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These 17 Air Fryer Recipes Make Your Favorite Chicken Dishes Easier Than Ever

They'll make you feel like a winner (winner).

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air fryer spinach and artichoke stuffed chicken breast
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Some of our most popular content includes our best chicken dinners and our top air fryer recipes. So we thought—why not combine them?! It’s true, you can make all kinds of chicken meals in your air fryer, and not just dinners. Chicken appetizers, sides, and snacks can be made in there too. Is there anything our favorite little appliance can’t do?

The sky is truly the limit: Craving something snackier (maybe to eat for dinner on game day or at a cocktail party)? Try our chipotle chicken meatballs, our “fried” chicken (just as crispy as in oil!), our chicken tenders, our chicken taquitos, or our Buffalo chicken wings. Need something more all-encompassing for dinner? Try our orange chicken, our chicken Parmesan, our spinach and artichoke-stuffed chicken, or our chimichangas. You won’t believe how delicious they come out, with SO much less effort and mess than other recipes.

Into meal prepping? Your air fryer can help you there too. Prep our cilantro-lime Cornish hen (basically just a small chicken), our panko-breaded chicken breast, our sticky glazed chicken thighs, or our rotisserie chicken in your air fryer at the beginning of the week, then add them to your meals all week long. The best part? Most of these recipes take half the time of their oven or stovetop counterparts. Skip heating up your kitchen if you like, or use that space to make one of our great side dishes, casseroles, or apps.

Want even more air fryer inspiration? Check out our favorite air fryer breakfasts, air fryer desserts, and air fryer appetizers too.

1

Air Fryer Fried Chicken

air fryer fried chicken
Parker Feierbach

Imagine the best fried chicken you've ever had. Now imagine if it wasn't even fried. Crazy, right? Not with this easy air-fryer fried chicken recipe! The air fryer works some kind of magic on the chicken, and it crisps up into perfectly crunchy, juicy chicken. 😍

Get the Air Fryer Fried Chicken recipe.

2

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

air fryer chicken parmesan
Lucy Schaeffer

The fact that crispy golden chicken can be achieved without the use of any oil whatsoever is amazing (not to mention how quickly the air fryer can do it!). There's no need to turn on your oven or make a whole oily mess on your stovetop: This chicken Parm tastes every bit as good as the traditional version with much less effort to get there.

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan recipe.

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3

Air Fryer Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast

air fryer spinach and artichoke stuffed chicken breast
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Spinach and artichoke dip is one of our all-time faves. We love it so much, we stuffed it inside boneless skinless chicken breasts for crazy-tasty results. Bonus: That creamy, cheesy filling keeps the super-lean chicken moist and tender, even in the air fryer.

Get the Air Fryer Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe.

4

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

air fryer chicken breast
Parker Feierbach

Chicken breasts have a terrible reputation for drying out, but an air fryer keeps that from happening. The quick cook time means they stay nice and tender, and the breading still gets extra crispy from the intense air circulation inside these powerful little machines. All without a DROP of oil. It's an actual miracle.

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe.

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5

Air Fryer Orange Chicken

air fryer orange chicken
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Typically deep- or pan-fried in oil, the option to air-fry orange chicken instead saves a ton of calories and fat. Of course, this dish is perfect over rice or whole grains, but if you are looking for a low-carb side, serve this over simple air-fried vegetables, letting them soak up the extra sauce in place of grains.

Get the Air Fryer Orange Chicken recipe.

6

Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Meatballs

air fryer chipotle chicken meatballs
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

These easy chicken meatballs are snack-size for a reason: Once you pop, you won’t be able to stop. They're also just as good tucked inside a taco or smashed on a toasted slider bun.

Get the Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Meatballs recipe.

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7

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

air fryer wings delishcom
Parker Feierbach

Fried chicken wings are delicious, but they make a big mess. These air fryer wings are super-easy, and they're just as crunchy as the deep-fried kind. We're hooked!

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe.

8

Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich

air fryer crispy chicken sandwich
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Think the crispiest chicken sandwich is only available at the drive-thru? Think again! We can’t believe how golden and juicy these cutlets turn out in the air fryer. They’re great in sandwich form but would be just as good on top of a salad or sliced over rice too.

Get the Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Sandwich recipe.

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9

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

air fryer chicken tenders
PARKER FEIERBACH

Crispy chicken tenders without the deep fryer? YES! These air fryer chicken tenders only need 10 minutes to get golden and crispy. The honey mustard dipping sauce can be stirred together during that time to make this a fast and weeknight-friendly meal.

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Tenders recipe.

10

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

air fryer spicy chicken thighs
Parker feierbach

Turns out the absolute best way to achieve the crispiest skin on chicken thighs is using your air fryer! The quick cook time achieves the crispiest, juiciest chicken ever. The marinade also doubles as a sticky glaze that is *just* spicy enough (but feel free to add hot sauce if you're into the heat).

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Thighs recipe.

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11

Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken

air fryer rotisserie chicken
Parker feierbach

We're all about a good classic roasted chicken, but it's not always practical for a weeknight dinner. This easy air fryer recipe takes most of the waiting out of roasting a chicken, with remarkably similar results. We found that even when we cooked our chicken well past 165°, it was still juicy and not at all dry. Air fryer, we love you.

Get the Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken recipe.

12

Air Fryer Cilantro-Lime Cornish Hen

air fryer cilantro lime cornish hen
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

If you’ve never tried roasting a Cornish hen before, this is a great place to start. They’re really just little chickens, and they happen to fit perfectly even in petite air fryers.

Get the Air Fryer Cilantro-Lime Cornish Hen recipe.

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13

Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Taquitos

spicy chicken taquitos
PARKER FEIERBACH

A taquito is essentially a rolled taco with many of the topping like guacamole and sour cream on the outside. They're traditionally shallow-fried to get that beautifully crisp exterior. Our version is baked with an option to make them in the air fryer!

Get the Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Taquitos recipe.

14

Air Fryer Cumin Spiced Chicken Meatballs

air fryer chicken meatballs
PARKER FEIERBACH//20th Century Studios

These meatballs are a breeze to throw together and the spicy mayo takes them over the top. Bonus: These are perfect in the air fryer, which makes the outsides crispy!

Get the Air Fryer Cumin Spiced Chicken Meatballs recipe.

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15

Air Fryer Drumsticks

air fryer drumsticks coated in a soy, coca cola sauce topped with sesame seeds
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: LAURA REGE

This dish is loosely inspired by two Chinese dishes: fragrant and umami-filled Cantonese soy sauce chicken and a dish that was popular in '80s and '90s in China, Coca Cola wings. Instead of poaching the chicken like is traditional in soy sauce chicken, you'll get the soy-marinated chicken slightly crispy and perfectly tender in the air fryer. Then you'll use the reserved marinade, along with some Coke, to make a sticky, sweetish sauce. Yum!

Get the Air Fryer Drumsticks recipe.

16

Air Fryer Chimichanga

air fryer chimichanga
LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY

Chimichangas are essentially fried burritos, which, don't get us wrong, we absolutely LOVE—but sometimes we're not all about the excess oil or messy deep frying. Make these in the air fryer instead for an exceptionally crispy chicken burrito, with half the effort!

Get the Air Fryer Chimichanga recipe.

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17

Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

air fryer bbq chicken drumsticks
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

The key to the tastiest BBQ flavor here lies in both the sauce and the technique of glazing the drumsticks. Returning them to the air fryer sets the glaze to finger-licking stickiness (a GREAT thing in our book). If you already have a favorite brand of BBQ sauce, feel free to streamline the recipe and use 1 cup of that instead of our homemade version.

Get the Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks recipe.

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