This keto fried chicken is some of the best and the easiest you’ll ever make. You’ll have crispy and delicious low carb chicken on the table in no time!

keto fried chicken sitting on a white plate. one piece is sliced to show the juicy insides and the crispy outsides

Fried chicken is an ultimate comfort food. But of course its typical flour-based breading isn’t a great fit for a keto diet.

There are many acceptable low carb breading substitutes available to make keto fried chicken, like the pork rinds I used in my air fryer keto chicken tenders, but my favorite is definitely an easy combination of almond flour and grated Parmesan cheese.

How to make fried chicken in the air fryer

two pieces of low carb, crispy fried chicken sitting on a white plate

In my opinion, using your air fryer to make naked chicken is one of the best decisions you can make for your tastebuds. Just look at these air fryer Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. No breading necessary.

But the air fryer is also perfect for making a more traditional fried chicken. And you get to skip all that frying oil!

Side note: this chicken is the base of my AMAZING keto chicken sandwich. I’d highly recommend you build on this recipe and make that next.

The key is to build the chicken as you normally would…dredging it in the egg mixture and the batter…but just before you put it into your air fryer you spray it lightly with a cooking spray of your choice.

The cooking spray is a must in my experience. It helps keep the batter on the chicken when the air fryer fan starts blowing on it, AND it helps give you the golden, crispy texture you’re looking for.

Another secret I learned while preparing this recipe is allowing the batter to dry out in the refrigerator. If you want an even crispier skin, I would recommend setting your breaded chicken on a plate in your fridge for at least an hour before air frying.

When I did this, the crunch was audible. If you have the time, I’d say go for it!

Air Fryer Fried Chicken Nutrition

two air fryer fried chicken thighs sitting on a white plate

This recipe makes one pound of delicious chicken thighs. For one serving (1/4 pound) you’re looking at a rough estimate of:

Calories: 442 Calories
Total Carbs: 6.1 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Net Carbs: 3.1 grams
Protein: 36.1 grams
Fat: 31.6 grams

The Best Keto Fried Chicken - Air Fryer Recipe

Name: The Best Keto Fried Chicken - Air Fryer Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh; 1 tbsp of seasoning of choice; Cooking Spray; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream; 1 cup almond flour; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tbsp seasoning of choice

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This keto fried chicken is some of the best and the easiest you'll ever make. You'll have crispy and delicious low carb chicken on the table in no time!

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh
1 tbsp of seasoning of choice
Cooking Spray

Egg Mixture

2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Breading

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp seasoning of choice

Instructions

In a large bowl, place chicken thighs and rub generously with sesoning of choice.
In a separate bowl, mix together almond flour, parmesan cheese and seasoning of choice.
In a third bowl, mix together eggs and cream.
Dip chicken thighs, one at a time, in egg and cream mixture before immediately covering them with almond flour "breading" mixture.
For crispier chicken, place on a plate and return chicken to refrigerator for at least one hour. This step is optional.
Spray breaded chicken thighs with cooking spray of choice before placing in air fryer basket. Work in batches as necessary.
Set air fryer temperature to 350°F and set timer for 20 minutes.
Chicken will be done when the breading is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.
Carefully remove chicken from air fryer basket and allow to cool on a cooling rack before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 lb of Chicken
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 442Total Fat: 31.6gCarbohydrates: 6.1gNet Carbohydrates: 3.1gFiber: 3gProtein: 36.1g

Nutrition Information isn't always accurate. For this recipe, it was especially tricky because of the nutrition for the egg/cream mixture. Yes, you dip the chicken into this, but your entire mixture doesn't all end up on the chicken. You're left with quite a bit in the bowl. Take this into consideration when thinking about the nutrition of this recipe. And if nutrition is important to you, I encourage you to do your own calculations based on the amounts and brands you use.

Cynthia Laughlin

Tuesday 29th of December 2020

Try Mrs Dash in the seasoning blend. No sodium and lots of flavor

Friday 20th of November 2020

This is my second recipe attempt in an air fryer. My air fryer tends to run low from what I can tell, so I ran it at 370 for 20 mins and it was cooked well (juicy but done all the way) However, I'm thinking I need to flip the thighs at least once, the underside breading was mushy. Maybe I shouldn't batter the bottom? Taste was decent. For seasoning I used Tony Chacherre's No Salt Seasoning Blend. We are trying for low sodium in our diet also, but if anyone has any other seasoning to recommend please say so. Also wondering if this would taste good using chix breasts, my family seems to like white meat more. I'm not a very experienced cook, but determined to do better. 😁 Hence my questions! Thanks though, nice to have some form of "fried" chicken whilst on keto.