Fried Chicken in Air Fryer
Air Fryer Fried Chicken is the best way to make a crispy crust and juicy inside chicken drumsticks with far less oil!
Fried Chicken in Air Fryer is the best buttermilk fried chicken you can make in under 30 minutes. They are super crispy and crunchy on the outside and perfectly juicy on the inside without the concern of deep frying in a pan full of oil! They taste just like the original KFC fried chicken but are so much healthier!
Frying the chicken in an air fryer is a game-changer. It makes a beautiful golden brown, juicy, and flavorful chicken. If you have an air fryer at home, you ought to try out this recipe as soon as possible. Sometimes, I believe this is the reason why air fryer was invented in the first place!
Through this post, I will be sharing how to easily make the traditional fried chicken in an air fryer.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken are
- crispy and crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside
- can be made quickly in under an hour from start to finish
- far healthier compared to deep frying in lots of oil
- no compromise in taste
- far less messy with no extra grease
- can easily using chicken drumsticks, tenders, or breast pieces. The cooking time will vary though.
- may also use skin-on, bone-in, or boneless pieces for making fried chicken.
- may also pan fry the breaded chicken if you do not have an air fryer. It is better than deep-frying and you can flip the chicken pieces to ensure even cooking on both sides.
➡️ New to Air Fryer? Here's Everything You Need to Know About The Air Fryer
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken
You may not be filled with guilt when you enjoy fried chicken anymore! Make this easy recipe on any weeknight or for a summer picnic, a cold winter night, or when you binge watch a Netflix show.
Ingredients
- Chicken: Use your favorite chicken cuts- chicken legs, things, breasts, or wings for this recipe. Skin-on chicken works best.
- Breading: I have used All-Purpose Flour. Pack it with loads of flavor by using a variety of spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Buttermilk: What does buttermilk do for fried chicken? We often find buttermilk being added to the Southern-style fried chicken recipes. It is used to tenderize the chicken by breaking down some of its protein. This is the same reason why we marinate the meat in yogurt while making Indian recipes like Tangdi Chicken.
- Eggs: Use large eggs and beat them well with salt and pepper.
What if you do not have Buttermilk?
How to Make Buttermilk Easily
To make your own buttermilk at home, combine 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and rest for 5-10 mintues or until it begins to curdle. You may double and use in recipe as directed.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken in Air Fryer
- To make fried chicken in an air fryer, let's first season the buttermilk. Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Combine the ingredients with the buttermilk well.
- Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk and keep it aside for 30 mins to an hour. You may choose to keep it refrigerated overnight.
- It's time to make the breading. To the all-purpose flour, add oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Beat two eggs with a little salt in a shallow dish. Keep all the mixtures handy for an easy breading process.
- Let's prep the chicken now. Coat each chicken piece in flour, dip them in beaten eggs, and coat again in more flour. Keep aside.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 F or 180 C for 5 minutes. Place the breaded chicken in a preheated air fryer. Spray it with cooking oil.
- Cook the chicken in batches for about 25-30 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Repeat the process.
Tips to Make the Best Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- The temperature may vary depending on the air fryer brand and the size of the chicken pieces.
- You may use parchment paper to line the air fryer basket to prevent sticking the breaded chicken to the surface. I tried with and without the butter paper and preferred the latter.
- If you are using any liner, make sure that you place the chicken pieces over it. Else the liners will fly and get caught in the fan causing fire during the cooking process.
- Do not overcrowd the chicken pieces. Add only a few pieces at a time and cook the chicken in batches.
- Flip the chicken pieces halfway through the cooking process to ensure even cooking on both sides.
- Before and after flipping, do not forget to spray the chicken pieces. This ensures that all the flour is evenly coated with oil. Else, the breading will not cook properly to create a crispy crust. If you find uncooked raw flour patches any time, spray the oil.
- You may use any oil that does not have any added flavor like canola oil or vegetable oil.
What if the Coating Falls Off?
If you find that the coating or breading isn't sticking to the chicken, try air drying the chicken for about ten minutes. Once you bread the chicken, place them in a wired rack so that coating sticks to the chicken skin.
Some Recipes to Serve Fried Chicken With
Fried Chicken in Air Fryer Recipe
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Fried Chicken in Air Fryer
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
Description
Juicy, golden brown chicken that is made in an air fryer in under 45 minutes!
Ingredients
10-12 Chicken legs or 1 kg Chicken
2 cups Buttermilk
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Eggs, large
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp Sriracha Sauce
Salt, to taste
1 tsp Pepper powder
½ tsp Oregano
Oil, for spraying
Instructions
To make fried chicken in an air fryer, let's first season the buttermilk. Add onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper.
Combine the ingredients with the buttermilk well.
Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk and keep it aside for 30 mins to an hour. You may choose to keep it refrigerated overnight.
It's time to make the breading. To the all-purpose flour, add oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Beat two eggs with a little salt in a shallow dish. Keep all the mixtures handy for an easy breading process.
Let's prep the chicken now. Coat each chicken piece in flour, dip them in beaten eggs, and coat again in more flour. Keep aside.
Preheat the air fryer to 360 F or 180 C for 5 minutes. Place the breaded chicken in a preheated air fryer. Spray it with cooking oil.
Cook the chicken in batches for about 25-30 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Repeat the process.
Notes
The temperature may vary depending on the air fryer brand and the size of the chicken pieces.
You may use parchment paper to line the air fryer basket to prevent sticking the breaded chicken to the surface. I tried with and without the butter paper and preferred the latter.
If you are using any liner, make sure that you place the chicken pieces over it. Else the liners will fly and get caught in the fan causing fire during the cooking process.
Do not overcrowd the chicken pieces. Add only a few pieces at a time and cook the chicken in batches.
Flip the chicken pieces halfway through the cooking process to ensure even cooking on both sides.
Before and after flipping, do not forget to spray the chicken pieces. This ensures that all the flour is evenly coated with oil. Else, the breading will not cook properly to create a crispy crust. If you find uncooked raw flour patches any time, spray the oil.
You may use any oil that does not have any added flavor like canola oil or vegetable oil.
This is the air fryer that I use.
Find all Air fryer recipes here.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: fried chicken in air fryer, air fryer fried chicken
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Try these Air Fryer Recipes, if you like Air Fryer Cooking:
I'm participating in #AtoZChallenge and #BlogchatterAtoZ where I'll be sharing 26 Easy Recipes with you this April. I'm dedicating the posts to the amazing community members who helped me figure out this theme for the challenge. Thank you!
Anna Impastato says
It's not clear in the recipe on what you do with the eggs. I assume you dip the chicken in it before you re-flour. Is that right?
Shalini says
Oh, thank you for pointing that out. I should have mentioned dip the chicken in beaten eggs instead of buttermilk. I have made the necessary changes.
Amal Unni says
well, it’s very useful and thanks for sharing with us....
★★★★★
Pratibha P says
Damn! How I wish I hadn't turned vegetarian!
★★★★★
Chinmayee Gayatree Sahu says
It certainly looks tempting and I am sure all chicken lovers will drool over these items. Kudos to your efforts.
Tina Basu says
this is such a fab recipe to try in the air fryer. I am making this for my parents next week.
Dipika Singh says
Looks so scrumptious and tempting. My daughter would love this guaranteed. I am saving this recipe as well, Shalini to try soon. Thank you.
Harshita Nanda says
Oh, thank you so much! Have been thinking about making this for my boys for so long and this is so simple!
Deepti Menon says
Shalini, that chicken looks delicious! Definitely my next trial... 🙂 thank you!
http://www.deepties.blogspot.com
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Mayuri Nidigallu says
What could be better than having Fried Chicken without the unhealthy calories? Win! Win!
★★★★★
Beth says
My friend just got an air fryer -- this will be helpful for him.
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/
Crackerberries says
I am so excited to find your recipe for air fried chicken. I will definitely be trying this out. I've printed the recipe and I've also shared with my twitter. I tired to click the link to share on Facebook but for some reason it would not allow it. I think I will just copy the link and post it that way. ☺ Good luck with the #A2ZChallenge and I'll be visiting again for some yummy recipes.
Cheers,
Crackerberries
Fabida Abdulla says
This looks yum! Can't believe they were made in an air fryer - they look so crispy!
Ramya DRozario says
This recipe is perfect for me. I am constantly looking at recipes to make with the air fryer and I even got an oil spray can which I am yet to use. Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing Shalini!
Lisa Elliott says
My husband loves fried chicken - especially thighs and legs. I need to use your recipe and make some in the airfryer!!
Jayanthi says
Looks yummy! 🙂