Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets
A tasty appetizer or main dish, these Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets are tender, spicy and absolutely delicious!
A SPICY AIR FRYER CHICKEN RECIPE
Are you ready for another air fryer recipe? I’m a huge fan Nashville Hot Chicken so I thought I’d create a recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets but instead make them in the air fryer! These are brined, dredged and air fried to perfection. They are crispy and tender all at the same time. Serve with some pickles and slices of white bread you have yourself a tasty appetizer or dinner time meal! If you are looking for another fun recipe to make in your air fryer, then you need to try this Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Nugget recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes. Those will work if you do not want to use chicken breasts. Just make sure that you are using the same total amount.
Olive oil spray is my go-to for spraying on the air fryer basket. Vegetable oil spray, when used over time, can cause your air fryer and basket to get sticky and gunky.
This should sit in the brine for at least 2 hours. It needs time to soak up the flavors and the milk also helps tenderize the meat.
This helps get a nice crust on your chicken so it is a little bit crunchy but also tender on the inside.
Buttermilk is one ingredient that I always use in any fried recipe so I would not substitute for another milk or you won’t get the same effect. You can make your own buttermilk at home. Mix together 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let this sit for about 5-10 minutes then stir again and use.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen. Place in an airtight freezer container or bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight to reheat. You can place in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes to crisp back up.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chicken breasts
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- paprika
- cumin
- pepper
- pickle juice
- buttermilk
- hot sauce
- cayenne pepper
- dark brown sugar
- olive oil
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN NUGGETS:
In a medium sized mixing bowl, prepare brine. Whisk buttermilk, pickle juice, and hot sauce together.
Dice the chicken. Add to the buttermilk mixture bowl. Let brine for 2 hours. (It is optional to marinate for that long, but so worth it! I recommend at least 30 minutes if in a pinch for time).
Prepare dredging station: Add ingredients for seasoned flour in a mixing bowl or large ziplock bag.
Whisk eggs and add to a second bowl. Dredge the chicken: First, remove chicken from the buttermilk brine and add to the ziploc bag and shake to coat evenly with flour). You’ll do this in batches.
Then dip the chicken into the eggs and allow the excess egg to drip off.
Add back to the flour in the ziplock bag and toss to coat.
Air Fry Chicken: Spray air fryer basket with an olive oil non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken to the basket in a single layer, depending on the size of the basket this may take 2 batches. Spray the chicken with olive oil spray.
Set air fryer to 400 degrees F and cook for 5 minutes. Flip, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Chicken should reach a temperature of 165F degrees when done.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare sauce: Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and olive oil to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
When the chicken has finished cooking, toss the chicken in the sauce.
Serve immediately with sliced dill pickles. Enjoy!
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Originally published: March 2022
Updated with new photos and republished: April 2023
Air Fryer Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
Brine:
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Seasoned Flour:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For coating:
- 2 large eggs
Nashville Hot Sauce:
- 1 ½ Tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
For serving:
- ½ cup sliced dill pickles
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, prepare brine. Whisk ½ cup buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon pickle juice, and 1 Tablespoon hot sauce together.
- Dice the 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Add to the buttermilk mixture bowl. Let brine for 2 hours. (This makes a big difference but if you are super short on time, try to brine for at least 30 minutes)
- Prepare dredging station: Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon black pepper in a large ziploc bag (or bowl.)
- In a second bowl whisk together 2 large eggs
- Dredge the chicken (you'll do this in batches): First, remove chicken from the buttermilk brine and add to the flour in the ziploc bag and shake to coat evenly with flour, then dip the chicken into the whisked eggs and allow the excess egg to drip off.
- Add back to the flour in the ziploc bag and toss to coat.
- Air Fry Chicken: Spray air fryer basket with olive oil non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken to the basket in a single layer, depending on the size of the basket this may take 2 batches.
- Spray the chicken with more olive oil spray. Set air fryer to 400F degrees and cook for 5 minutes. Flip, and cook for an additional 5 minutes (or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare sauce: In a bowl, whisk together 1 ½ Tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar and ½ cup olive oil.
- Toss the chicken in the sauce. Serve immediately with ½ cup sliced dill pickles.
Notes
- Chicken tenderloins can be used for this.
- These can be frozen, see tips above.
- Make sure you spray your air fryer with olive oil spray so these won’t stick.
- I prefer to use olive oil spray for air frying as it is less likely to gunk up your air fryer basket over time.
- You will need to cook these in batches, you do not want to overcrowd them.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
