Chicken · Air fryer

Air Fryer Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Ramen Crust

Crispy fried chicken without the oil-splattered kitchen? Chef Elizabeth Haigh's air fryer method delivers juicy, crunchy results, and her secret weapon is instant ramen blitzed into the dredge. The family test is about to begin.

R By Richard · Adapted from Chef Elizabeth Haigh · Published 10 June 2026
👁 130.5k source views ❤️ 4.9k source likes
⏱Prep 20 min
🌡Temp 180°C
⏲Air fry 20 min
🍽Serves 4
10/10 Air Fryer Chicken, the only method you need to know

Source video by Chef Elizabeth Haigh on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Chef Elizabeth Haigh adapts her deep-fried chicken method for the air fryer, using a dry brine, a buttermilk marinade and a crispy dredge boosted with blitzed instant ramen noodles. Drumsticks and bone-in thighs are coated, sprayed with avocado oil and air fried until golden and crunchy. The result is family friendly, lighter than deep frying, and still genuinely crispy. Customisable with hot sauce in the marinade if you prefer more heat.

Ingredients

Chicken and dry brine
  • chicken drumsticks and bone-in thighs (skin removed from thighs), patted dry
  • cayenne pepper
  • onion powder
  • dried oregano
  • table salt
  • paprika
  • finely ground white pepper
  • black pepper, freshly ground
Marinade
  • buttermilk
  • 1 tbspreserved dry spice mix
  • hot sauce
Dredge
  • plain flour
  • cornflour
  • rice flour
  • 2 packetsinstant ramen noodles with seasoning sachets, blitzed to a fine but textured crumb, seasoning sachets included
  • remaining dry spice mix
Binder
  • 2 wholeeggs, whisked
  • water
To cook
  • avocado oil spray
To finish
  • extra seasoning for layering (add late)
To serve
  • chilli sauce (add late)

Method

  1. Mix the cayenne, onion powder, oregano, salt, paprika, white pepper and black pepper in a bowl to make the dry brine spice mix.

    ~2 min

  2. Sprinkle the spice mix all over the chicken, working it into every nook and cranny to dry brine. Reserve any leftover spice mix for the dredge.

    ~3 min

  3. Pour buttermilk over the chicken and stir to coat. Add a tablespoon of the dry spice mix to thicken the bind and stir again so every piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for as long as possible.

    ~5 min

  4. Blitz the instant ramen noodles (with their seasoning sachets) to a fine, textured crumb. Combine with plain flour, cornflour, rice flour and the rest of the reserved spice mix in a large bowl to make the dredge.

    ~3 min

  5. Whisk the eggs with a touch of water in a separate bowl, then pour into the buttermilk and chicken mixture and stir through.

    ~2 min

  6. Lift each piece of chicken out, letting excess marinade drip off, then press into the dredge to coat fully. Flick off any excess dredge and place on a tray. Keep one hand for wet and one for dry to limit mess.

    ~5 min

  7. Lay the drumsticks in the air fryer basket without overcrowding, then spray generously all over with avocado oil. Air fry at 180°C for 12 minutes.

    ~12 min

  8. Carefully turn the drumsticks, taking care not to knock off the crust. Spray again with avocado oil and cook for a further 8 minutes until deep golden and cooked through.

    ~8 min

  9. Repeat with the thighs at 180°C for around 15 minutes, turning and spraying so the crust browns evenly.

    ~15 min

  10. Season the chicken in layers as soon as it comes out of the air fryer, then serve with chilli sauce for dipping.

    ~1 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to preheat my air fryer?
The recipe does not call for it, but if your model has a preheat function, 2-3 minutes at 180°C helps the dredge start crisping straight away. If not, just allow an extra minute or two on the total cook time.
Why do I need to spray the chicken with oil?
An air fryer relies on hot circulating air, not hot oil. Without a generous coat of oil spray, the floury dredge stays pale and powdery. Avocado oil spray gives that golden fried-chicken colour while keeping it lighter than deep frying.
Can I leave out the instant ramen?
Yes, but it is the secret to the extra crunch. The blitzed noodles plus their MSG-rich seasoning sachet add texture and flavour. Without it, stick with plain flour, cornflour and rice flour for a still-crispy but less craggy crust.
How do I stop the coating falling off in the air fryer?
Let the dredged chicken sit for a minute before cooking so the crust sets, place it gently in the basket without overcrowding, and turn carefully with tongs rather than shaking. Spray with oil after turning rather than before to avoid washing the crumb off.
Can I make it spicier?
Yes. Add hot sauce or chilli sauce directly into the buttermilk marinade, or bump up the cayenne in the dry brine. The chef kept this batch mild for the kids and served chilli sauce on the side instead.
Extraction notes (transparency): Transcript names every ingredient but gives no quantities for the spice mix, flour dredge, buttermilk, eggs or chicken weight. Quantities have been left null where not stated. Only two ramen packets and 'a touch of water' are explicit. Cook times and temperature (180°C, 12 min then 8 min for drumsticks, ~15 min for thighs) are explicit. Preheat not mentioned in transcript. | Second-pass critique flagged 3 fabricated and 1 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.