Air-Fryer Fried Chicken
Skinless bone-in chicken breasts in a buttermilk and crushed cornflake coat, seasoned with poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne, air-fried crisp with just a spray of oil.
Fried chicken without a pot of oil is an old wish: America's Test Kitchen published oven-fried chicken recipes long before air fryers, including a 2007 Cook's Illustrated version developed as a quick weeknight alternative to the real thing. For the air fryer, ATK found the secret was taking the fatty skin off, which would otherwise stay flabby under the coating, and that crushed cornflakes beat bread crumbs and Melba toast for color and crunch.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Skinless bone-in chicken breasts in a buttermilk and crushed cornflake coat, seasoned with poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne, air-fried crisp with just a spray of oil.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American printed recipe we found, from 1824, dusts cut-up chicken in flour, salts it and fries it in lard, served with a parsley gravy. No buttermilk soak and no spicy crust. See the 1824 Virginia Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy (Mary Randolph) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Skin off
In an air fryer the skin under a coating stays rubbery, so removing it lets the crust sit right on the meat and crisp (ATK).
Cornflakes, not bread crumbs
Cornflakes are already toasted and very dry, so they brown and crunch in the short, hot air-fryer cook (ATK).
Step by step
- Step 1
Lightly spray the air-fryer basket with oil. Pull the skin off the chicken (a paper towel helps you grip it) and trim excess fat. Halve each breast crosswise, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Whisk the buttermilk, dry mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Put the flour in one shallow dish, and mix the crushed cornflakes, poultry seasoning, paprika, salt and cayenne in a second.
- Step 3
One piece at a time, dredge the chicken in flour, dip it in the buttermilk and let the excess drip off, then press it into the cornflake mixture. Set it on a plate and spray it lightly with oil.
- Step 4
Arrange the pieces in the basket with space between them. Set the air fryer to 400°F and cook 16 to 24 minutes, flipping and rotating the pieces halfway through.
- Step 5
Check the thickest piece: it is done at 165°F. Serve right away.
Air-Fryer Fried Chicken
Serves 2 · 4 pieces · 50 min total
Chicken
- Vegetable oil spray
- 2 bone-in split chicken breasts (12 oz each), trimmed
- Salt and black pepper
Buttermilk dip
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Coating
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (2 oz) cornflakes, finely crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Method
- Lightly spray the air-fryer basket with oil. Pull the skin off the chicken (a paper towel helps you grip it) and trim excess fat. Halve each breast crosswise, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Whisk the buttermilk, dry mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Put the flour in one shallow dish, and mix the crushed cornflakes, poultry seasoning, paprika, salt and cayenne in a second.
- One piece at a time, dredge the chicken in flour, dip it in the buttermilk and let the excess drip off, then press it into the cornflake mixture. Set it on a plate and spray it lightly with oil.
- Arrange the pieces in the basket with space between them. Set the air fryer to 400°F and cook 16 to 24 minutes, flipping and rotating the pieces halfway through.
- Check the thickest piece: it is done at 165°F. Serve right away.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Air-Fryer Fried Chicken" by Camila Chaparro (December 11, 2018), as written for 2. We cook the breasts to 165°F (USDA FSIS) instead of ATK's 160°F, which may add a minute or two. ATK's tip on poking holes in skin-on dark meat is from Caren White, February 6, 2023. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Crush the cornflakes in a zipper-lock bag with a rolling pin until fine.
- ATK's swap: two 5-oz thighs and two 5-oz drumsticks in place of the breasts; cook them to 175°F, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Feeding four? Double everything and cook in two batches, keeping the first in a 200°F oven.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Air-fried chicken is "fried chicken". Folklore: it is a coated, oven-style roast; ATK calls it fried chicken for the crust, not the method.
- Breasts are done at 160°F. Disputed: ATK pulls them at 160°F; USDA FSIS says 165°F for all poultry. We use 165°F.
- Keep the skin on for crunch. Disputed: ATK removes it for coated breasts, but its 2023 article pokes holes in skin-on thighs so the fat renders and fries the skin.
Every other fried chicken
1824 Virginia Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy (Mary Randolph)
The oldest American printed fried chicken recipe we found: chicken dredged in flour and salt, fried light brown in lard, with fried parsley and a simple butter and milk gravy poured over the top.
Southern Pan-Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Chicken brined in salt water, soaked overnight in buttermilk, dredged in flour and cornstarch, and pan-fried in a skillet of lard and butter flavored with country ham, the Edna Lewis way.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Brined, double-dredged fried chicken brushed with a fiery cayenne oil and served the Nashville way, on slices of white bread with pickle chips.
Maryland Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy
Chicken seasoned with dry mustard and garlic, dredged, browned in a covered pot so it steams as it fries, finished with Old Bay and served with a peppery cream gravy made from the drippings.
Korean Yangnyeom Chicken (Double-Fried Sweet and Spicy Wings)
Chicken wings in a light potato starch and egg batter, fried twice for a shatter-crisp crust, then tossed in a glossy sauce of gochujang, ketchup, syrup and garlic and showered with sesame seeds.
Japanese Chicken Karaage
Bite-size pieces of skin-on chicken thigh marinated in soy, sake, ginger and garlic, coated in flour and potato starch, and fried twice in under three minutes.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Yan Su Ji)
Bite-size chicken thigh marinated with garlic, ginger, soy and five-spice, coated in coarse sweet potato starch, fried crisp and tossed with fried basil and five-spice salt.
Indonesian Ayam Goreng Kalasan
No batter at all: chicken braised in garlic, coriander, palm sugar and coconut water until the liquid cooks away, then fried briefly until the sweet-savory skin turns deep golden.
Chicken and Waffles
Herb-and-paprika fried chicken, double-dipped for a crunchy crust, served on light, crisp waffles made with whipped egg whites and finished with butter and maple syrup.
Kentucky-Style Fried Chicken, Inspired by KFC
Buttermilk-brined chicken in a peppery coating of flour, white pepper, celery salt, garlic, ginger and herbs, fried in one covered batch to mimic a pressure fryer. Inspired by, not official.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.