Enjoy Nashville-Style Hot Chicken and Waffles from the comfort of your own home! The spicy chicken thighs are made hot and crispy in the air fryer, then served over homemade buttermilk waffles and drizzled with maple butter sauce. You'll be sorry you didn't try air fryer fried chicken sooner!

Syrup being poured onto chicken and waffles.

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In 2019, I developed this Nashville-style hot chicken recipe and it came out so good. The perfect mix of spicy, sweet and crispy. My fiance loves getting chicken and waffles at brunch, so I decided to recreate it at home.

If you love classic breakfast foods, be sure to try my Oat Flour Pancakes, Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes, Blueberry Waffle Recipe, and Brioche French Toast Casserole.

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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions
Variations
Instructions
Top Tips
Storage
Serving Suggestions
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes to Try
Air-Fried Hot Chicken and Waffles
Comments

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Ultimate soul food brunch. Bring restaurant-quality hot Nashville chicken home to you using your air fryer and waffle maker. It's so easy to make, you'll be craving these spicy air fryer chicken and waffles every weekend.
Only 11 ingredients. It may seem overwhelming and complicated to make homemade waffles, air fryer Nashville hot chicken and homemade maple butter sauce, but it's made with minimal ingredients - many of which you probably already have in the kitchen right now.
Amazing for hosting guests. Nothing impresses better than Southern fried chicken and waffles. Try this spicy air fryer recipe for holiday brunch, birthdays, celebrations, and breakfast for dinner.

A plate of chicken and waffles on a green linen.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken Ingredients

Ingredients for air fryer chicken thighs.

Flour - I typically use all-purpose flour when making air fryer Nashville Hot Chicken, but if needed, you can use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Chicken - You'll want to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for the best chicken and waffles.
Buttermilk - Buttermilk is a classic when brining fried chicken. If needed or preferred, you can use another milk of choice.
Spices - A simple blend of salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne and paprika makes this chicken perfectly spicy.

Waffle Ingredients

Flour - Just like with the chicken, you can use gluten-free all-purpose flour if needed or preferred.
Maple syrup - Naturally sweetens the homemade waffles. You can use another liquid sweetener like agave nectar or honey.
Eggs - Eggs are used as a binder in these buttermilk waffles and help keep the waffles soft and fluffy.
Spices - I like to use cinnamon, chili powder and cayenne to make a sweet and spicy homemade maple butter sauce. Adjust the amount of chili powder and cayenne to adjust the heat.

Variations

Use air fryer Eggo waffles! If you don't have a waffle maker or simply want a quick shortcut, serve your Nashville hot chicken over the classic freezer Eggo waffles. Follow this super easy recipe to learn how to make Eggo waffles in the air fryer.
Oven-baked fried chicken option. If you don't have an air fryer, you can also make the Nashville hot chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Substitute chicken tenders for a boneless chicken option! Try making my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with the spices and flour for easy chicken tenders and waffles.
Maple Butter Sauce substitutions. I highly recommend using my maple butter sauce, but you can substitute regular maple syrup or a simple homemade hot honey. You can also buy pre-made hot honey.
Make gluten-free chicken and waffles. This spicy Nashville hot chicken and waffles recipe can be made completely gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flour such as almond flour, cassava flour, or oat flour, and cannot recommend.

Instructions

How to Make the Nashville Hot Chicken

Marinate the chicken. Marinate or brine chicken in salt, pepper and milk for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Chicken thighs coated with flour mix before cooking.

Dip the chicken in flour and spices. After the chicken has marinated sufficiently, dip the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure it is coated on all sides.
Air fry the Nashville hot chicken. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and air fry for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F, flipping halfway through.

How to Make Homemade Buttermilk Waffles

Waffle ingredients in a bowl before mixing.

Add all waffle ingredients to a large bowl. This includes all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, eggs, maple syrup, buttermilk (or milk of choice), and cooking spray.

Whisk until smooth.
Add ¼-1/3 cup batter to waffle maker. Preheat waffle maker and once ready, spray generously with cooking spray. Add buttermilk waffle batter to the waffle maker and cook until slightly browned on both sides. Continue until all of the mix has been used.

Top Tips

Spray the chicken with oil to make it extra crispy! Some air fryers will have difficulty getting the chicken that beautiful color and crispiness fried chicken is famous for. If when you flip the chicken it does not appear to be brown at all, generously spray both sides of the chicken with cooking spray. This will help it brown easily!
Space the chicken thighs so they aren't touching. If the chicken is touching or overlapping in any way, it will not get completely crispy.
Use skin-on chicken. If you use skinless chicken thighs, the flour and spices will have difficulty sticking to the meat and therefore will not be as breaded or crispy.
Timing is going to need to be adjusted according to your air fryer model. I use the 14qt. air fryer from Nuwave and love it, it works really well. I use it to make tons of air fryer recipes. The timing for this air fryer fried chicken is what works for my air fryer. Use it as a guide for your own, but don't be afraid to cook longer as needed.

Storage

How to store leftovers: All components of this chicken and waffle recipe can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
How to reheat Nashville hot chicken: Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F, then place the chicken in the air fryer basket and air fry for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until hot and crispy again.
How to reheat buttermilk waffles: Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F, then place the waffles in the air fryer basket and air fry for 1-2 minutes.
How to freeze waffles: Place the waffles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and stick them in the freezer to flash freeze. Once frozen solid, about 2 hours, transfer the frozen waffles to a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the toaster, similar to store-bought waffles.