As much as we love traditional fried chicken, let’s be honest, deep frying can be messy and smelly. Air frying your chicken instead, saves the mess, and results in chicken that is just as crispy and tasty as the deep-fried kind.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 each skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus 6 sprigs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Cooking spray
- Prepared potato salad and cornbread, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the buttermilk, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and thyme sprigs and let marinate 8 hours or overnight.
- Stir together the chopped thyme, flour, paprika, oregano, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder in a large baking dish; season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the buttermilk marinade over the flour mixture, mixing with a fork until craggy in texture.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Dip in the flour mixture to coat well, then transfer to a plate.
- Preheat a 6-quart air fryer to 375˚ F. Coat half of the chicken with cooking spray; arrange in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook until crispy, 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Cook the remaining chicken. Serve with potato salad and cornbread.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 640 |
| Total Fat | 15 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 4 grams |
| Cholesterol | 185 milligrams |
| Sodium | 541 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 76 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 grams |
| Sugar | 2 grams |
| Protein | 46 grams |
Reviews
Can I use chicken breasts, if so, does that change the cooking time?
All of the breading fell off. What did I do wrong?
This was my first try at breaded air fried chicken. I made it exactly per the recipe, except that I cooked the chicken for 24 minutes, flipping at 12 which is how I always air fry chicken. It came out absolutely amazing, and was indistinguishable from real fried chicken. No oil, no mess, great crust and taste.