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.
Cristen says
I added crushed doritos to mine as well, it tasted amazing ^///^
Tanya says
That is genius!
JK says
AWESOME! I’ve tried various recipes for Airfryer chicken and they’ve been mediocre. Not this one! Perfect! My husband said it tasted just like ‘traditional’ fried chicken, but better. I agree - thanks for a fantastic recipe and the tip about using the parchment paper. I made my own liner/filter with the parchment foil paper that you can buy by the roll. I cut it to size and poked a lot of holes in it with an ice pick. Worked like a charm.
Tanya says
Thank you JK! So happy you liked this recipe 🙂
Colleen says
Which air fryer (make and model) are you using. I want one, but there are too many to choose from. Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Colleen, the one I used for this chicken in sthe Philips Avance XL.
Lexi says
My husband and I made this recipe using boneless skinless chicken breast because that's all we had, but it still turned out great. Best recipe ever! We did however use Cholula hot sauce for the recipe, and it turned out spicy. What hot sauce did you use?
Tanya says
Hi Lexi, thank you. I usually use Texas Pete hot sauce for this recipe.
Keana McMahon says
WOW! made this tonight. was super amazing .. my whole family loved it!
Tanya says
Thank you Keana! So glad you liked the recipe.
Margaret L says
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is fantastic! My daughter has to eat gluten and cow-dairy free for health reasons, so I made modifications:
1) For the buttermilk, used almond milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar per cup
2) For the flour, used a pre-made gluten free flour blend (no xanthum gum)
It worked perfectly, even the cooking time was the same (gluten free blends are typically heavy on rice flour, so I think that's why it didn't overbrown like an almond flour would)
I made a dozen chicken legs with just one batch of the coating per your recipe above. They were INHALED by my family. Everyone agreed it was the single best thing I've ever made in the air fryer.
Thank you and I'm bookmarking your blog!
Tanya says
Thank you Margaret L! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the feedback and modifications. 🙂
Beena says
This recipe is the bomb! Came out amazing. Kids and I loved it. The only thing I did was reduce the hot sauce by half...I was using Frank's Red Hot sauce, plus my kids can't eat too spicy. I also read the comments and kept the chicken in the fridge again after applying the flour mixture so that it doesn't fall off the chicken during the air fryer process. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Definitely going in my permanent folder.
Tanya says
Thank you Beena! So glad you liked the recipe.
Cyndee Freeman says
This looks soooo delicious. Has anyone ever tried it with almond flour?
Tanya says
Yes, I have a comment of someone that made it with almond flour, it's a bit down in the feed. She said almond flour worked fine but you would have to watch it, as almond flour does brown quicker than all-purpose.
Terri Randall says
This is the BEST chicken, try it, you won't be disappointed
Pat says
Hi Tanya
I made the chicken in my ninja foodi and it turned out great. Crunchy on outside and moist inside. I sprayed air crisp basket with oil and no problems with sticking. I followed the advice of another comment and put chicken in refrigerator for an hour before frying. I had one big breast and three thighs all bone-in and had to do in two batches due to limited space in foodi. Now thinking about getting the ninja air fryer. I can see it would be useful for some dishes. Thanks
I am going to make your Chai Tea Cupcakes next, they look delicious.
Pat says
Hi Jennifer
Could I make this in the Ninja Foodi air crisp. I realize I can’t fit as many pieces but would the results be the same?
Tanya says
Yes you can make it in the Ninja Foodi, the results will be the same. Just make sure the pieces are in a single layer.
Jennifer says
I planned this meal last week and missed the part about needing chicken with skin on it. Is there anything I can do to my skinless chicken to help the breading not fall off? I had also bought tenders. Does that make a difference?
Tanya says
Hi Jennifer. You can bread the chicken and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes or more to help the flour stick better.
Loretta Moore says
i just want to thank you for your good & easy recipes. My daughter's coworker gave her an air fryer which she in turn gave to me. No instructions. I have read many articles about cooking with an air fryer but they all have different info, different cooking times, temperatures, preheat or not. So I decided on just one, yours. The fried chicken was easy to follow and tasted great! I willtry more of your recipes. Thank you again.
Loretta
Tanya says
Thank you Loretta! Happy to help and share these recipes 🙂
Billie says
Great recipe! I omitted the hot sauce and cayenne, partly because I was lazy, partly because I was making the chicken for my small children. I had a pack of 7 legs, which fit perfectly in my fryer basket (could’ve fit 1 more...). I had plenty of breading left over. I didn’t use parchment paper because I thought that defeated the purpose of the fryer (using air circulation to cook). Instead I sprayed the basket with cooking spray and it cooked perfectly without sticking. This is my new go-to fried chicken recipe. Thanks!
Tanya says
Hi Billie, thanks for the feedback. So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Nanci Pelati says
This is the best chicken I've ever had!!
Tanya says
Thank you 🙂 So glad you liked it.
Saima Kamal says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried my air fryer the first time for this recipe. I really like it.
Tanya says
Thank you Saima! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂