We love this recipe for Air Fryer Fried Chicken. Our chicken always comes out perfectly crispy and tender every single time. Using an air fryer is a fool proof way to get amazing fried chicken with very little mess compared to traditionally fried chicken.
Beat your eggs in a bowl and roll your legs in them one at a time.
Pour your favorite breading mix into a gallon baggie and toss your coated legs in batches in seal and shake to coat.
Add 1 tablespoon bacon fat (or lard) to the bottom of your air fryer and cook legs in single layer batches for 15 min on chicken setting (or at 360). Do NOT stack chicken.
Turn them over and cook on chicken setting for 15 more minutes.
Clean out air fryer in between new batches and add 1 tablespoon of fat to each new batch.
Video
Notes
Note: Nutritional content does not include breading. That content will depend entirely on the breading you choose to use.
To make this low-carb, we used our favorite Low Carb Fried Chicken Breading Recipe. You can use whatever breading you typically dredge your favorite fried chicken in... Frying Magic, flour with your own seasonings, anything will work.
The more chicken you use in a batch the longer you may have to cook it. The same is true if you cook less than a full batch– it will take less time. If your chicken is crowded, add 2 minutes to each round of cooking time. Number of batches will vary based on the capacity of your air fryer and the size of your chicken legs.
We used chicken legs. You can use other cuts of chicken if you don't like chicken legs, cooking times may vary. Make sure your chicken's internal temperature reaches at least 165. (To reach optimal tenderness, I prefer to cook to at least 170.)
I do NOT recommend stacking your chicken in the basket. A single layer is always best to ensure the chicken cooks evenly.
If you find that a batch has left excess brown bits or oil, remove the pan and empty them out before starting a new batch with fresh fat for cooking. I typically use 1 T of Bacon Fat or Lard for each batch of chicken I run through my air fryer, dumping out my fryer in between batches.
Air fryers vary in size and may cook differently. Always first test in your unit attended.
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As with any of our recipes, carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly. As a result, your nutritional content depends on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.