Healthy Recipes 101

The Heart of The Home Beats in The Kitchen

  • Recipe Index
  • Courses
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beverages
  • Method
    • Air Frying
    • Boiling
    • Broiling
    • Frying
    • Grilling
    • Oven Baked
    • One-Pan
  • About

Hot Tags

  • Juices
  • Chicken
  • Salmon Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Instant Pot
  • Salads
Fact-checked
Chicken

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe

  • Air Fryer
  • Chicken
  • Main Dishes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Servings 4 servings
Calories 505 kcal
How our recipe make better
Jump to Recipe
facebook pinterest twitter Print Recipe

Our air fryer fried chicken recipe will help you make the perfect crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside chicken drumsticks. All you need to do is coat them nicely and cook them in the air fryer for 30 minutes.

Even better, we’ll show you how to store chicken drumsticks in the freezer so you can cook them whenever you want. They’re just the answer for “What to cook today?” and “What to make on National Fast Food Day (November 16)?” especially if you’re busy and want a low-fat take on fried food.

To get the full recipe, click here and you’ll jump straight to it. If you’re interested in trivia information regarding food and health, read on to see what we’ve got for you.

Is Air-Fried Chicken Healthy?

Compared to deep-fried chicken, air-fried chicken is far better for your health.

Deep-frying means submerging the food in hot oil for a long time until it’s cooked. This adds plenty of fat (and thus, calories) to your food, and also creates the cancer-promoting substance, acrylamide.

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe

With an air fryer, you don’t need to use a lot of oil, yet you’ll still end up with similar results. Your crunchy, juicy chickens now don’t come with excess fat or calories, and little to no acrylamide.

If you want to cook chicken in your air fryer (without any batter), have a look at our how to cook chicken in an air fryer. We’ll show you how to properly cook all parts of the chicken, with crispy skin and everything.

How Our Air-Fried Chicken Is Made Better

According to the USDA, we should all try to limit our saturated fats, sodium, and processed sugar intake. This is the key to healthy eating and the base of our healthy eating guidelines.

Since fried chicken is often high in saturated fat and sodium, we had to make several adjustments:

  • We made a coating with fewer eggs to lower the saturated fat content.
  • We went easy on the salt and then gradually increased the amount until the flavor was right but the sodium level was still acceptable.
  • We served them with the right amount of ketchup, to keep the sodium within the limit.

As a result, one serving of this air fryer fried chicken recipe contains 4.3 g saturated fats and 525.2 mg sodium. These are the sorts of levels a main dish should contain (click here to learn more).

The USDA also defines healthy eating as including a variety of fruits and vegetables in one’s diet. Embracing this, we mixed a colorful salad to serve with the chicken, upping your day’s micronutrient intake.

If you’re interested in other chicken recipes as healthy as this one, this delicious chicken roundup or best air fryer chicken recipes have bunch of ideas.

What You Will Need to Make Air-Fried Chicken

Make sure that you’ve read this section before running your errands:

1. Chicken

For this recipe, we picked the drumsticks. They’re juicy and easy to grab to take a large bite.

If you prefer chicken breasts or wings, feel free to use them in place of the drumsticks. You might want to cut the breasts into bite-sized pieces to make things easy.

2. Seasoning for Chicken

Powdered seasonings are the norm for fried foods. Unlike the fresh ones, they stick to whatever you’re cooking and have concentrated flavors.

For chickens, you can go for this fail-proof blend: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and dried thyme. Since there are already plenty of aromas, we decided to cut out the thyme this time.

3. The Coating

The coating for fried foods is often made with two components: the dry and the wet (the batter). 

The dry coating is simply all-purpose flour, and it acts as a medium to help the batter stick to your food. Sometimes the seasonings are added to the dry powder and sometimes they are put directly on the food, as we do in this recipe.

For the wet batter, we used eggs, milk, and flour instead of just eggs like most recipes would. This batter sticks better and is crispier when fried.

For more air fryer recipe ideas, have a look at our delicious air fryer dinner roundup.

Tips for Making Crispy Fried Chicken in an Air Fryer

Fried foods can be tricky if you’re not used to making them. Here are some tricks that experience has put up our sleeves:

First, the drumsticks must be thawed out or they’ll be pink in the center. If you haven’t thawed them, we suggest purchasing new chicken at room temperature or having fried chicken on another day after your meat has thawed.

Next, it’s important to clean your drumsticks well with water and then pat them dry. If you don’t, the excess moisture will cause the dry flour to clump up — definitely not what you want.

Tips for making

To achieve a crispy crust, you need to coat the chicken in two layers of flour. Dip them in the flour first, then in the batter, then the flour one more time.

Lastly, spray some oil over the top of the chicken because the crust won’t be crispy without a little grease. Halfway through cooking, flip them and spray some oil again to make the other side crispy as well.

While the air fryer is working, any excess oil will drip down to the bottom, leaving you with satisfying, guilt-free eats.

How to Fry Chicken in an Air Fryer

Here’s what to do after gathering the ingredients:

  1. Preheat the air fryer
  2. Season the chicken
  3. Make the batter
  4. Batter up the chicken
  5. Pop them in the air fryer
  6. Meanwhile, mix the salad
  7. Serve with ketchup

For the ingredients list and detailed instructions, check out our full recipe below.

Can You Cook Frozen Chicken in an Air Fryer?

For bone-in thick cuts like drumsticks, cooking them while they’re still frozen is a no-no. There’s a strong chance the outside will be overcooked while the inside is still raw.

If you often forget to thaw foods before cooking, here is what you can do.

After purchasing the drumsticks, coat them and cook them (without oil) in the air fryer at 350°F for about 15 minutes. What we want to do is cook the chicken thoroughly and firm the coating up.

Then, allow them to cool down to room temperature and pop them in your freezer.

When you want fried chicken, simply spray some oil over this frozen poultry and cook them at 350°F for 10 minutes. There is no raw center to watch out for because they’re already cooked.

In this case, it’s important not to use oil the first time — only the second time. We want them to be crispy when we eat them, but not when we store them.

How Long Does Fried Chicken Last?

Fried chicken is fast food, meaning it’s best to make just enough and leave no leftovers.

Still, if you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for 5 days. Be sure to wrap them up with cling wrap, or place them in an airtight container before storing.

How long does it last

When you want to reheat, allow the chicken bits to warm up to room temperature first. Then, place them into your air fryer and cook at 400°F for 10 minutes.

Making frozen fried chicken using our method above, however, can keep the chicken good for months. Ziploc bags are the perfect containers to keep plenty of them.

Side dishes for this recipe

Recipes Course Calories Saturated fat Sodium
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Main Dish 505 4.3 g 532 mg
Air Fryer French Fries Side Dish 157 0.4 g 294 mg
Lemon Watermelon Juice Beverage 95 0.0 g 5 mg
Total 757 4.7 g 831 mg
Nutritional values in this table vary somewhat to those below due to different app calculations. Read more...

Similarly Tasty Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

Here are some tasty, easy air fryer chicken meals that we just couldn’t help but fall in love with:

  • Air Fryer Chicken Legs Recipe
  • Air Fryer Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
  • Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe
  • Air Fryer Greek Chicken Recipe
  • Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe

PRINT RATE Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest
This air fryer fried chicken recipe is easy to follow and yields the best fried chicken — moist on the inside, crisp on the outside.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 505kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 40 oz bone-in chicken drumsticks which contain approximately 26 oz meat
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika divided
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
  • 3 tbsp olive oil divided into 3 parts
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 4 oz arugula washed thoroughly
  • 6 oz cherry tomatoes halved
  • 0.5 oz ricotta cheese broken into pieces
  • 3 1/2 tbsp Heinz ketchup

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the air fryer to 350°F.
  • Wash the drumsticks and pat them dry with paper towels. Season them with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika.
  • In a bowl, whisk together egg, milk, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Place the remaining flour into another bowl/dish.
  • Dip each drumstick into the flour, then the wet batter, and finally the flour one more time. Shake off excess flour and set aside.
  • Place the coated drumsticks into the air fryer. Spray them with 1 tbsp oil and cook for 10 minutes. Flip, spray them again with 1 tbsp oil, and cook for another 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a salad bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice, and honey. Add arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, and ricotta, and toss to coat well.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 505 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 208mg69%
Sodium 534mg23%
Potassium 710mg20%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 42g84%
Vitamin A 1269IU25%
Vitamin C 15mg18%
Calcium 107mg11%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Homemade Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe
homemade chicken nuggets in air fryer
Previous Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
how to pan sear chicken
Next Recipe
Pan Seared Chicken Breast Recipe
Luna Regina

Luna Regina

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin
Luna is the founder and chief recipe developer of Healthy Recipes 101. Apart from cooking, she also loves reading, programming, exploring the outdoors, and collecting useless facts about everything.

Comments/ Reviews

Cancel reply
How our recipe make better
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Recipe
Recipe Rating




Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Recipe developed by Luna Regina on July 1, 2021 Nutritionally reviewed by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD

Latest Recipes

Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Air Fryer Orange Chicken Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Orange Chicken Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

Air Fryer Chicken Satay Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Satay Recipe

Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken Recipe

Chicken
Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken Recipe

Top Pinterest

Banana Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Banana Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Pumpkin Spice Smoothie Recipe

Strawberry Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Strawberry Papaya Smoothie Recipe

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies
Orange Creamsicle Smoothie Recipe

Pineapple Carrot Juice Recipe

Carrot Juice
Pineapple Carrot Juice Recipe

Strawberry Carrot Juice Recipe

Carrot Juice
Strawberry Carrot Juice Recipe

AS SEEN ON
eatthis
parade
bustle
insider
buzzfeed
forbes
cnn
msn
Healthy Recipes 101
We do not offer medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice. Please seek consultation from a qualified health care professional prior to any decision to alter your current diet. Learn more See additional information.
  • Recipe Index
  • Course
  • Method
  • About
  • Cooking Challenge
  • Nutrition Guidelines
  • Recipe Development
  • Cooking Tips
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Follow Us

facebook instagram pinterest youtube twitter linkedin

Get our latest healthy recipes

Stay up-to-date with our latest RDN-approved recipes, kitchen tips, and healthy eating challenges.

Opt-out at any time by clicking the 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of our email.

Visit our other Healthy101 sites:

Healthykitchen101
© 2021 Healthy Kitchen 101, LLC - All Rights Reserved
Return to Top