• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
About Contact Latest

AirFried.com

Dinner Made Easy

  • Recipe Index
  • By Course
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Freezer Favorites
  • By Protein
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
  • Shop
  • Breakfast
  • Main Dish
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
  • Side Dishes
    • Potatoes
    • Veggies
  • Snacks
  • Desserts
  • Low Carb
  • Freezer Favorites
  • Breakfast
  • Main Dish
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Vegetarian
  • Side Dishes
    • Potatoes
    • Veggies
  • Snacks
  • Desserts
  • Low Carb
  • Freezer Favorites
Home » Main Dish » Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich

By Karly on July 26, 2022 | Updated October 8, 2022 | 4 Comments

Pin Jump to Recipe
Share
Pin
Email
Print
1.6KShares
We have an easy recipe for the perfect chicken sandwich here!  The secret is to use your air fryer for easy clean up too!Crispy and crunchy straight out of the air fryer, with a crisp batter that tastes like it was fried!This is the best air fryer chicken sandwich recipe we have made yet!  We end up with a tender chicken breast and a crispy breading on the outside.

We’d like to submit our Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich to be considered in the Chicken Sandwich Wars currently happening between fast food restaurants. We think we have a serious contender here with a crispy, seasoned breading and a thick piece of juicy chicken. Topped with pickles and mayo, this is a major air fryer win.

Air fried chicken sandwich on a small white plate.

It took us quite a few tries (over 7, but who’s counting) to get this air fryer chicken sandwich just where we wanted it, with a crispy, craggly breading that looks like it came straight from the deep fryer.

We wanted a piece of chicken that was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and seasoned throughout. A piece of chicken that could stand up on it’s own, without the pickles, mayo, and bun. Took a bit, but we got it there!

Of course, a buttered and toasted bun, a thick slather of your favorite mayo, and a couple of dill pickle slices really push this over the top and turn this into what we think is the BEST chicken sandwich you can make at home!

We use a fair amount of ingredients for our breading in order to make it crispy and full of flavor. Don’t let that scare you away – while these do have a few steps, it’s actually really easy. Just read through the recipe to get a feel for it, and then head to the kitchen and get started!

Table of Contents

  • Ingredient Notes:
  • How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Sandwiches:
  • FAQ:
  • Recipe Tips:
  • More chicken recipes you will love:
  • Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
    • Instructions 
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition
      • Did You Make This Recipe?

Ingredient Notes:

Ingredients for a chicken sandwich all spread out on a countertop.

Chicken- We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are about 6-8 ounces per breast. These will get sliced in half and pounded out to an even thickness to form 4 pieces of chicken.

Breading Ingredients– Our flavorful breading uses flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, cracked pepper, eggs, hot sauce, and buttermilk.

Serving ingredients– Buns are best served buttered and grilled, so get your buns and some butter. We serve ours with mayonnaise and dill pickles. You could consider lettuce, tomato, or cheese also.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Sandwiches:

Prepare the chicken– Slice your chicken breast in half at a diagonal. Pound the chicken just enough to make it an even thickness and about the size of your buns. Then pat the chicken dry.

Collage of the steps of breading chicken

Flour- Add flour, cornstarch, and seasonings to a small shallow dish then whisk to combine. Dredge all pieces of chicken in the flour mixture and then set them aside.

Eggs – Whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, and water until smooth.

Breading – Stir the buttermilk into the used flour mixture with a fork. It’ll form clumps of batter.

Coat – Dip your floured chicken into the egg wash and then into the clumpy flour mixture, pressing the chicken in to coat it in the breading. Don’t add a super thick breading – just enough to cover the chicken breasts.

Air Fryer the chicken-Spritz your air fryer basket with non-stick spray and arrange the chicken pieces in a basket. Take care not to let the chicken pieces touch each other. Spritz the chicken liberally with oil spray and air fry for 12 minutes at 400 degrees F. The chicken should be 165 degrees F when it is done cooking.

Four chicken breasts in an air fryer basket.

FAQ:

How do I store leftover chicken sandwiches?

Keep in an air tight container in your fridge. They will be good for 3-5 days. When it is time to reheat you will get the best results reheating in an air fryer at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.

How can I make my chicken sandwich spicier?

You could add cayenne pepper to the flour mixture for your breading.

Recipe Tips:

When you are stirring the buttermilk into the flour mixture it should create clumps of flour mixture throughout – the mixture will not be wet like a batter.

For great results check the chicken at 8 minutes and spritz with additional oil if there are dry bits of breading on the chicken.

If you don’t think this is the best chicken sandwich, you may be like my husband. Add bacon, then it will be the best chicken sandwich!

Breaded chicken breasts in an air fryer basket.

More chicken recipes you will love:

  • Air Fryer Greek Chicken Pitas
  • Air Fryer Chicken Caprese
  • Air Fryer Whole Chicken
  • Southwest Egg Rolls
  • Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken
Close up of a chicken sandwich with pickles on it.
Close up of a chicken sandwich on a white plate.

Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich

Created by: Karly

Course Chicken
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
4 sandwiches
We'd like to submit this Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich to be voted on in the Chicken Sandwich Wars that seem to be happening between fast food joints. It's thick and juicy and that crispy breading is packed with flavor! Took us quite a few tries to get it just right, but we can safely say this one is a favorite!
Print
Pin
Share
Rate
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • Air Fryer
  • Oil Sprayer for Cooking

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, 6-8 ounces each
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce see notes
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 4 sandwich buns
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise for serving
  • Dill pickle slices for serving

Instructions
 

  • Slice the chicken breasts in half at a slight diagonal to create two smaller pieces of chicken. Lightly pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness about the size of your sandwich buns. Pat the chicken dry.
  • Add the flour, cornstarch, and seasonings to a small shallow dish and whisk well to combine. 
  • Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to coat each piece thoroughly. Shake off excess. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
  • Whisk together the eggs, hot sauce, and water until smooth in a second shallow dish.
  • Add the buttermilk to the seasoned flour mixture and stir with a fork to combine. This should create clumps of flour mixture throughout – the mixture will not be wet like a batter, but very clumpy.
  • Dip the floured chicken in the egg wash, shaking off excess, and then into the clumpy flour mixture. Be sure to press the flour onto the chicken to coat, creating clumps of breading on the chicken.
  • Spritz an air fryer basket with non-stick spray and arrange the chicken pieces in the basket, leaving space between each for air to flow. 
  • Spritz the chicken liberally with oil spray.
  • Air fry at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Check the chicken at 8 minutes and spritz with additional oil if there are dry bits of breading on the chicken.
  • To assemble sandwiches, butter the buns and toast on a skillet over medium heat. 
  • Spread each bun with mayo and top with chicken and pickles.

Video

Notes

The hot sauce does not make these sandwiches spicy, they just add additional flavor. For a spicy sandwich, add cayenne to the spice mixture.
Do not press a thick layer of the batter onto the chicken breasts – you just need enough to coat the chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 1676mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g

Did You Make This Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram @air.fried and tag us #air.fried

Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
Share
Pin
Email
Print
1.6KShares

posted in: Chicken

Previous
Air Fryer Smoked Sausage
Next
Chili Lime Shrimp

Reader Interactions

Looking For More Air Fried Recipes?

Make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. And make sure to leave your questions and reviews below!

    Leave A Reply! Cancel reply

    Share your thoughts!
    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

    Recipe Rating




    Comments & Reviews

  1. Crystal says

    January 13, 2023

    5 stars
    Made with ground chicken but followed everything else and turned out so good!

    Reply
    • Karly says

      January 14, 2023

      So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lex says

    December 15, 2022

    1 star
    Terrible recipe. Chicken was over cooked with no flavor. It needed flipping but u never said that.

    Reply
    • Karly says

      December 16, 2022

      Sorry this didn’t work out for you. We don’t flip the chicken (not needed, in my opinion and it’s likely to just cause you to lose the breading verses helping anything) and haven’t had an issue with the chicken being overcooked. That said, if your pieces of chicken are thin or smaller than the 6-8 ounces called for, you’d need to adjust the cook time.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Chad and Karly in the kitchen.

We're Chad and Karly!

A husband and wife team bringing our love of the air fryer to the Internet.

We love fried food, but we also love making it a bit healthier without sacrificing the crunch, flavor, or fun factor! Welcome!

More About Us

Get Our FREE eBook In Your Inbox!

Join the list + get a FREE copy of our Air Fryer Favorites eBook!

    Featured Recipes

    • Overhead view of cooked veggies in an air fryer basket.
      Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
    • Close up of a twice baked potaot cooking in the air fryer.
      Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
    • cajun fried corn in air fryer basket.
      Cajun Fried Corn
    • Close up of a cup full sliced glazed carrots
      Air Fryer Carrots

    Trending Recipes

    • Stacked egg rolls up close.
      Breakfast Egg Rolls
    • Air fryer basket full of cooked peanut butter cookies.
      Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Cooked pumpkin seeds in a square bowl
      Air Fryer Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
    • close up of smores on a wooden plate
      Indoor Smores (Air Fryer Recipe)
    • pile of garlic butter crescent rolls.
      Cheese Stuffed Crescent Rolls
    • pile of fried pickles next to a bowl of ranch dip.
      Air Fried Pickles

    Get Our FREE eBook In Your Inbox!

    Join the list + get a FREE copy of our Air Fryer Favorites eBook!

    AirFried.com

    Browse Topics

    • Breakfast
    • Main Dish
    • Side Dishes
    • Low Carb
    • Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Freezer Favorites
    back to topBack To Top
    ©2023, AirFried.com. Privacy Policy Contact Free eBook
    Design by Pixel Me Designs
    ×

    Get Our FREE eBook In Your Inbox!

    Join the list + get a FREE copy of our Air Fryer Favorites eBook!