Air Fryer “Fast Food” Chicken (Tastes deep fried!)
If you've been missing proper deep-fried crispy chicken but don't fancy dealing with litres of hot oil and that lingering fried smell in your home for days, this recipe is about to be a game changer for you!
I personally have not eaten fast food’s deep fried chicken in a whole year, so it’s equally exciting for me to discover that we can make the healthier version with A LOT less oil at home.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes (or depending on your air fryer size)
Serves: 2 pax
Why This Recipe Works
I was skeptical if air fried chicken could ever match the real deal. But after some experimenting and researching on various clever sources online, I learnt the following:
The baking powder in the first seasoning layer creates tiny bubbles that help make the coating extra crispy
The rice flour and corn flour mixture gives that distinctive crunch you normally only get from deep-frying
Bone-in, skin-on thighs stay gloriously juicy while the outside crisps up
I have been trying a few recipes and finally adapted mine from thespicyjuju.com
Ingredients
On the chicken (No exact measurements, just make sure to sprinkle and rub to cover the entire surface evenly!)
4 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika powder
Black pepper
Sugar (not as much as salt, it’s just to balance the savoury profile)
Baking powder (about 1-2 tbsp, just a light layer like the other seasonings)
For a light dry batter
80g Rice flour (not to be confused with glutinous rice flour)
80g Corn flour (same as corn starch)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
Black pepper
Note: If you need more flour, just make sure both are in equal proportions. You may substitute rice flour with usual plain flour.
Before air frying
Neutral oil or spray (I brushed on avocado oil)
Method
Prep your chicken: Pat those thighs as dry as you can with paper towels. This step is crucial for crispy results, so don't skip it!
First flavour layer: Sprinkle the chicken all over with salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and a touch of sugar. Make sure to get some under the skin if you can too! Then lightly dust with baking powder – this is our secret weapon for extra crispiness. Don’t need to go overboard with the baking powder, cover the chicken skin lightly and sufficiently:)
Mix your coating: In a shallow bowl, combine the rice flour, corn flour, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper. Give it a good mix.
Coat the chicken: Press each seasoned chicken thigh into the flour mixture, ensuring it's completely coated. Give it a little shake to remove any excess.
Oil up: Lightly brush or spray each piece with oil. You don't need loads, just enough to help it crisp up beautifully. This really helps to give it a nice golden brown colour like the fast food restaurant too!
Air fry time: Place the chicken skin-side down in your air fryer basket, making sure not to overcrowd (you might need to cook in batches depending on your air fryer size). Cook at 200°C for 10 - 12 minutes.
Flip and finish: Turn the chicken over so it's skin-side up, and cook for another 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown. It should sizzle in crispiness by now! Enjoy~
Tips for Perfect Results
Since you’re dealing with raw chicken, you might want to make a test batch instead of cooking everything in the air fryer at once to figure out how strong you like your seasoning to be. Fret not if you feel you have under-seasoned your food, “fast food” chicken is best paired with dips/sauces/gravies after all, so just have your favourite on standby:)
Every air fryer is different, so you might need to adjust times slightly based on your model.
Healthy air fried chicken that tastes deep fried
My first bite into this actually got me scratching my head if this is the exact mix of seasoning fast food restaurants use. You absolutely need the skin on chicken thighs, it is the most delicious part of this recipe!
I hope you’ll think of this the next time you’re craving fried chicken but don’t want all the extra calories from deep fried oil & heavy batter!
