Air Fryer Fried Chicken

This Air Fryer fried chicken is a healthier and easier version of traditional fried chicken. Soaked in buttermilk and hot sauce, covered in seasoned flour, and air fried to perfection.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer chicken breast, air fryer fried chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Marinade 1

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 318kcal

Author Tanya

Ingredients

Marinade

½ whole chicken cut into separate pieces (breast, thigh, wing, and leg)
½ cup hot sauce
½ cup buttermilk

Seasoning

¾ cup All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Oil for spraying Canola or Vegetable

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.

Video

Notes

I do not recommend overlapping the chicken pieces in this recipe. It’s best to have the chicken spaces in a single layer and not touching. That way the air can get around the chicken to crisp it up and give it that nice and crispy golden layer.
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 of, whether you use the liners or not. However, much less breading falls of when using the parchment liners.
If using parchment liners, make sure that you place the chicken on top of 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 Air Fryer brand. Use a meat thermometer to ensure your chicken has at least reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. My chicken usually reaches 180 degrees or more and is still juicy and deliciousy crsip.
This chicken is best serve the same day. If reheating, place chicken in Air Fryer and cook on 370 for about 10 minutes.
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.

Suggested Tools for Air Fryer Fried Chicken

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

Nutrition