone in, skin on thighs. Would 4 thighs work with this recipe, or how many pounds of chicken pieces do you recommend? Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Susie, 4 thighs would work fine. I'd keep the cooktime and temp the same for all thighs. I'd suggest about 2 lbs of chicken or however many pieces can fit in your air fryer in a single layer.
Lance Weisser says
Hi Tanya,
It was a total success, thanks to your clear instructions. I might say that all of my flour breading stayed in place. What works for me is to really pack the flour into the meat--massage it into every nook and cranny with your fingers, and don't be gentle. I even double dip it in the buttermilk and pack it on again. Then I put the floured chicken on a plate and in the fridge to set for an hour or so. This makes the flour really stick to all surfaces, skin or no skin. Finally, after preheating my GoWISE, I pour a little oil onto a plate, quickly rub all the chicken surfaces in it to lightly coat, and place the pieces onto a raised metal rack which fits into the basket, and follow your times and temps for cooking. The breading stays put, and the chicken comes out perfectly done and juicy.
Thank you for this very delicious recipe, Tanya!
Lance in Canada
Tanya says
Awesome Lance! So glad you liked the recipe and thank you for the feedback and tips on getting that breading to stick 🙂
Pam says
Tanya
I have enjoyed all your recipes.
Making the fried chicken tonight.
I appreciate your detailness. I actually understand how to use my instapot thanks to You.
Robin says
Can you use wax paper instead of parchment paper?
Tanya says
Hi Robin, you can't use wax paper instead of parchment paper. Wax paper isn't suitable for high heat cooking like the air fryer.
Monique says
Hello!
Made this a couple of days ago and the flavor was delicious! My only problem was the breading. It mostly fell off. Any tips?
Tanya says
Hi Monique, did you use skin on or skinless chicken? I find that the batter sticks better to chicken with the skin on. Also, the parchment paper has been the best way for me not to get it to stick to the basket and fall off. If it's still an issue, you could try placing the chicken pieces on a wire rack after breading them for a few minutes.
Ross says
Can bread crumbs be used instead of flour
for the air fryer chicken drumsticks??
Tanya says
Hi Ross, I've used bread crumbs in the past and they were fine. You may need to reduce the temperature a little (about 20 degrees) as I found breadcrumbs brown faster than the flour.
Keith says
I used this recipe as a guide for my first ever air fryer meal (fried chicken). The parchment paper and dry spot oiling tips were great. The chicken turned out delicious and I can't wait to do it again with some tweaks. Thanks for the recipe, can't wait until I get some buttermilk to try this again.
Tanya says
Awesome Keith! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Lisa says
My chicken came out perfect! I was having trouble getting it crispy before. Thanks for all the tips. Your recipe was delicious. My husband was so excited
Tanya says
Awesome! So glad you all liked it 🙂