Copycat Kentucky Fried Chicken in an Air Fryer

Easy, juicy, tender and flavorful copycat KFC without the all the grease! Egg whites replace eggs and buttermilk to keep it light. Nothing better than an air fryer exchange from the oven for this classic! For your air fryer, chicken, I use between 8 to 12 chicken pieces.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

This recipe uses 8 to 12 BONE-IN chicken pieces. Adjust your cook time, which will be less for boneless chicken pieces.

Step 2

Put chicken pieces into the gallon plastic bag of flour with herbs and spices. Mix well!

Step 3

Dip chicken pieces into at least two beaten egg whites (or buttermilk and eggs for the richer version but you may need to cook a minute longer) to lightly coat them. Place them into the gallon bag of flour mixture. Shake and turn chicken pieces making sure the flour mixture adheres to the chicken. Repeat with all the chicken pieces. SPRAY WITH COOKING SPRAY. (The egg whites are the healthier version for a lighter crispy skin. Try both!)

Step 4

Add all the chicken pieces into the air fryer in one layer. If you are using a Ninja Air Fryer Dual Zone, use both baskets on the Smart Cook mode. If you are using more chicken pieces, air fry them in several batches. I use silicone liners in mine for easy cleanup.

Step 5

Set air fryer to 380 for 18 minutes - less time if using BONELESS chicken pieces. Air fryer temps and modes vary as to the cook times. Please use the manufacturer’s temperature and time for a whole bone-in chicken that is broken down to pieces.