It’s time for my finger-lickin’ air fryer chicken recipe!
Is there anything in the world more satisfying than the CRUNCH you get when you bite into perfectly fried chicken? The tender, moist chicken paired with the crispy, crunchy crust is the pinnacle of chicken recipes.
A lot of people often shy away from making fried food at home, but thanks to Air Fryers, our kitchens will never be the same! We can have all the decadence of fried food with none of the mess, risk, or fat.
This is perfect to serve with KFC coleslaw, make ahead mashed potatoes, and southern style green beans! You have to try my air fryer arancini too!
Let’s cook!
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What I Love About Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
Any time a recipe takes a complex restaurant dish and makes it easy to whip up at home, I’m sold!
- CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
- Who can resist fried chicken?
- Great for lunch or dinner
- Goes well with any side!
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken
It’s so simple!
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight. Then, dredge chicken in the flour mixture.
Dip it into egg then dip it again into the flour mixture. Mist the chicken with oil. Cook in the preheated air fryer!
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe Notes
Start your engines — it’s time to make fried chicken in air fryer!
Haven’t used your air fryer yet? Haven’t even bought your fryer yet? Not to worry — we’ll cover all your bases!
Ingredient Notes
From buttermilk to chicken to the air fryer itself, let’s make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row!
Air Fryer: Like the Instant Pot craze that swept through kitchens, air fryers are the new Must Have appliance! You can get ones for $$$ that do EVERYTHING, probably more than you need — but you can also get very affordable ones that do exactly what you want them to. I love this one from Best Buy!
Oil: A must have with any air fryer is an oil mister. This allows you to evenly disperse oil when you’re using your air fryer and helps the food cook properly.
Buttermilk: If you’ve ever made fried chicken before, you’ll know that with fried chicken comes buttermilk! Buttermilk acts as an acidic dairy product that works to tenderize your chicken. Soaking chicken in buttermilk will ensure you get perfectly moist chicken in each bite!
- There are some easy substitutes for buttermilk though, including combinations of vinegar and regular milk.
Storing Tips
How can you best preserve your deliciously crispy chicken? Read on!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! Once fully cooked and cooled, you can store your chicken in the freezer for up to four months.
To thaw, let sit in the fridge overnight. Then, once ready, you can either rejuvenate your chicken in a toaster oven, regular oven or let it quickly crisp up in your air fryer. No need to settle for soggy breading here!
Make Ahead Tips
This chicken recipe is already geared towards make-ahead lovers — you have to let the chicken marinate for up to two days to get optimal tenderness!
When you’re ready to cook, there’s not much more you can do to save time. The frying process is all about quick!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
You can store your cooled fried chicken in the fridge for up to four days. You won’t want to store poultry for any longer — you risk bacteria growth — and the breading will start to get unsalvageable.
You can reheat your refrigerated chicken much the same way you did when it was frozen, either in a toaster oven, regular oven, or your air fryer.
Air Fryer Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 large garlic, minced
- teaspoon salt
- teaspoon black pepper
- 4 pieces bone-in chicken pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon season salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- cooking spray
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, vegetable oil, honey, 1 1/2 salt, and 1/2 pepper. Place chicken pieces in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag and pour buttermilk over chicken. Press out as much air as possible and seal bags. Place on a rimmed dish or plate in case bag leaks. Refrigerate overnight up to 2 days. Flip bag halfway through marinating time.
- Take the chicken out of the ziplock bags and place on a wire rack so any extra marinade will drip off.
- In a shallow bowl whisk together flour, seasoned salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shaking off excess, dip into egg, then dip again into flour mixture, shaking off excess. Place coated pieces on a piece of foil. Mist the chicken with vegetable oil.
- Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Place coated pieces of chicken in a single layer in the bottom of the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 390 degrees for 18-30 minutes (depending on size of chicken pieces and brand of Air Fryer) or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching the bone.
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More Fried Chicken Recipes
Can’t get enough of the crunch? Me neither! Here are my favorite ways to get my crispiness on:
- Chicken Fried Steak – Switch it up with beef!
- Texas Fried Chicken – Another southern favorite
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken – Bring on the buttermilk — YUM!
- Oven Fried Chicken Tenders – A great lunch for kids
- Oven Fried Chicken Legs – Dinner that everyone will love in a snap
More Air Fryer Recipes
Conclusion
CRUNCH! That’s the sound of happiness. My air fryer chicken recipe brings smiles to the dinner table!
What sides did you serve with your crunchy chicken? Let me know in the comments!
I don’t own an Air Fryer but I have a Mealthy Crisplid which is the upper, most important part of an air fryer that does all the work and have made Fish filets with homemade bread crumbs,
chicken wings using my instant pot as the base and I will try your recipe with chicken parts and let you know how they turn out.
Alright! Thank you so much, Vinnie! Looking forward to your update 🙂
I don’t have an air fryer….can I bake it in he oven & at what temp and time ? I looked for instructions in this post, however I did not find any….
Hi, Ela! Follow the instructions up to step 4. Then heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place the chicken in a single layer on the pan. Roast chicken at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven, and allow the chicken to continue to cook (just in the remaining heat-don’t open the door) for 7-10 minutes more or until chicken is done or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching the bone. Allow chicken to rest for about 7-10 minutes then serve.