Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken

Course Main Course, Poultry

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword air-fryer-chicken-recipes, air-fryer-fried-chicken, buttermilk-fried-chicken, southern-fried-chicken

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Marinade Time 4

Total Time 4 40

Servings pieces

Calories 539kcal

Ingredients

1 4 lb whole fryer chicken (Divided into 8 pieces)
3 cups buttermilk divided
1/4 cup hot sauce
3 1/2 tsp seasoned salt divided
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
3 large eggs
vegetable oil spray or cooking spray

Instructions

Buttermilk Marinade: Season chicken pieces on all sides with 1 tsp seasoned salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Place into an oblong baking dish. Whisk together 2 1/2 cups buttermilk and hot sauce, pour over chicken. Turn to coat. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning once.
Remove chicken from buttermilk, discard marinade. On a plate sift together the flour, cornstarch, 2 tsp seasoned salt, 1 tsp black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika.
In a large shallow bowl whisk together eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture and into the egg wash allowing excess to drip off, then back into flour again. Arrange on a baking sheet. Let stand for 15 minutes to set breading.
Air Fry: Spray basket of air fryer liberally with cooking spray or brush with oil. Preheat air fryer to 375°F for 3 minutes. (Tip: If using a parchment liner, wait to add just before chicken pieces are arranged in air fryer to prevent it from blowing around.)
Spray chicken pieces liberally on all sides with oil taking care to leave no dry flour spots. Arrange chicken inside air fryer leaving space between pieces for air to circulate. Cook dark meat pieces together and breasts together. (You can also cut large breasts in half to make 4 smaller pieces)
Cook at 375°F for 15 minutes. Gently turn pieces using tongs, taking care not to disturb the crunchy coating. Spray any dry spots with additional oil, if needed.
Continue to let chicken cook for another 10-15 minutes or until each piece of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F with an instant read thermometer.
Keep Warm Between Batches: Preheat oven to 200°F. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with an oven safe baking rack. Place fried chicken on rack.
Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then serve.

Notes

Buttermilk Substitution - How to Make Homemade Buttermilk: To every one cup of whole milk add 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand for 5-10 minutes then stir and proceed with the recipe.
Use Cooking Spray or an Oil Mister - You can use either a quality cooking spray or make your own oil spray using an oil sprayer. You can use olive oil spray, vegetable oil or avocado oil.
Seasonings - You can adapt the amount of salt to your taste. You can also use Cajun or Creole seasoning in place of seasoned salt.
Herbs - You could add a variety of herbs to the breading such as thyme, chives or oregano.
Fry Like Pieces Together - It's best to cook the chicken in batches, frying similar size pieces together for even cooking. For example, fry the dark meat and white meat separately. Chicken thighs and chicken wings can be cooked together and back pieces with chicken drumsticks. Chicken breasts can be cut in half into 4 equal pieces, if you need more servings.
Classic Southern Fried Chicken Recipe - See how to make classic Southern Fried Chicken here.

Nutrition