This Air Fryer Chicken is golden brown, juicy, and full of flavor. It has the perfect crunch and texture and no one will ever know it wasn’t deep fried.
Finally, a gluten free chicken recipe that’s easy, healthy and delicious!
Winner, winner chicken dinner! Haha!
My husband is a true southern boy and likes fried chicken but I have no desire to make it because of the high amount of fat and calories!
This air fryer chicken takes the place of the traditional fried chicken and it tastes just as delicious. (Without all the extra calories!)
Traditionally fried chicken is dipped in an egg wash and then coated with flour or breadcrumbs before being deep fried in oil.
We are going to do things a little different here.
We want to marinate the chicken before air frying for maximum flavor. Marinating the chicken makes this so tender and juicy with little to no effort.
When you’re ready to air fry the chicken, there’s no egg wash needed. Instead the marinade left on the outside of the chicken causes the breadcrumb coating to stick, giving it the crunchy texture we all crave!
There are so many ways to jazz this recipe up! We usually serve the crispy chicken with a ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, or even Italian dressing. I’m thinking buffalo sauce and bleu cheese next time!
This chicken is perfect as a main entree, on top of salads, or sandwiches. Just think of the possibilities. “Fried” BBQ chicken salads, “Fried” chicken sandwiches, “Fried” Po Boys, and the list goes on!
Remember I am the queen of shortcuts and less mess in the kitchen so you can easily do this on a weeknight! A few simple pantry and spice ingredients is all you need!
Are you hungry yet? Have I convinced you that this Air Fryer Chicken is the way to go?
I have simplified the steps to make this so easy. So let’s get started!
If you do not have an Air Fryer, check out the TIPS FOR SUCCESS section on how to make these in the oven.
Step by step instructions
- Place chicken on parchment paper and slice into strips or large pieces
- Add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder
- Place chicken in a zip loc bag. Pour about 1/2 cup “marinade or sauce” of choice (ranch, Italian dressing, bbq sauce) down on top. Place it in the fridge for a few hours.
- I usually do this in the morning and let it sit all day.
- Place breadcrumbs in a bowl with parmesan cheese, (nutritional yeast if dairy free) salt, pepper, and dried chopped onion.
- Remove chicken from zip loc bag and press chicken into the breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Before you place the chicken in the air fryer make sure you spray the chicken with an oil. I use this one from Trader Joe’s pictured below:
- Place the “oiled” side down in the air fryer basket and spray the other side of the chicken. Both sides will be sprayed.
- Turn air fryer onto the chicken setting and hit start. If you do not have the chicken (drumstick) button set your Air Fryer to 400 degrees for 18 minutes. Halfway through flip your chicken.
- Once it beeps finished, remove Air Fryer Chicken from the pan and enjoy!
Tips for success
- OVEN “FRIED” OPTION: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make sure to follow all the steps above. Instead of placing the chicken in the Air Fryer, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chicken strips on the baking sheet. Make sure they are sprayed with the cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Time will depend on the thickness of your chicken pieces.
- Make sure to really coat your chicken pieces. After spraying with the oil I use some left over breadcrumbs to make sure I have a really good crust.
- When you turn the chicken half way through, be gentle so that the breadcrumbs stay adhered to the chicken as best as possible.
- If you do lose some breadcrumbs, just respray the chicken with the oil spray and sprinkle some leftover breadcrumbs on the chicken.
- I usually place the chicken in the marinade in the morning and let it marinate for 6-8 hours. If you don’t have that much time, just marinate it as long as you can for maximum flavor. This also keeps the chicken nice and moist.
I have a higher capacity air fryer. I love it because I can cook a lot in it at one time. Air fryers are sold in different sizes, so pick the one that suits your needs best!
I love to pair this dish with my Steamed Green Beans and Maple Dijon Sweet Potatoes.
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe of Air Fryer Chicken! If you have tried it please comment below.
If you like this recipe please check out some other entrees:
Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken breasts cut into slices or pieces
- 1/2 cup sauce or marinade of choice ranch, Italian, BBQ
- 1 1/4 cup Gluten free bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Nutritional Yeast (dairy free)
- 2 tablespoons Chopped dried onion flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place chicken on parchment paper. Slice into stripes or pieces Add 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to the chicken.
- Put Chicken in a zip loc bag and pour sauce over the chicken. Let it marinate a minimum of 2 hours. The longer the better.
- Place breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese (nutritional yeast), salt, pepper, dried onion in a bowl. Remove 1 chicken piece at a time and press into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to really coat each piece.
- Once you have breaded all the chicken pieces, spray the oil over the chicken. Place oil side down into the air fryer basket, spray the other side. Both sides should now have oil on them.
- Press the power button on the air fryer and select the chicken setting. Half way through cooking, pause air fryer and flip chicken over. Press start and finish cooking until it beeps that time is up.
Notes
- OVEN “FRIED” OPTION: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make sure to follow all the steps above. Instead of placing the chicken in the Air Fryer, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chicken strips on the baking sheet. Make sure they are sprayed with the cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Time will depend on the thickness of your chicken pieces.
- I like to marinate the chicken in the morning before the work day starts. This make the chicken very tender!
- Make sure that you have enough breadcrumbs on your chicken. When you are breading make sure to press down. After you spray the oil on the chicken, you can always add a little more breadcrumbs to the chicken pieces.
- Be gentle when flipping your chicken pieces. You do not want the breading to fall off. If some does come off, respray and add some leftover breadcrumbs to the chicken.
Jamie Klein says
A fan favorite. Such a quick and delicious meal bound to be enjoyed by everyone who eats it. A must try.
Kelly Rodrigue says
Awe I appreciate that so much! I am so glad you guys enjoy it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Julie says
Thank you for posting!! When I showed C the picture and asked if it was “the chicken” his eyes about popped out of his head as he said “YES!”
I will be purchasing an air fryer soon so that I can make “Ms. Kelly’s” chicken…I’m sure mine won’t be as good!!
Kelly Rodrigue says
That is awesome!!I can’t wait for “C” to have his beloved chicken! hahaha! Follow the recipe and you will be fine :).
Bobbie Swistak says
This chicken is so tender and juicy NEVER dry !! That dipping sauce makes you want to lick the bowl clean !!! Love this ! Easy, fried never greasy chicken!
Kelly Rodrigue says
Yay! Glad you guys like it!I love to hear your feedback, so thank you!
Heather Caine says
So delicious! My girls beg for this chicken almost every night. I love that it’s healthy and tastes like real fried chicken. This is a must try!
Kelly Rodrigue says
I just love that feedback! Thank you so much and so happy your family enjoys this dish!