Crispy, juicy, Southern fried chicken legs made with buttermilk in the air fryer and without excess grease and oil! This air fryer fried chicken recipe is the best way to enjoy fried chicken.
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Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe
Want to learn how to make air fryer fried chicken with irresistibly-crispy breading? There’s one super simple (but very important) step to making sure your fried chicken turns out perfectly every time.
Even though the air fryer method requires way less oil than traditional deep frying, oil is still the key to air fried chicken. Spritz the chicken with olive oil before air frying, spraying it on all sides so it’s evenly coated! I love using the EVO Oil Mister to do this without making a mess.
The oil is what allows the flour coating to crisp up. By coating it on all sides and making sure you don’t miss any spots, you’ll get that perfect, golden-brown breading that’s guaranteed to satisfy your fried chicken cravings!
What I’m Going to Teach You About Air Fried Chicken:
- The ingredients you’ll need to make Southern fried chicken in the air fryer
- How to make fried chicken in the air fryer from start to finish
- Specific heating instructions for your air fryer fried chicken thighs, plus directions on reheating fried chicken in the air fryer
How to Make Fried Chicken in Air Fryer
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs until the mixture is well combined. In a second bowl, add the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and whisk well.
STEP TWO: Dip each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Next, dip it in the buttermilk. Roll it again in the flour, covering it completely. Set on a baking sheet and set aside while you dredge the remaining pieces.
STEP THREE: Spray all sides of the breaded chicken pieces with olive oil spray, as well as the inner basket of the air fryer. Place 4 or 5 pieces of chicken in the bottom of the basket (or as many will fit in a single layer).
STEP FOUR: Cook at 360 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until cooked to 165 degrees internally. Use a food-safe thermometer to check!
Best Fried Chicken Air Fryer tips
- Add a little bit of hot sauce into your buttermilk for some additional heat.
- Use perforated parchment paper in your air fryer basket to prevent your chicken drumsticks from sticking.
- Keep your chicken in a single layer for crispy results.
- Fried chicken in the air fryer is best served fresh, but you can also reheat it.
Storing Air Fried Chicken
Let your leftover air fried chicken fully cool before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The chicken will stay good for up to four days.
To maintain its crispiness, it’s best not to stack the chicken pieces on top of each other.
Reheating Air Fryer Fried Chicken
You can reheat your air fryer fried chicken if you have any leftovers. Simply preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees F and cook for about 10 minutes, or until warmed.
You can read some tips about reheating fried chicken in the air fryer here.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe FAQs
Fried chicken without buttermilk just isn’t as tasty, but it’s easy to make your own! Simply combine the milk of your choosing with vinegar or lemon juice. Stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You’ll want to use 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every 1 cup of milk.
I love using homemade buttermilk in recipes like these air fryer fried chicken thighs, as well as these air fryer ravioli!
Bone-in chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks are great options. For both, opt for skin-on in order to get an extra crispy outside layer!
Don’t stack your fried chicken in the air fryer. The coating from one piece of chicken can stick to the other pieces and will come off. Plus, your food won’t cook evenly!
Some air fryer recipes will let you skip the preheating step, but not this one. You need to preheat your air fryer for this air fryer fried chicken thighs recipe. That extra heat will ensure that the breading crisps up quickly and efficiently!Â
Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees F. Once you’ve prepared and breaded your chicken, cook for 15-20 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Total cook time shouldn’t be more than 30 minutes!
It’s very important that you spray all sides of your chicken pieces with olive oil spray if you want to avoid any loose flour. This will make sure that the flour coating turns brown and crisps up nicely. It will still be much more healthy than traditional Southern fried chicken!
Learn about using oil in your air fryer here.
Air frying raw chicken is not only safe but also one of the easiest, most delicious ways to cook chicken!
Just ensure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F to be considered fully cooked and safe to eat. I like using an Instant Read Thermometer, to be sure.
Traditional liquid batter doesn’t work well in an air fryer because it can drip through the basket. Even thick batters can get pretty messy.
For best results, I recommend dry coating or using a breadcrumb mixture to achieve that delicious crispy texture in your air fried dishes.
More like this Fried Chicken Recipe
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders – No Breading (or my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe with panko!)
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Frozen Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Thighs
- BBQ Drumsticks in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Air Fryer Bone-in Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings — Buffalo Style
And check out our massive list of the best air fryer chicken recipes here!
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Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees F.Â
- In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs until well combined.Â
- In a second shallow bowl, add the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper and whisk well.
- Using tongs or your hands, dip each piece of the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Next, dip it in the buttermilk, then roll it in the flour, covering it completely. Set on a baking sheet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.Â
- Spray all sides of the chicken pieces with olive oil spray, as well as the inner basket of the air fryer.
- Place 4-5 pieces of chicken in the bottom of the air fryer basket, or as many that fit in your air fryer basket or oven in a single layer.Â
- Cook for 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and cook for another 5-10 minutes until 165 degrees internally.
It doesn’t say how much of the ingredients! Can you tell me how much for all?
Hi Brandy, the full directions and ingredient measurements are included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. There is also a jump to recipe button at the top of the post that will move your screen directly down to the recipe card as well.
Should the chicken have skin on or not?
You can use skin on or skinless chicken to make fried chicken. The buttermilk and flour mixture will stick the same, so it’s just a preference thing or what you have on hand!