The Best Air Fryer Fried Chicken
User Reviews
4.8
The Best Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Description
This air fryer fried chicken recipe uses a marinade of buttermilk, hot sauce, and spices to tenderize and flavor bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. The marinade helps retain moisture and infuse subtle heat and tang. The breading consists of seasoned flour and cornstarch, which creates a thick, crispy coating when applied over the marinated chicken.
Cooking in the air fryer at 375°F crisps the crust through circulating hot air, requiring generous coating of oil to achieve the characteristic crunch. The instructions emphasize adding oil during cooking to ensure the crust fully cooks and crisps rather than remaining floury.
This method yields fried chicken with a textured, crunchy exterior and a moist, flavorful interior, suitable for serving alongside classic sides or integrating into sandwiches. It offers a less oily alternative to deep frying while keeping traditional flavor notes from spices and hot sauce.
A practical tip included is how to make buttermilk substitute by mixing milk with vinegar or lemon juice, useful when buttermilk is unavailable.
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 lb. chicken pieces mix of cuts, bone-in, skin-on
- 1 cup buttermilk *
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika garlic powder, black pepper, salt
For the breading:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup corn starch or replace with more flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper
- cooking oil Canola, Peanut, Vegetable, or olive oil, for spraying chicken
Instructions
- Combine buttermilk, hot sauce, and spices for the marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken and mix to combine. Cover and marinate up to 24 hours or use right away.
- Pre-heat air-fryer to 375F.
- In a medium shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and spices for breading. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the buttermilk batter into the flour mixture and mix it through with a fork.
- Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken the flour mixture and press flour on the top chicken to form a thick crust. Transfer chicken to a Pre-heated air fryer in a single layer without overlapping. You may need to work in batches if needed.
- Generously spray chicken with oil or brush it down with oil. You will need to apply a generous layer enough to coat ALL the breading or the flour will not cook and create a crispy crust. If at any point during the cooking you still see raw flour, go ahead and brush it with a little more oil. The more oil you apple the crunchier the crust will be.
- Set the Air-fryer to 30 minutes and start. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and lightly spray the other side with oil. Continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the chicken is golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°. Repeat with the remaining chicken as needed.
Notes
- For homemade buttermilk, combine 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes before use.
- Apply oil generously to the breaded chicken in the air fryer to ensure a fully cooked and crispy crust.
- Marinate chicken up to 24 hours to maximize tenderness and flavor or cook immediately after mixing.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 592 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 11/4th the recipe | |
| Calories | 592kcal | 30% |
| Carbohydrates | 20g | 7% |
| Protein | 45g | 90% |
| Fat | 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 173mg | 58% |
| Sodium | 588mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 530mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 884IU | 18% |
| Vitamin C | 15mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 59mg | 6% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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