Are you tired of deep-frying chicken? Or are you more concerned about your health and calorie count? Then try this air fryer Nashville hot chicken recipe. It’s super easy, delicious, and healthier to have rather than deep fried one.
A Southern classic meal noted for its fiery flavor profile, the Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken is a delectable and better take on the conventional Nashville Hot Chicken. The amount of oil in the recipe is greatly reduced by utilizing an air fryer you can also control the spice level according to your choice while still producing the dish’s distinctive crispy texture and robust flavors.
How To Make Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken
With basic ingredients, you can still load the chicken with flavors. And the best part is that everything is under your control, you can adjust the ingredients, spices, and seasoning as per your preference.
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts cut into 4 strips each
1 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce
2 tablespoon pickle juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
Hot Sauce Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon red chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Step-By-Step Guide
Step-1: Take a bowl and add pickle juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Add chicken to the bowl and coat well. Put the coated chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and let it marinate.
Step-2: Take another bowl and add all-purpose flour, paprika, and 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Put the remaining buttermilk in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and then dip again in the bowl with the buttermilk. Then dip once again in flour and set aside. Do the same process with the remaining chicken strips.
Srep-3: Once all chicken strips are coated, spray them with olive oil.
Step-4: Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Once the air fryer has been preheated, spray the basket with olive oil.
Step-5: Place the seasoned chicken strips in the basket and cook for 13 -15 minutes. And flip them after half-time has passed.
Step-6: Make the hot sauce on a pan. Combine all sauce ingredients and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame or until all ingredients are mixed and the sauce is hot enough to be served. Brush the sauce over the chicken strips.
And that’s it, your air fryer Nashville Hot Chicken is ready, serve with hot sauce and enjoy!
Tips & Note
1- After marinating chicken for 30 minutes, make sure to drain it and shake any excess coating to avoid a soggy texture.
2- A medium size air fryer can accommodate 5-7 chicken strips. Make sure you don’t overfill or overcrowd the air fryer basket.
3- Preheating is useful for marinated and frozen air fryer recipes, that’s why don’t forget to preheat the air fryer before cooking.
4- You can use frozen precooked chicken as well. But then adjust the cooking time as the precooked chicken will get cooked much faster in the air fryer.
5- For making the hot sauce, extra spicy add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
6- Whisk the hot sauce well before brushing it over the chicken strips.
What oil is recommended for brushing on the chicken before air frying?
I would recommend using a light oil with a high smoke point for brushing on the chicken before air frying. You can use extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil, and avocado oils. These oils can withstand decent temperatures generated by the air fryer and help the chicken cook evenly while giving it a crispy texture.
What side dishes can be served with Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken?
I enjoy eating steak fries, waffle fries, and diced potatoes with Nashville hot chicken. Even while it is a complete meal on its own, any fries, in my opinion, go nicely with it.
Can I adjust the spice level of the Nashville Hot Chicken to make it milder or spicier?
Yes, you can absolutely adjust the spices according to your preferences. The spice level is primarily determined by the amount of cayenne pepper, red chili, and paprika. You can reduce their quantity to make the dish less spicy. If you like it spicier, then increase the amount of red pepper flakes, hot paprika, or even a pinch of ground ghost pepper or habanero powder.
What is the ideal thickness of chicken pieces for even cooking in an air fryer?
For Nashville Hot Chicken, which is typically made with bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, here are some general guidelines:
Chicken breast: Slice the breast into uniform slices, about 1 to 1.5 inches thick. By doing this, you can make sure the chicken cooks evenly and doesn’t get dry.
Chicken thighs: You can leave the thighs whole, as they are generally around 1 to 1.5 inches thick. If you have larger thighs, then cut them in half to maintain even thickness and even cooking.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts cut into 4 strips each
- 1 tbsp Frank's hot sauce
- 2 tbsp Pickle juice
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Salted butter
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- 3/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Take a bowl and add pickle juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Add chicken to the bowl and coat well.
- Put the coated chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and let it marinate.
- Take another bowl and add all-purpose flour, paprika, and 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Put the remaining buttermilk in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and then dip again in the bowl with the buttermilk.
- Then dip once again in flour and set aside. Do the same process with the remaining chicken strips.
- Once all chicken strips are coated, spray them with olive oil.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Once the air fryer has been preheated, spray the basket with olive oil.
- Place the seasoned chicken strips in the basket and cook for 13 -15 minutes. And flip them after half-time has passed.
- Make the hot sauce on a pan.
- Combine all sauce ingredients and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium flame or until all ingredients are mixed and the sauce is hot enough to be served.
- Brush the sauce over the chicken strips.
Nutrition
Related Recipes