Chicken · Air fryer

Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken (Pastalover)

A Southern-style fried chicken built for the air fryer: self-rising flour for puff, an egg-and-hot-sauce wash, and a 15-minute roast at 193°C with an oil-brush halfway. Five legs out of 1 kg of chicken, full crisp without the deep fry.

R By Richard · Adapted from Pastalover · Published 10 June 2026
❤️ 13k source likes
⏱Prep 25 min
🌡Temp 193°C
⏲Air fry 15 min
🍽Serves 4
Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken

Source video by Pastalover on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

Bone-in chicken legs (about 1 kg / five legs) are dried, rubbed with a mix of 2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp each of garlic powder, smoked paprika and onion powder. The rest of the rub goes into self-rising flour. An egg wash is whisked from 2 eggs, 1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot, 2 tbsp milk and 60 ml water. Each leg is double-coated: flour, egg wash, flour again, then rested 15 minutes while the air fryer preheats. Three legs at a time go into a 5.8L Cosori at 193°C for 15 minutes total, with an EVOO brush before cooking and again at the flip mid-way.

Ingredients

Chicken
  • 1 kgchicken legs (bone-in), patted very dry
Rub
  • 2 tspsea salt
  • 1.5 tspblack pepper
  • 1 tspgarlic powder
  • 1 tspsmoked paprika
  • 1 tsponion powder
Coating
  • self-rising flour
Egg wash
  • 2large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbspFrank's Red Hot sauce
  • 2 tbspmilk (or buttermilk)
  • 60 mlwater
Cook
  • extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Pat the chicken legs very dry with kitchen paper. The drier the skin, the crunchier the crust.

    ~2 min

  2. Make the rub: 2 tsp salt, 1.5 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp each of garlic powder, smoked paprika and onion powder. Take 1 tbsp of this rub and massage it into the legs. Tip the rest into the self-rising flour.

    ~3 min

  3. Whisk the egg wash: 2 eggs, 1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot, 2 tbsp milk, 60 ml water.

    ~2 min

  4. Two-stage coat each leg: dredge in flour (uniform layer, shake off excess), dip in egg wash (shake off excess), then dredge in flour again.

    ~8 min

  5. Place the coated legs on a wire rack set over a tray (no contact with the surface). Rest 15 minutes while the air fryer preheats at 193°C.

    ~15 min

  6. Brush each leg with EVOO. Place 3 legs in the basket (don't overcrowd; 5.8L Cosori takes 3 comfortably).

    ~2 min

  7. Cook at 193°C for 15 minutes total. At 7-8 minutes, flip and brush the up-side with more EVOO.

    ~15 min

  8. Repeat with the remaining legs.

    ~17 min

Frequently asked

Why self-rising flour?
Self-rising flour has baking powder built in. In the air fryer's dry heat, the baking powder puffs up the coating and gives you the bubbly, KFC-style crust you can't get with plain flour. If you only have plain flour, add 0.5 tsp baking powder per 100 g.
Do I have to double-coat?
Yes if you want the texture in the video. The first flour coat gives the egg wash something to grip; the second coat gives you the layered crunch. Single-coat works but gives a thinner crust.
Why brush with oil before cooking?
The air fryer can't crisp dry flour on its own. The oil brush carries flavour and gives the surface flour something to fry in for the first minute, which is what makes the crust go golden rather than chalky.
Three legs at a time, really?
Yes. Overcrowding traps steam between the pieces and steams the coating soft instead of crisping it. Three in a 5.8L basket leaves enough airflow gap. If you have a smaller air fryer, do two at a time.
Extraction notes (transparency): Most quantities explicit. Self-rising flour amount not stated; about 200 g for five legs. EVOO amount for brushing not stated. 380°F = 193°C.