In our family, knowing how to make fried chicken is a must-have skill.
However, frying chicken can take a long time, and it may not be the healthiest choice if you are watching your weight.
But what’s a fried chicken lover to do?
It’s simple. You just need to learn how to cook (and reheat!) fried chicken in an air fryer.
Cooking Fried Chicken In An Air Fryer
Cooking fried chicken in your air fryer starts with a well-marinated, juicy cut of chicken.
Start with the marinade. Use a mixture of 50% buttermilk and 50% hot sauce – and don’t worry. The hot sauce won’t make it too spicy, as the buttermilk will reduce the tang.
Allow your chicken to marinate for a minimum of one hour. Do this in the refrigerator.
More fried chicken recipes for air fryer
Then, combine some flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and onion powder in a mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients well to make sure they are well-distributed.
Using a pair of tongs, remove a single piece of chicken from the marinade. Let some of the liquid drain off, then place the chicken in the flour mixture. Coat the chicken pieces fully.
Get the air fryer ready. Put a piece of parchment paper (with holes cut into it) in the bottom of your air fryer. This will prevent the breaded pieces of chicken from clumping and sticking to the bottom. Put your floured chicken pieces on top of the parchment paper without allowing them to touch.
Close your air fryer and set the heat at 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook for 25 minutes (you may want to set a timer).
About halfway through, stop and open up the air fryer. You will want to spritz the chicken with oil and flip it before resuming with the cooking.
After 25 minutes has elapsed, use a quick-read thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through to 165 degrees.
Remove the chicken pieces, let them cool – and enjoy!
Reheating Fried Chicken In An Air Fryer
Let’s be honest – eating cold fried chicken can magical. Some fried chicken straight from the fridge hits the spot after a night out.
However, if eating cold fried chicken isn’t exactly your style, don’t worry – there are plenty of easy ways you can heat it back up.
One of the newest methods is to reheat fried chicken in an air fryer.
We promise this will taste much better than microwaving – which can leave your chicken a soggy, tasteless mess.
Using an air fryer requires much less mess and grease than if you simple fried it.
Take your chicken out. Leave your chicken out of the refrigerator for at least ten minutes, but no longer than half an hour, before you reheat it.
Space the chicken. Place your chicken on a single layer on the fryer bed. Try not to let the pieces overlap. You might have to reheat just a couple of pieces at a time to avoid having them touch, but this is important. It will help the skin remain nice and crispy.
Set your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, then cook it for three or four minutes. After about a minute and a half, or halfway through the process., flip your chicken.
After you have finished reheating your fried chicken, place it on a wire rack to cool.
Then enjoy!
Why Use An Air Fryer
The air fryer is the latest trendy product in the world of glitzy, glamorous kitchen appliances. However, it’s one of the few that actually lives up to the hype.
It works similar to a convection oven in that it uses forced, heated, and circulated air to cook your food. People love them as air fryers cook more evenly and quickly than electric or gas ovens.
Plus, using an air fryer allows you to cook your favorite foods like chicken wings, french fries – and yes, fried chicken!- while keeping fat and caloric content to a minimum.
You don’t have to give up on your favorite southern recipes just because you don’t want to spend the time – or extra calories – on pan or deep-frying your chicken.
Instead, make and reheat fried chicken in your air fryer. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it’s also shockingly easy to heat back up later on.