This crispy, crunchy fried chicken is a breeze in the air fryer! A buttermilk and hot sauce marinade takes the flavor to the next level!
“This chicken turned out so crispy! Yum! I will make again!”
This hot air fryer fried chicken is savory and succulent, and practically melts in your mouth.
What You’ll Need
- 8-12 pieces bone-in chicken pieces
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
For the coating:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free AP flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Note: If you want to control the spice level, use a milder hot sauce, or kick it up a notch with something stronger!
How to make Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- Add the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and place the chicken pieces into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Place the breading ingredients in a large zip-lock bag and mix to blend.
- Working one piece at a time, add the marinated chicken to the coating mix and toss to coat thoroughly.
- Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a prepared air fryer basket. Save any leftover chicken pieces for another batch if you don’t have room.
- Air fry the breaded chicken for 25 minutes at 380 degrees F. Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
How to Check That It’s Done?
Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. When placed into the thickest part of the chicken meat, the meat thermometer should read a minimum of 165 degrees F.
For dark meat, use a knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat. You should see that the chicken has taken on a gray/brown color and the juices should run clear.
For white meat, use a knife to cut into the thickest part of the meat. There should be no remaining pink hue and the juices should also run clear.
How to Serve
I suggest pairing fried chicken with: Air Fryer Baked Potato, Air Fryer Broccoli, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts or Air Fryer Sweet Potato
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 8-12 pieces bone-in chicken pieces
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1.5 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
For the coating:
- 1 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free AP flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
To marinade the chicken:
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
To coat the chicken:
- Combine the coating ingredients in a large ziplock baggie. Place the marinated chicken pieces into the bag of coating mix one at a time and press the bag together to coat the chicken. Place the coated chicken piece into your air fryer basket. Repeat until the air fryer basket is full.
To cook your chicken:
- Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees F for 25 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces halfway through.
Notes
- I like to lay down parchment paper or foil to help with clean up.
- I also like to use spray oil (avocado oil) on the drumsticks. Give them a spray before you flip them over to help prevent sticking, and give the tops a spritz of oil to help brown.
- You can always spritz any floury areas to make them brown.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
Nutrition Information
Wow! I’m a fried chicken kinda gal, but I’ve never tried it in an air fryer. Looks perfectly “fried” … just like deep frying. You have me convinced I must make this soon!
Thanks so much for checking it out Sally!
Okay I really, REALLY need to get myself an air fryer. This looks so delish!!
Yes, you do! They are pretty amazing! This Air Fryer Fried Chicken is a great first recipe to try!
I have been loving my air fryer. I need to try this fried chicken!
I hope you enjoy!
It is incredibly fast to fry a batch of fried chicken in an air-fryer. It took me about 1 hour usually using an oven. This is such a great win and time saver tool.
For sure, we love the ease and speed of this air fryer chicken recipe!
I am so happy that I stumbled across this recipe because I was in an air fryer rut. These look like the perfect thing to make in an air fryer. Much less mess, and so crispy! Thanks for this!
You are so welcome Farah! I hope you enjoy the Air Fryer Fried Chicken and it gets you out of the rut!
I loved this recipe.
Hi Gina! Thanks for coming back and letting know us that you tried this air fryer chicken recipe! And better yet, so glad you loved it! 🙂
I tried this recipe while in Yuma Arizona during Memorial Day Holiday. Hubby really liked it. I Love my are fryer. RV Lover
Yay for air fryers and RVs! They truly are a perfect match! So glad you loved our air fryer chicken! So glad it was delicious for your Memorial Day Holiday!!
WOW thanks to you guys
The recipe are real
Much love from air fry
Thank you Chris! Thanks for being such a big fan of our site!
I really made this
Thanks guys
Without you I wouldn’t have learn that ❤️
Hello Betty! So glad you made it and enjoyed it! I appreciate your support! Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out! We are happy to help you in your air fryer journey!
I just got a small 2 qt air fryer for my birthday, never used one before. Do you think halving this recipe (4 drumsticks) would fit in a 2 qt one?
Hello Kristyn! I am thinking it will be close. You should be able to fit 3 for sure and maybe four 🙂
Thank you for responding! You were right. 3 fit just fine so I just had to do a couple of batches. No problem! A great recipe. 😋
Fantastic, thanks for letting me know it turned out well!
This chicken turned out so crispy! Yum! I will make again!
So glad you liked it Sandy!
THSNK YOU for posting this. Chicken was so moist on the inside and had the best crispiness on the outside. Will definitely be making this again. 😋