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Home » Main Dish » Poultry » Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Air Fryer Fried Chicken

By Valerie · May 28, 2019 · Updated May 21, 2020 39 Comments

MD Main Dish
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Perfectly seasoned, incredibly tender fried chicken. You’d never guess this crispy Air Fryer Fried Chicken was made using a tiny fraction of the oil called for in traditional methods.

Pieces of fried chicken on parchment paper.

If I were to tell you that you could create perfectly crispy fried chicken using just a teeny-tiny bit of oil would you believe me?

I’ve been over here quietly working with my new air fryer and I’m here to say that this method of cooking is something to get excited about!

If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time you know that I’ve long been a fan of oven-frying as a way to reduce the amount of oil needed to create a crispy, satisfying result. I’ve used the method for everything from Crispy Oven Baked Fries, Baked Chicken Taquitos, and one of my most popular recipes of all time – Baked Eggplant Parmesan. So, I guess it comes as no surprise that I’m getting along just fine with this new appliance.

Two pieces of fried chicken on a white serving plate.

Once you’ve got the prep out of the way, you’ll be less than 30 minutes away from this irresistible chicken. There are a few tips and tricks to yield a perfectly crispy result and I’m going to cover all of those here for you.

One of the most exciting results of my testing – it works beautifully with the skin on or off. On my third round I decided to pull the skin off of my bone-in chicken thighs and friends, the result was fabulous! So, if you’re really looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, the air fryer is going to be your new best friend.

Four pieces of fried chicken in the air fryer insert.

How to Prep the Chicken

You can get this part of the prep out of the way 1 to 24 hours in advance which is a wonderful thing because the actual cooking process is fast.

For this Air Fryer Fried Chicken you want to pick up bone-in chicken pieces – I went with thighs and drumsticks.

Two images side by side - buttermilk and hot sauce in a glass mixing bowl and raw chicken immersed in the mixture.

After seasoning the chicken with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper immerse it in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce. The hot sauce will not make the chicken too spicy – it just adds a bit of zing.

Chicken marinating in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce.

The chicken can be coated and air fried immediately or you can cover and refrigerate it and allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk mixture for up to 24 hours. This means you can get this portion of the recipe done in the morning and it will be ready to go when you get home from work.

Keep in mind that if you’re cooking more than four or five pieces of chicken, it will have to be cooked in batches. We’ll talk a little more about that in just a bit.

Two images side by side - flour in a plastic bag with a teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning hovering above and a piece of chicken being coated with the mixture.

The coating is a simple mixture of all-purpose flour and Old Bay Seasoning. You don’t want to skimp on the Old Bay – the flour should be well-seasoned. Old Bay has the perfect blend of flavors to create that classic fried chicken taste. It’s a winner.

I find it easiest to mix up the coating in a large plastic storage bag and then drop the buttermilk-coated pieces of chicken in one-by-one. Hold the bag closed at the top and give it a little shake to coat the chicken.

Two images side by side - coated chicken resting on a foil-lined baking sheet and a oil mister set in front of an air fryer.

Transfer the coated chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet and let it sit while you preheat your air fryer.

I highly recommend you pick up an Oil Mister. It allows you to more precisely control the amount of oil you’re using and makes it really easy to apply oil to items that have been breaded. I also use it to apply a light coat of oil to the air fryer basket to help ensure the items won’t stick during the cooking process.

You don’t want to use an aerosol non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) since many contain additives that will damage the coating of your air fryer basket over time. Instead, use a mister or pasty brush to apply your oil of choice.

Check out some more helpful air fryer tips from Cooking Light.

How to Cook Chicken in an Air Fryer

Four pieces of breaded chicken in the air fryer.

After the unit preheats, mist both sides of the pieces of chicken with vegetable or canola oil as you add them to the air fryer basket. You want the chicken to be in one layer. It’s fine if the pieces touch, but they shouldn’t overlap to allow for air flow over as much surface area as possible. I was able to fit 4 thighs in one batch and 5 drumsticks in the next.

About halfway through the cooking time, open the unit and mist any dry spots with a little more oil. I love that you can open and check on the items through the cooking process.

Four pieces of Air Fryer Fried Chicken after the cooking process.

This is the perfectly crispy result after cooking for 25 minutes.

The recipe below makes enough Air Fryer Fried Chicken to serve two (two pieces each) but you can double it and cook it in batches. Just add a little more buttermilk and hot sauce to what’s left after dipping the first batch and marinate the second batch of chicken in the fridge while the first batch cooks. I like to mix up a fresh bag of the flour mixture for coating the second batch for the best result.

My family absolutely loved this chicken. The flavor is spot-on, classic fried chicken. No one will ever know you didn’t deep fry it.

Air Fryer Fried Chicken on a white serving plate with coleslaw.

Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Fried Chicken

  • Marinate the chicken in advance to save time.
  • Use an Oil Mister to easily control the amount of oil you are using.
  • Lightly coat the air fryer basket with a few mists of oil before adding the chicken.
  • Don’t overlap the pieces of chicken.
  • Use either skin-on or skinless chicken – it works well with both!
  • Cook up a couple of batches and refrigerate it for a picnic lunch.
  • It’s delicious served cold and also reheats well.

A close up image of Air Fryer Fried Chicken on a white serving plate.

A vertical two image collage of Air Fryer Fried Chicken on a white platter and on a serving plate with overly text.

Pieces of fried chicken on parchment paper.

Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Perfectly seasoned, incredibly tender fried chicken. You'd never guess this crispy Air Fryer Fried Chicken was made using a tiny fraction of the oil called for in traditional methods.
4.86 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 602kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in chicken pieces (skin-on or skinless), thighs or drumsticks are my favorite
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
  • vegetable or canola oil for spraying, as needed

Instructions

  • If using skin-on chicken, trim any excess fat from the edges, or remove it completely, and season both sides with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chicken pieces and push the down to submerge them in the liquid. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if prepping in advance.
  • Line a small baking sheet with foil or wax paper. Add the flour and Old Bay Seasoning to a large plastic storage bag and shake it to combine the mixture.
  • Drop one piece of chicken into the flour mixture and shake the bag to coat the chicken well, shaking off any excess flour. Transfer the coated chicken to the foil-lined baking sheet and repeat the process with remaining chicken. Let the coated chicken rest while you preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F for 5 minutes.
  • When air fryer is preheated, use an oil mister to lightly coat the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil. Lightly coat both sides of the chicken with oil and transfer them to the preheated air fryer. It's okay if the chicken is touching but the pieces should not overlap. Set the air fryer to 390 degrees F for 25 minutes.
  • Check on the chicken about halfway through the cooking time and spray any dry spots with additional oil.
  • The internal temperature of the fried chicken should read at least 165 degrees F at the end of the cooking process.

Notes

Nutrition information was calculated for bone-in, skinless chicken thighs.

Nutrition

Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 199mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 16.3mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 6mg
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The air fryer shown in the images in this post was provided courtesy of SharkNinja but all opinions expressed are my my own.

Valerie’s Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Categories: Main Dish, Poultry

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  1. Jenn says

    February 24, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I didn’t have an oil sprayer, so just left that part off. Still crisp and fried. A little spicy for my son, but I loved them!

    Reply
  2. Tamara Brucher says

    January 28, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice for my husband, using 2 bone-in & skin-on chicken thighs. I changed out the spices to a cayenne pepper & Cajun spice mix blend because he wanted more of a hot & spicy version. It was super-juicy both times, but the crispiness was a little too well-done & overly brown. I think I went wrong in not having an actual oil mister & using a small spray bottle, so I think I might have over-oiled the chicken. I have since ordered an oil-mister, & I hope that will do the trick.

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      January 28, 2021 at 4:39 pm

      I it does the trick for you Tamara. If the chicken seemed well cooked, you might try reducing the cook time just a bit next time.

      Reply
  3. Stephen White says

    January 17, 2021 at 11:30 am

    I am going to try this today! I have the 8 quart Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL 9-in-1 and was wondering whether I would be able to get away with using the Stainless Steel Deluxe Reversible Rack (2 levels of cooking) so I can double up the amount of chicken being cooked. Thoughts? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      January 17, 2021 at 11:43 am

      I would definitely try it. That is one of the drawbacks with most air fryers – they just don’t hold very much. I’d love to hear back from you with the results!

      Reply
  4. Helen Rodemeyer says

    December 28, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    The best chicken I’ve EVER had! Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Kate Butler says

    December 8, 2020 at 3:34 am

    3 stars
    Sorry, but Old Bay seasoning really didn’t do much for my family. I will follow recipe, but use my own s adorning for flour mix: Penzey’s Fox Point, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      December 8, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      I’m a big fan of Old Bay but absolutely go with the seasonings you love.

      Reply
  6. Doug Kelly says

    November 19, 2020 at 8:12 am

    5 stars
    Just finished a leg and thigh. Super juicy and the time to cook was spot on. I used a butter spray and only had 2 tbsp of Old Bay so I used a tbsp of smoked paprika. Turned out really crispy and tender. I loved it. Will try the recipe for wings.

    Reply
  7. Denise M Davis says

    October 18, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    Hi Valerie, Made this air fryer chicken recipe tonight and it’s fantastic !! We will be making this again. Very easy to make and lots of flavor, but not to hot. Just right. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  8. Lynn Shipley says

    August 2, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    What if you use boneless thighs? Would the cooking be less? If so, how long?

    Reply
  9. Annette Murray says

    July 8, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    5 stars
    This fried chicken recipe was a hit, even with my pessimistic daughter. She found out there was hot sauce in it & she spent days trying to convince me not to make it. She begrudgingly admitted that she liked it. I WILL be making this a regular in our house. Thank you

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      July 9, 2020 at 8:22 am

      Hi Annette. I’m so glad your daughter was convinced 🙂 The hot sauce adds a bit of zing but not really any heat. Thanks so much for your comment.

      Reply
  10. Gwendolyn J Horn says

    July 1, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Hi Valerie, On your air fried chicken, is there a reason you did not turn chicken over 1/2 way through as is usually recommended? I have a GoWise AF & that has always been recommended on my AF chicken recipes. Thanks for a reply. GH

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      July 6, 2020 at 8:34 am

      Hi Gwendolyn. I have the Ninja Foodi and the air circulation in the unit is great so there’s no need to flip the chicken. I don’t have any experience with the GoWise unit so I’m afraid I can’t be sure on what would be best there.

      Reply
  11. jean says

    May 16, 2020 at 11:05 am

    5 stars
    when cooking in batches, do you have to clean inside before cooking next batch ex: thihs then lgs

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      January 27, 2021 at 1:17 pm

      If anything gets left behind, just a quick wipe with a paper towel should be enough.

      Reply
  12. Sherry Wells says

    May 7, 2020 at 10:46 am

    Will this recipe work for just chicken tenders? Getting buttermilk out now…

    Reply
    • Valerie says

      May 7, 2020 at 11:18 am

      I’m sure it would work with tenders although you’ll probably need to play with the cooking time a bit. Without testing, I can’t give you a specific time but I think you would need to cut it down a bit.

      Reply
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