Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Marinate the chicken: Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and then add it to a bowl with buttermilk. Chicken pieces should be covered with the buttermilk. Let it sit for at least an hour or up to overnight. Bread the chicken: To prepare the breading mixture, stir together flour, seasoned salt, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Remove chicken pieces from buttermilk and shake off any excess; then dip in the flour mix and coat well. Transfer breaded chicken pieces to a clean plate or wire rack to rest. Nick Evans Nick Evans Air-fry the chicken: You will need to work in two batches if you are doing a full chicken. Spray the basket of your air fryer with nonstick spray. Place half of the pieces in the basket of your air fryer. Try to ensure the pieces don’t touch. Air needs to circulate around them. Spray the chicken pieces lightly with spray oil. Place the basket in the air fryer and turn the air fryer to 350°F. Cook for 14 minutes, then flip the fried chicken with tongs, spray lightly with oil a second time on the bottom side of the chicken, and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes, until white meat reaches 165°F and dark meat reaches 175°F (I find that cooking the dark meat a little more makes it more tender). (NOTE: My method photo here only shows the temp at 148 ̊F to illustrate that the chicken can LOOK cooked but is actually not cooked through. A meat thermometer is vital.) During the air frying process, if you pull out the chicken and notice any dry flour spots on the chicken, spray those spots lightly with oil. The breading will never crisp up if it doesn’t have a tiny bit of oil to hydrate it. It will just burn. Nick Evans Serve: When the fried chicken is ready, let it rest on a plate for a few minutes before serving. Serve immediately with salad, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, or your favorite fried chicken sides! Cooked fried chicken can be stored in the fridge for 5 days and reheated in a 300°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.