Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken

How to Make It

1. Place chicken in a bowl or large zip-top plastic bag. Stir together buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce in a large measuring cup or another bowl. Pour over chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
2. Stir together flour, powdered sugar, paprika, 1 tsp. salt, the pepper, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Set a cooling rack in a sheet pan.
3. Remove one piece of chicken at a time from the marinade and dip it into the flour mixture, turning chicken as needed to coat it heavily until no parts are wet. Set chicken on the wire rack. Repeat to coat remaining chicken. Pro tip: If the coating doesn’t stick to parts of the chicken, dip chicken in marinade a second time followed by more flour. Let chicken stand about 30 minutes (this helps create a craggy crust). Discard marinade and remaining flour mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Set a clean wire rack in a clean sheet pan and set it in the oven while it’s heating.
5. Set the basket in place in an air fryer. Close the lid and program the air fryer to 360°F for 20 minutes. Preheat according to instructions for your air fryer.
6. Mist chicken lightly but evenly all over with cooking spray. Add half of the chicken to the air fryer (or fewer pieces if you’re using a smaller air fryer; they should not be touching). Cook until nicely browned and crisp, and temperature in thickest part is about 185°F, about 20 minutes. Add more time if needed. Transfer chicken to the sheet pan in the oven to keep warm.
7. Repeat to cook remaining chicken, omitting the preheating step. Set cooked chicken on a platter and sprinkle with more salt if you like.