Air Fryer Appalachian Mountain Chicken–an air fryer take on fried chicken…it’s crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It’s everything you want in your fried chicken with way less fat and calories.
Air Fryer Appalachian Mountain Chicken
The air fryer was made for recipes like this one! Chicken drumsticks comes out with a crispy and browned outside and a tender inside. You’re going to love how you don’t have to deep fry the chicken to get that fried chicken taste. The chicken rub is slightly sweet with a little bit of heat. We all agreed that this was a “make again soon” recipe.
If you’d like to try this recipe with boneless chicken you totally can. White meat like boneless breasts won’t come out as tender and juicy but I’m sure they would still be good! I would suggest slicing the chicken breasts into cutlets so that they cook evenly. To make sure the chicken is cooked through you can use a digital thermometer to test for doneness. The middle part of the chicken should be 165 degrees.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Chicken drumsticks
- Flour
- Buttermilk–you can also use milk with some lemon juice or vinegar in it. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then, add milk to the ½-cup line and stir.
- Eggs
- Brown sugar
- Dried oregano
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic salt
- Kosher salt
- Cooking spray
Basic steps to make fried chicken in the air fryer…
- Dredge chicken in flour.
- Drench chicken in buttermilk/egg mixture.
- Dredge chicken in flour with seasonings.
- Spray chicken with non-stick cooking spray and place on rack in air fryer.
- Air fry for 10 minutes. Flip chicken over and air fry for 8 more minutes.
- Serve!
Notes/Tips
- Fried chicken tastes great with salad, corn and baked or mashed potatoes.
- I used my Instant Vortex Air Fryer*.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat by placing in the air fryer for about 3-5 minutes at 400 degrees. The skin will crisp up and taste great!
- Other recipes you can make with buttermilk are Instant Pot Southern Meatloaf Casserole and Cafe Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing.
7 air fryer recipes to try…
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Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
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Air Fryer Appalachian Mountain Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An air fryer take on fried chicken…it’s crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It’s everything you want in your fried chicken with way less fat and calories.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Add flour to a pan (Use something with sides, good for dredging. I used a 9×13 inch pan).
- Add buttermilk and eggs to another pan and whisk until combined.
- In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, oregano, cayenne, garlic salt and kosher salt. Set aside.
- Add the chicken into the flour and lightly dredge.
- Move the chicken into the buttermilk mixture and drench each piece of chicken.
- Stir the brown sugar seasoning mixture into the remaining flour in the pan.
- Shake off excess liquid on the chicken pieces and then move each piece back into the flour pan and dredge each piece of chicken in the flour/seasonings.
- Add the chicken into the air fryer in one layer on the rack. You may have to do this part in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer. I was able to do 4 pieces at a time.
- Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray. Air fry for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip the chicken with tongs and spray the other side with cooking spray. Air fry for 8 more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Reheat by air frying for a 3-4 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Air Fryer
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Delicious and perfectly cooked. Just a bit too spicy for my kiddos.
★★★★
Good to know! Thanks for the review Helen.
Thanks so much Karen I will try the chicken in the oven.
Let me know how it goes!
How would the time be adjusted for chicken wings, chicken thighs (bone-in), or boneless skinless chicken breasts?
I would like to know the same for boneless skinless chicken breast and thighs. Thank you!
I would use the same time for boneless thighs and breasts. With the breasts: White meat like boneless breasts won’t come out as tender and juicy but I’m sure they would still be good! I would suggest slicing the chicken breasts into cutlets so that they cook evenly. To make sure the chicken is cooked through you can use a digital thermometer to test for doneness. The middle part of the chicken should be 165 degrees.
For chicken wings: air fry at 400˚F for 8 minutes per side, or a total of 16 minutes
Bone-in thighs: air fry at 380 for 12 minutes skin side down, flip and then cook for 10 more minutes
Thank you very much for this information. I can’t wait to try this recipe; sounds so yummy.
Can you cook this recipe in the oven . It looks delicious. I don’t t have an air fryer. Thanks
Same here no air fryer oven only.
I haven’t tried this recipe in the oven but I would guess it could be done. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and cooked through.