Juicy on the inside, crispy golden on the outside, this air fryer fried chicken recipe covers all the steps to make a whole chicken including the thighs, wings, and breasts.
Why this recipe works
The important thing to know about air fryer fried chicken is that each cut of meat will vary in cook time depending on the individual wing, thigh, and breast. Today we’re using a whole chicken so we can break it down nice and easy for you.
Making fried chicken in the air fryer eliminates all the unnecessary excess oil from the equation while still leaving you with deliciously juicy, breaded chicken. Use this recipe as a base on how to air fry fried chicken in a few simple steps using buttermilk and seasoned flour.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHICKEN – We are using a 6-7 pound whole chicken for this recipe, however, you can use just breasts, thighs, or wings using the instructions below.
How to Make Air Fryer Fried Chicken
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Cut the chicken into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and cut each breast in half for a total of 4 breast pieces.
- Add the chicken, buttermilk, and seasoned salt to a large bowl and toss to coat the chicken.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- After the chicken is done marinating, make the seasoned flour. To do so, combine all ingredients in a large, shallow bowl.
- Remove a piece of chicken from the marinade and let the excess marinade drip off. Dredge the chicken on both sides in the flour mixture until well-coated. Repeat this process until all the chicken is coated in seasoned flour.
- Preheat air fryer to 360F.
- You will need to cook the chicken in 3 batches: 1 batch for the breasts, 1 batch for the wings, and 1 batch for the legs/thighs. Before air frying, brush a little oil in the basket of the air fryer. Right before air frying, brush the top of the chicken pieces generously with oil.
EXPERT TIP – It’s fine if you want to check the chicken halfway through cooking to see if there are any flour spots so you can brush them with oil, but don’t flip the chicken.
- Breasts – Cook 23 to 28 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
- Wings – Cook 15 to 18 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
- Legs/Thighs – Cook 25 to 30 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 175F.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Nope! Use this recipe as a go-to for how to fry chicken in the air fryer. Simply use the cut of meat you’d prefer like the wing, thigh, or breast and dredge in the simple buttermilk and seasoned flour mixture then air fry according to individual listed cook times.
Store leftover air fryer fried chicken in an air-tight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the air fryer.
Place the cooked chicken on a wire rack sitting on top of a baking tray, then put it in a preheated oven at 200F to keep it warm until all the chicken is done cooking.
The best way to tell if the chicken is fully cooked is to check it with an instant-read thermometer. Chicken is done cooking when it reaches an internal temp of 165F when the thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
Serving Suggestions
Air fryer chicken comes in all different shapes and sizes from chicken nuggets to kabobs, tenders, thighs, drumsticks, and more.
Top air fryer fried chicken with fresh minced parsley and serve with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, honey mustard, gravy, barbecue, or buffalo sauce. Fried chicken pairs well with french fries, mac and cheese, biscuits, and coleslaw on the side.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Pizza
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Air Fryer Crab Cakes
- Air Fryer Fried Pickles
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes
- Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu
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Air Fryer Fried Chicken
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 6 pound whole chicken or individual pieces as desired
- 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil for brushing onto the chicken
Buttermilk Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
Seasoned Flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons seasoned salt
- ½ Tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ Tablespoon onion powder
- ½ Tablespoon paprika
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Because you’re cooking the chicken in 3 batches, wait to brush oil on each batch of chicken until right before air frying it. Make sure to generously brush oil on it so that you don’t see any flour.
- You can substitute the vegetable oil with avocado oil or canola oil.
- To Keep the Chicken Warm: Place the cooked chicken on a wire rack on top of a baking tray, then put it in a preheated oven at 200F to keep it warm until all of the remaining chicken is cooked.
- The most important tip for cooking in the air fryer is to NOT overcrowd the basket. Air fryers rely on circulation to thoroughly cook food, if it does not have enough room to circulate air, your chicken will not cook properly.
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and cut each breast in half for a total of 4 breast pieces.
- Add the chicken, buttermilk, and seasoned salt to a large bowl and toss to coat the chicken.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- After the chicken is done marinating, make the seasoned flour. To do so, combine all ingredients in a large, shallow bowl.
- Remove a piece of chicken from the marinade and let the excess marinade drip off. Dredge the chicken on both sides in the flour mixture until well-coated. Repeat this process until all the chicken is coated in seasoned flour.
- Preheat an air fryer to 360F.
- You will need to cook the chicken in 3 batches: 1 batch for the breasts, 1 batch for the wings, and 1 batch for the legs/thighs. Before air frying, brush a little oil in the basket of the air fryer. Right before air frying, brush the top of the chicken pieces generously with oil. It’s fine if you want to check the chicken halfway through cooking to see if there are any flour spots so you can brush them with oil, but don’t flip the chicken.
For Breasts
- Cook 23 to 28 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
For Wings
- Cook 15 to 18 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
For Thighs/Legs
- Cook 25 to 30 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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