Crispy, crunchy fried chicken is a breeze to make in the air fryer! A buttermilk and hot sauce marinade takes this fried chicken recipe to to the next flavor level!
This Air Fryer Fried Chicken recipe is life-changing!
If you've never made fried chicken at home, don't be intimidated. Now's the time to start!
This hot air fryer fried chicken is savory and succulent, and practically melts in your mouth.
Adding a side of creamy avocado potato salad and some baked beans to the mix makes this fried chicken perfect for a summer picnic!
What ingredients do I need for homemade fried chicken?
First, you'll need a killer marinade to infuse some serious flavor into this chicken.
Start with a combination of buttermilk, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
If you want to control the spice level, feel free to use a milder hot sauce, or kick it up a notch with something stronger if you're brave!
Then, super crispy fried chicken is all about the coating.
A mixture of flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper gets whisked together to create a breading that will tantalize your taste buds.
If you love spice, this is the hot fried chicken recipe for you!
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.
- When you'r ready to cook the chicken, 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 until full. Save any leftover chicken pieces for another batch so that you're not crowding the pan.
- Air fry the breaded chicken for 25 minutes at 380 degrees F. Flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time to make sure that it cooks evenly.
- Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!
How do you know when fried chicken is done cooking?
There are a couple of things to look for when cooking air fryer fried chicken and other chicken dishes to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked.
Always 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.
If you serve chicken without making sure it has reached 165, you could be putting yourself or your guests at risk for food borne illness.
Use a sharp knife to slice into a piece of chicken. As with a meat thermometer, you should do this at the thickest part of the chicken.
For dark meat, you should see that the chicken has taken on a gray/brown color and the juices should run clear.
For white meat, there should be no remaining pink hue to the meat and the juices should also run clear.
Wondering what to serve along with your air fryer fried chicken? try these delicious side dish recipes!
We have so many air fryer recipes to choose from!
If you are having trouble figuring out which one to try next, we suggest: Air Fryer Baked Potato, Air Fryer Broccoli, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts and Air Fryer Sweet Potato
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.
Are you gluten-free? Me too! We also have a sister site where EVERYTHING is gluten-free. It is called VegetarianMamma.
Always be sure to read ingredient labels to make sure that the product/ingredients fits your dietary restrictions!
Generally, we make simple enough recipes where you can sub the ingredients.
Common subs in our recipes include: Bread = Canyon Bakehouse Bread Crumbs = Ian's GF Bread Crumbs Flour = GF Jules All Purpose GF Flour.
Because our household is mixed between gluten and gluten-free, we have made almost everything on our site both ways. (except some of the frozen foods).
If you have any questions, please ask!
Meat Air Fryer Resources - We have a Meat/Veg Air Fryer Newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. We also have several Air Fryer Facebook Groups that you can join (see below for links).
Vegetarian Air Fryer Resources – We have a vegetarian air fryer newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. We also have a specific vegetarian air fryer recipes group on facebook.
If you are looking for vegetarian recipes beyond air fryer ones, we have a Vegetarian Newsletter as well as a Vegetarian Recipes facebook group. This newsletter and FB group offers up recipes that on the stove, in the oven, on the grill, in the instant pot and more!
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment AND rating below! It helps other readers!
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Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 8-12 pieces bone-in chicken pieces
For the coating:
- 1 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free AP flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ 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.
Video
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.
- Remember to use your meat thermometer to determine if your chicken is cooked. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F before consuming.
- 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
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Meat Air Fryer Bundle - Click here
Vegetarian Air Fryer Bundle - Click here
Sally
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!
Cindy
Thanks so much for checking it out Sally!
Christie Gagnon
Okay I really, REALLY need to get myself an air fryer. This looks so delish!!
Cindy
Yes, you do! They are pretty amazing! This Air Fryer Fried Chicken is a great first recipe to try!
Jill
I have been loving my air fryer. I need to try this fried chicken!
Cindy
I hope you enjoy!
Anita
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.
Cindy
For sure, we love the ease and speed of this air fryer chicken recipe!
Farah Abumaizar
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!
Cindy
You are so welcome Farah! I hope you enjoy the Air Fryer Fried Chicken and it gets you out of the rut!
Gina Horton
I loved this recipe.
Cindy
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! 🙂
Tanya
I tried this recipe while in Yuma Arizona during Memorial Day Holiday. Hubby really liked it. I Love my are fryer. RV Lover
Cindy
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!!
Chris Smith
WOW thanks to you guys
The recipe are real
Much love from air fry
Cindy
Thank you Chris! Thanks for being such a big fan of our site!
betty
I really made this
Thanks guys
Without you I wouldn’t have learn that ❤️
Cindy
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!
Kristyn
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?
Cindy
Hello Kristyn! I am thinking it will be close. You should be able to fit 3 for sure and maybe four 🙂
Kristyn
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. 😋
Cindy
Fantastic, thanks for letting me know it turned out well!
Sandy
This chicken turned out so crispy! Yum! I will make again!
Cindy
So glad you liked it Sandy!