Nashville Fried Chicken

This sandwich is so good you won’t believe it was air fried! We recommend marinating the chicken for an hour, but you can get away with a similar result after 30 minutes. Want to prep ahead? The chicken can marinade for up to 12 hours, creating a super tender juicy result!

Cuisine

American

Difficulty

Medium

Diet

Dairy Free

Cooking Technique

Air Fry

Keywords

6 servings, air fry, all-purpose flour, american, barbecue, black pepper, boneless skinless chicken thighs, brioche hamburger buns, buttermilk, cayenne, chili powder, cook 1 hour, dairy free, eggs, game day, garlic powder, hot sauce, Instant Pot Culinary Team, ketchup, louisiana hot sauce, louisina hot sauce, mayo, medium, onion powder, panko breadcrumbs, paprika, pickle slices, picnic, prep 15 min, salt, snack, southern, unsalted butter, vegetable oil spray, worcestershire sauce

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

1 hour

Servings

6 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. salt
½ c unsalted butter
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup mayo
3 tbsp ketchup
1-2 tbsp. Louisiana hot sauce
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
Organic vegetable oil spray
6 brioche hamburger buns
Dill pickle slices

Instructions

Mix the marinade ingredients and submerge the chicken. Refrigerate for as little as 30 Minutes, and up to 12 Hours. We recommend an hour at minimum for juicy results.
Prepare a breading station. Pour flour in one bowl, whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, and mix the salt and panko breadcrumbs together in a third bowl. Get a clean plate for the finished breaded chickens.
Shake off the marinade on a chicken thigh and coat in the flour. Drench the coated chicken in the egg wash, and then cover in the panko breading. Set aside on the clean plate. Continue dredging until all the chicken has been coated.
Spray the air fryer grates with organic vegetable oil spray. Place the chicken in the basket, careful to not overlap, and spray the tops with additional oil. Air Fry at 385°F / 195°C for 12 – 14 minutes. Turn the chicken halfway and spray with additional oil.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Nashville sauce. Whisk together all ingredients and keep in a warm place until ready to use so the butter doesn’t solidify. After the initial cooking period has completed, baste the tops of the chicken with the Nashville sauce. Return to the air fryer and Air Fry for an additional 2-4 minutes at 385°F / 195°C. Continue until all chicken has been air fried.
Make the comeback sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Assemble each sandwich by spreading the comeback sauce on a bottom burger bun, topping with a few slices of pickles, then the air fried chicken, then more comeback sauce, and finally the burger bun. Serve warm.