My air fryer fried chicken is just as crispy and juicy as you’d expect, but without all the fuss of deep frying them! Full of delicious texture and flavor, this tastes like KFC!
The beauty of using an air fryer is that it reduces the fat and calories of traditionally calorie-dense foods. I’ve given tons of classics a makeover, but fried chicken is one I’m especially proud of.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken pieces. Get bone-in and skin-on chicken, including a mix of thighs, chicken drumsticks, and breasts. For this recipe, I prefer to use bone-in, skin-on chicken. The batter works perfectly for any cut of chicken, so use a mix of chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, and chicken breasts.
- Buttermilk. A key ingredient in fried chicken. It helps the batter hold onto the chicken better.
- Spices. Salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and pepper.
For the breading
- Flour. Either all-purpose flour or wheat flour.
- Cornstarch. Thickens the batter.
- Spices. I’m using a mix of salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Olive Oil spray. For coating the air fryer basket.
How to make air fryer fried chicken
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities.
Step 1: Marinate. Add buttermilk, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder to a large bowl, along with the chicken. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to thicken.
Step 2: Coating the chicken. Using tongs, remove pieces of the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, shaking off any excess. Then, moving quickly, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, ensuring both sides are well coated.
Step 3: Prep the air fryer. Generously spray the chicken with cooking spray and place them in a single layer in a greased air fryer basket.
Step 4: Air fry the chicken. Air fry for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken. Respray the chicken with cooking spray and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, it’s ready to serve.
Print2 Ingredient Air Fryer Fried Chicken
My air fryer fried chicken is just as crispy and juicy as you’d expect but without all the fuss of deep frying them!
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skin-on chicken a mix of bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the breading
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch or as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
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Preheat the air fryer to 180C/350F.
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In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, buttermilk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and let it sit for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Using tongs, pick up pieces of the chicken and shake off excess buttermilk. Moving quickly, dip the chicken in the breading on both sides.
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Generously spray the air fryer basket. Place a single layer of chicken in it and generously spray it with cooking spray. Air fry the chicken for 15 minutes, flip, spray again, and cook for another 5 minutes.
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Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, they are ready to be removed from the air fryer. Repeat the process until all the chicken is cooked.
