13 Air Fryer Chicken Recipes for Quick Weeknight Meals

Fried chicken is a crowd favorite among all types of cuisines and cultures and the irresistible menu item is versatile enough to be adapted with many different ingredients and flavors. While enjoying those crispy chicken wings or thighs is easy, frying chicken in oil can be messy and inconvenient. The air fryer is a simple alternative that streamlines the process while delivering the same crispy, crunchy results with a perfectly-tender center. Just take this panko- and parmesan-coated version, for example. The parmesan adds a salty flavor to the chicken that gets cooked to perfection in an air fryer rather than pan or pot of oil. Serve with steamed broccoli and tangy yogurt sauce for a chicken dinner that can be enjoyed all week long.

If you’re favorite part of roasted chicken is the crispy skin, you’ll love this whole-roasted chicken recipe. The rapid movement of air in an air fryer is perfect for cooking roast chicken— The fat in the skin renders and gets perfectly crispy while the inside stays incredibly moist and flavorful.

Crispy, crunchy fried wings are an irresistible snack, but being left with greasy fingers after diving into a dozen can be a hassle. That’s why we love these chicken wings that get crisped up in the air fryer rather than a pot of oil. They’re crunchy and tender, and they leave your fingers covered in flavor rather than oil.

This easy recipe can be whipped up in just 35 minutes, which means it’s ideal for busy weeknights. Even better, it’s a super versatile dish that can be adapted with many different flavors. Serve these lightly seasoned chicken thighs as is or toss them while still hot with your favorite barbecue or buffalo sauce to give this quick and easy anytime meal an extra kick.

This super-easy recipe is a lightened-up version of the kid-favorite. Chicken tenders first get tossed in a buttermilk brine then coated in parmesan and panko, then crisped to perfection in an air fryer. Serve with homemade dipping sauce.

If you’re tired of standard Buffalo wings, switch up the flavor with another fun wing recipe. These party wings are drenched in a bright, vibrant curry paste that’s sweet, spicy and tangy. Serve with extra sliced scallions and Thai chiles.

This tasty recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner or special occasion meal alike. The crispy chicken thighs are savory and succulent, and the accompany kale salad is crunchy and bright. Ready in just 45 minutes, this easy recipe puts your air fryer to good use.

If you’re short on time and need to cook a batch of frozen chicken breasts quickly, let the air fryer do the work for you. This easy recipe takes just 25 minutes to cook chicken breasts directly from frozen, just make sure to stack them in one even layer, rather than on top of each other.

This fried chicken takes most of the hassle out of typical process of frying chicken—there’s no mess or hot, dripping oil to deal with, and each piece gets cooked evenly and thoroughly. Thanks to the fast circulation of air, cooking this chicken in an air fryer allows the coating to quickly crisp up while cooking the chicken itself thoroughly and completely, without sacrificing flavor or moisture.

Air fryers are perfect for cooking chicken wings because they produce crispy, crunchy wings that are tender and juicy on the inside. This recipe employs a soy glaze that gets delightfully sticky when cooked. Fresh ginger adds a bright kick to the tangy marinade.

Taquitos are the ultimate finger food, and cooking these in the air fryer rather than a deep fryer helps keep your fingers clean. These are filling with chunks of chicken and melty Colby jack cheese, so they’re filling and irresistible at the same time. Serve with homemade salsa and chopped romaine lettuce.

These tasty wings get an extra-crispy coating thanks to one secret ingredient—baking soda! It helps soften up the chicken skin to allow It to get super crunchy during the cooking process. As a result, these wings are crunchy and succulent, with a simple buffalo sauce that’s tangy and spicy.