25 Air Fryer Chicken Recipes that come together in no time! Loaded with flavorful ingredients and seasonings that let the chicken shine. Air frying is a healthier, easier and quicker method to cook up some of my favorite chicken recipes!
My Favorite Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Oh, air fryer. Let’s count the ways I love you!
First, you cook everything easily and quickly to perfection. Second, cooking with you calls for minimal clean up! And third, you’ve made my favorite chicken recipes that much better because of both of these things.
I’m so excited to share this delicious round up of easy recipes featuring the most versatile of meats: chicken!
Everything from BBQ chicken and Asian-inspired chicken wings, to crispy chicken tenders and homemade empanadas. These are some of the best air fryer chicken recipes to ever bless your screen, and hopefully your table very soon!
Is Air Fried Food Healthier?
Since the ingredients aren’t submerged and cooked in oil, air frying is a healthier alternative to deep frying! Air fryers cut out a lot of the excess grease and fat that goes along with deep fried foods.
This makes recipes like air fryer chicken that much lighter and easier on the calories, while still packing all the great protein and nutrients of a healthy chicken dinner.
General Tips for Using an Air Fryer
Air fryers are by far the easiest way to prepare meals in a short amount of time. Requiring less mess than a deep fryer, and less finesse than a pressure cooker, air fryers are where it’s at when it comes to effortless dinners! Here are some basic air frying tips:
- Keep Your Air Fryer Clean. Give your air fryer a quick clean after each time you use it. Use sudsy, soapy water and a non-abrasive cleaning cloth or sponge to clean the basket (this will help preserve the non-stick coating. If you’re battling particularly stuck-on foods, try using a paste made of baking soda and water). Leave the basket to dry before reinstalling, and be sure to empty out any crumbs left in the air fryer.
- Use the Right Oil. Avoid using aerosol non-stick spray with your air fryer, as cooking sprays can contain chemicals that can damage the non-stick coating. Regular oil or an oil mister are the first choices to get the food crispy and keep it from sticking to the basket.
- Make It Extra Crispy. For the ultimate crispiness, use layers of oil when air frying foods (such as chicken nuggets): oil the food once before placing it in the air fryer, and again about halfway through/after flipping. Preheating your air fryer is also best practice for getting food nice and crispy.
- Give the Food Room to Breathe (and Fry!). Overcrowding the basket will result in steaming rather than frying. Work in batches if needed and leave the food well spaced to allow for the air to move around as it cooks.
- Adapt the Temperature and Cooking Times As Needed. Air fryers have a tendency to dry out foods pretty quickly if they’re set too hot. For best results, you can adapt the cooking time and heat requirements of most recipes to be slightly lower than what they’d be with a standard oven. Usually, adjusting the temperature 30 degrees less, and cutting the cooking time by 20% is a good place to start.
25 Easy Ways to Make Chicken in the Air Fryer
There are so many ways to enjoy chicken cooked in an air fryer! These are some of my favorite easy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes, from savory BBQ chicken, to teriyaki chicken wings, to crispy chicken tenders and tasty chicken empanadas.
These juicy air fryer chicken breasts are out of this world delicious! Golden and seasoned on the outside and tender on the inside, and packed with flavor.
Brace yourselves for the most crispy chicken wings you’ll ever make at home! Ready to eat in 25 minutes, these air fryer chicken wings will blow your local pub variety away.
This will quickly become your go-to 20-minute dinner recipe! Fried chicken made in an air fryer is more healthy, less messy, and easier than classic fried chicken recipes.
These air fryer chicken legs really up the ante in the chicken drumstick vs. chicken thigh debate! This recipe for juicy chicken is definitely one of the highlights in my kitchen.
And in the other corner, we have these perfectly seasoned, incredibly tasty and easy chicken thighs! Possibly the best to ever come out of an air fryer. Will these settle the debate between thighs and drumsticks? You be the judge!
This recipe is EVERYTHING: crispy air fryer chicken breast, wrapped in equally crispy, smoky bacon. I am in weeknight dinner heaven with this easy, low carb and keto chicken recipe.
Homemade teriyaki chicken wings will be the star of the show at your next family dinner or game day get together. These sticky and sweet, finger-licking chicken wings are so easy to pop into the air fryer for an easy snack or appetizer!
Pub grub gets a SERIOUS upgrade with these homemade air fryer empanadas. A spicy buffalo chicken filling packs all the heat into a flaky, buttery parcel! Have your blue cheese dressing at the ready and get dipping.
Easy chicken schnitzel is one recipe that was made for the air fryer. These sandwiches are crispy, they’re seasoned, and they’re made with pretzel buns slathered in a creamy homemade lemon & herb mayo. Must I go on?
Another winner of a recipe that will definitely have your air fryer earning its keep. These crispy homemade chicken tenders are coated in a smoky crushed potato chip layer. The result? Unbelievably tender and juicy, flavorful strips of chicken with a satisfying crunch.
Crispy popcorn chicken is perfect to make in the air fryer! Snacking, appetizers, and feeding a crowd becomes way easier thanks to this homemade popcorn chicken recipe.
Another air fryer chicken teriyaki recipe with homemade teriyaki sauce that will 100% satisfy your takeout food cravings!
For the days when the family is hankering for BBQ chicken, knock their socks off with this easy air fryer recipe. No fuss, little mess, and a whole lot of sweet-savory Southern barbeque flavor.
A classic Indian dish made at home, I can’t get enough of this wholesome and colorful marinated tandoori chicken. The air fryer makes this homemade Indian recipe quick and easy, and the flavors are next level delicious!
Feeding a crowd? Or keen for leftovers? Air fry a whole chicken! Preparing a whole “roast” chicken in the air fryer is a major time saver, and the results are perfectly tender and juicy, ready to serve with your favorite sides.
Can anyone say, olé? Mexican-inspired homemade chicken fajitas are the ultimate chicken recipe to bring a little heat to the dinner table. A family friendly meal idea filled with healthy meat and veg!
Chicken parm like you’ve never had it before. Amazingly cheesy and saucy, scoop this air fryer chicken parmesan over pasta, and whoa! Your weeknight meal plans just got a whole lot tastier and easier.
Southern fried chicken, minus the deep frying! Bold, spicy flavors coat these insanely flavorful Nashville Hot Chicken breasts. They’re marinated in a brine of tangy pickle juice, fiery hot sauce, and buttermilk, then cooked to perfection in the air fryer!
Kids LOVE this homemade chicken nuggets recipe. The best crispy nuggets that are healthier and overall superior (IMO) to anything you’ll find at a fast food window! Prepped in the air fryer right in your own kitchen, perfect for dipping in all kinds of sauces.
Once you’ve made this recipe for chicken taquitos in the air fryer, there’s no going back. Weeknight dinners, appetizer platters, and dip-able snacks will never be the same! Make savory chicken taquitos as a freezer meal to enjoy whenever a craving calls.
Low carb and ready in 10 minutes? Sign me up! This savory chicken and broccoli recipe is cooked in the air fryer with a lemon pepper seasoning that’s to die for.
Fresh and zesty, make this margarita chicken at home and skip the crowded restaurant. A tried and tested Chili’s copycat recipe, I think you’ll find this air fryer version even better than the original!
Sticky sauce, tangy glaze, and crispy skin, oh my! These punchy Asian-inspired air fryer chicken wings certainly aren’t short on flavor or texture. Absolutely lip-smacking good!
These chicken thighs had me at "ranch butter"! This easy 3-ingredient chicken recipe is loaded with ranch flavor while being incredibly kid and family-friendly.
These chicken thighs come out of the air fryer smelling of fragrant fresh lime and cilantro! A delicious marinated chicken recipe sure to be a repeat offender at your table.
Linda says
i got a air fryer and now looking for recipes
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Linda! Hope you enjoy them!