This spicy hot chicken is juicy, crispy and delicious fried chicken brushed with hot sauce for a tasty dinner.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Soaking Time4 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs55 minutesmins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
8bone in chicken thighs
2cupsbuttermilk
1/4cuphot sauce
2cupsflour
2Tablespoongarlic powder
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonblack pepper
1teaspooncayenne pepper
1teaspoonold bay
1teaspoonpaprika
1/2cupbutter
2Tablespoonshot sauce
Instructions
Mix the buttermilk with the hot sauce in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and submerge the chicken. Refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
2 cups buttermilk, 1/4 cup hot sauce, 8 bone in chicken thighs
Mix the flour with the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, old bay and paprika.
2 cups flour, 2 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon old bay, 1 teaspoon paprika
Depending on the size of your air fryer you will likely need to cook this in batches. Do not crowd the chicken in the air fryer basket.
Using tongs take a piece of chicken out of the buttermilk. Let any excess buttermilk drip off the chicken. Then put the chicken into the flour and coat it. Set the chicken piece on a rack to rest.
Repeat the process with as many chicken pieces as will fit in your air fryer (four for me.) Put the rest of the chicken back in the refrigerator while you cook the first batch.
Let the chicken rest on the wire rack for 15 minutes before air frying for the crispiest chicken.
Put the chicken in the air fryer basket, leaving room between the pieces for air to circulate.
Cook at 390 F for 25 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time take the air fryer basket out. If there are spots where you can still see flour on the chicken spray them with a little cooking spray. Flip the chicken, then put the basket back in to finish cooking.
Make the second batch of chicken while you serve the first batch.
Melt the butter and mix it with the 2 Tablespoons of hot sauce. Brush the chicken with the mixture before serving.
1/2 cup butter, 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
Serve with white bread and pickles.
Notes
Chicken drumsticks will take about 20 minutes to cook. Chicken breasts will take about 30 minutes to cook. Chicken tenders will take about 12 minutes to cook. Check the chicken temperature to make sure it reaches 165 for white meat and 180 for dark meat, because air fryers can vary.
If you want to increase the spiciness of the chicken add 1/2 teaspoon - 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper to the hot sauce and butter mixture before coating the chicken.
The spiciness will vary depending on what brand of hot sauce you prefer.