Air Fryer Fried Chicken - Fork To Spoon (2024)

Everyone loves fried chicken, but everyone doesn’t like using a deep fryer to get that great taste. If you are looking for crispy fried chicken, this is the recipe for you. The coating does really well in the air fryer and gets crispy, golden brown, and it is so flavorful, you will be licking your fingers. Today, I give you my recipe for Air Fryer Fried Chicken.

There is nothing better on a Saturday evening than having a great piece of fried chicken. It might seem like a huge project and a difficult recipe, but it’s actually straightforward, and your kids and family will be asking you to make it over and over again.

Make sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is completely done before removing it from the air fryer.

This is a traditional Southern Fried Chicken Recipe I got from my aunt, who lives in the South, where everyone adores Fried Chicken, and they have it about 1x a week. My kids loved visiting her family, and she would have buckets and buckets of fried chicken, just waiting for my kids.

There is nothing like Fried Chicken in the Air Fryer, Nothing. It is amazing. Today, I will teach you how to fry chicken in air fyrer.

How To Make Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken:

One Cut Up Chicken or an assortment of chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks.

Buttermilk Marinade:

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons Buffalo Hot Sauce (optional)

Flour (Dredging) Mixture:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

How To Fry Chicken In Air Fryer

1. Start by making your buttermilk mixture. Add the buttermilk, salt, black pepper, and Buffalo Hot Sauce to a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Then add your chicken.
2. Place saran wrap over the chicken, and refrigerate for about 3 to 4 hours.
3. Spray your air fryer basket with olive oil.
4. In a large Ziploc bag, add the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, onion powder, basil, white pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
5. Then one by one, remove the chicken pieces and shake off the excess buttermilk mixture and then place them into the Ziploc bag.
6. As you coat them in the flour mixture, add them to the greased air fryer basket, careful not to crowd the basket.
7. Spray the chicken with olive oil (this helps crisp up the skin for the air fryer)
8. Set the temperature to 390 degrees F for 25 minutes, halfway flip the chicken, and spray the chicken coating with olive oil spray.
9. Check the internal temperature before removing the chicken; it should be 165 degrees F.
10. Plate, serve, and enjoy!

Common Questions About Making Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Why Do You Use Cornstarch?

I used cornstarch in this recipe because it really helps to get the crispy skin on the chicken that everyone is looking for. It helps really coat the chicken with the flour.

How Do I Tell When The Chicken Is Cooked?

Easy, use a meat thermometer, it will become one of your go-to tools when you are using your air fryer. I really use mine every time I air fry.

Why Do You Suggest I Spary the Chicken with Olive Oil?

This is one of the biggest questions I get asked. Everyone is under the impression that when you air fry, you never use oil. That is not true. You use less oil. But if you air fry ANYTHING with a coating, it will never get crispy unless you completely cover the breading with olive oil. The olive oil helps acts as a barrier from the heating element to the batter, and if you didn’t spray it, it would turn either white or brown. It would be rather unattractive to eat and VERY DRY.

So, my key is any time you use a batter. You cover the batter with olive oil spray.

Keeping Your Batter On The Chicken

These are some tips my aunt gave me, so I am passing them down to you because if you are like me, you were not raised making fried chicken.

1. You need to make sure that all of the buttermilk drips off the chicken before adding it to the flour dredge. Otherwise, you will get clumps.
2. Shake the coated chicken with the flour, so all of the loose flour comes off.
3. Use your hands. This is where hands become an important tool in cooking. Make sure that you are patting down the flour mixture so it stays on your chicken. No one wants half-covered chicken.
4. Do not overcrowd your pan. If your chicken is touching other chicken, the batter will fall off.
5. Flip the chicken halfway, but check on it. Make sure it’s doing well. If it isn’t browning as much as you want, add some olive oil sprays.
6. Use a meat thermometer, put the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. It should read 165 degrees F, or just add additional time. Never consume raw chicken.

Some Other Air Fryer Chicken Recipes–

AIR FRYER, ROASTED CHICKEN (WHOLE CHICKEN)

AIR FRYER, DRY RUBBED BAKED CHICKEN WINGS

Some Helpful Products Used, in Making Air Fryer Fried Chicken,

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