Delicious air fryer fried chicken breast with buttermilk is a copycat Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe you’ll love with very little oil required. Tender meat with light crunchy breading outside, you’ll want to make this healthy version for dinner tonight.
If you love KFC you’ll love this air fryer fried chicken breast recipe! Using boneless skinless pieces this air fryer recipe will remind you of your favorite fast food joint every single time.
Years ago we started with frozen chicken tenders in air fryer and those came out fantastic. BUT now was the time to make them breaded from scratch because homemade tastes better and healthier too.
It is best to get boneless skinless so the flavors really sink in if you ask me. Add lots of seasonings into the mix and they’ll knock your socks off. Beyond this one you will want to go a step further cooking all the things this way so we also have a handy free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge to keep handy. You may never go to “that fast food joint” again after this. 😉
All you need to throw this together you already have in your pantry though I am sure. As far as seasonings go in your flour use what you like but the mixture below is close to your favorite fast food joint.
Ingredient Notes
You want medium size chicken breasts you can slice into tenders sizes. You could easily use chicken thighs or cook thin chicken breasts this way except they are smaller so timing may decrease by 2 minutes or so.
Egg whisked is used for soaking purposes but we have a post on how to bread chicken without eggs for you here if need be.
Buttermilk is better than milk, we will discuss below the importance below on how it makes this more tender.
All purpose flour is the base of your light “breading” with seasonings added in to enhance the flavors of each piece. Generally I don’t recommend anything that is wet sorta’ speak. Tempura batter definitely is a hot mess but with the flour this is a good in between. I would suggest the following seasonings below but you can adjust to your preferences of course.
Salt and pepper are the basics, you may want more to taste when done too. Sometimes when I make this or our Bisquick oven fried chicken I will add a pinch of Old Bay for a kick of flavor, garlic powder and/or paprika.
Made with Buttermilk
If you’ve ever made any sort of breasts or air fryer fried chicken thighs you know that it is best to soak it for a while in buttermilk first. Not only does it give it a bit more flavor but it tenderizes the meat too. An easy step to do and makes a big difference. Beyond that it is all about the seasonings in your flour coating mixture. If you want a quicker method we share one below.
Tips for Success
Check internal temperature to ensure middle of thickest piece is 165 F. You don’t want to overcook them, they’re tender and juicy right at that temp. Many times I will serve this with white rice, or just a few different sauces. How to make fy sauce and bang bang shrimp sauce are probably our favorite things to serve with these, followed by this honey mustard dip.
If they are quite large just slice in half to create chicken cutlets in air fryer. It is best practice to flip halfway thru the time to crisp all the way around. Oh yeah, do NOT forget to spray that basket first! You will surely regret it if you don’t. The coating is a bit sticky and wet as opposed to making something like our air fryer popcorn chicken.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, boneless, cut into 2" chunks
- 2 c all purpose flour
- 1 tsp celery seeds
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ginger, ground
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp Lawrys
- 1 c buttermilk
- 1 egg
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Add flour and seasonings together in a bowl, mix well.
- In another bowl whisk egg and buttermilk together. Put chicken pieces inside, submerge and sit for 20 minutes.
- Dredge chicken in flour mixture one at a time. Then place on a piece of parchment paper to sit for another 15 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray basket with non stick spray and lay chicken down in one single layer. Spray tops with olive oil spray and close basket.
- Cook for 4 minutes, flip spray with olive oil spray and cook for another 4 minutes. * Timing will vary depending on thickness of meat and how brown you want outsides.
- Check internal temp to ensure middle of thickest piece is 165 F or higher. Remove and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ninja Foodi Option
To make these as Ninja Foodi recipes there isn’t any difference in timing or cook time. You just need to remember to use the lid that is attached with the round basket that sits inside with the holes at the bottom that came with your machine.
Other air fryer chicken recipes you’ll love
Looking to cook other pieces of the bird too? We have them all!! From air fryer chicken wings to air fryer frozen chicken breast you can find directions on our site. Frozen chicken wings in air fryer make for a great side dish or main dinner really. Cooking Ninja Foodi chicken breast with bbq sauce is easy as ever. I love that pot I tell you.
If you want a really cheap meal you could try air fryer leg quarters. These get overlooked a lot but really you get tons of meat and the brown meat has a lot more flavor than white really.
Of course Ninja foodi chicken legs are my kids’ favorite and yours probably too. You can make them the traditional way with packaged poultry or if you have heard of mock chicken legs we talk about those here too.
As far as nutritional information, calories and saturated fat, that is going to vary depending on the cuts you chose. Refer to the package for that and then add what it says on the back of the buttermilk container etc. You can reheat chicken in air fryer if you have leftovers
FAQ
For sure! Since you only need a light spritz of oil to get the outside crispy it is far better for you than deep frying. BUT with the benefits of air frying is that you get that same great texture on the outside still.
Allow the meat to reach room temperature. Then wrap it in foil and store in the fridge for up to a few days. The best way to reheat chicken is in the air preheated to 400 for a few minutes to crisp. Microwave won’t cut it y’all.
Rather than spray the basket with non-stick spray, has anyone used aluminum foil to line the air-fryer basket?
@William Smith,
I haven’t used aluminum foil, but I have used parchment paper successfully.