If you love crispy, spicy fried chicken but don’t want to deal with a deep fryer, this air fryer Nashville hot chicken is for you. It's served over homemade buttermilk waffles and drizzled with a quick maple butter sauce. I created this recipe back in 2019 for my husband, who’s obsessed with chicken and waffles and we’ve been making it ever since for brunch or “breakfast for dinner” nights.
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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Key Ingredients
- Chicken thighs. Bone-in, skin-on is best for juicy, crispy chicken. Boneless works too, just reduce the cook time.
- Buttermilk. Helps tenderize and flavor the chicken. Whole milk + vinegar works in a pinch.
- Spices. Adjust the amount of cayenne and chili powder to control the heat.
- Maple syrup. Use real maple syrup for the best flavor in the butter sauce.
Variations
- No waffle maker? Toast frozen waffles, make pancakes or use toasted brioche bread.
- Oven method: Bake chicken at 400°F on a sheet pan lined with a cooling rack for 25–30 minutes until crispy and 165°F inside.
- Make it milder by adjusting the amount of cayenne and chili powder, or skip the hot sauce in the butter.
Instructions
- Marinate or brine chicken in salt, pepper and buttermilk for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
- Dip the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure it is coated on all sides.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F, flipping halfway through.
- Add all waffle ingredients to a large bowl.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Preheat waffle maker and once ready, spray generously with cooking spray. Add batter to the waffle maker and cook until slightly browned on both sides. Continue until all of the mix has been used.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Spray chicken with oil before and during air frying for max crispiness.
- Don't overcrowd the chicken in the air fryer as it will hinder air flow and reduce the crisp on the skin.
- Use skin-on chicken. If you use skinless chicken thighs, the flour and spices will have difficulty sticking to the meat.
- Adjust the time for your air fryer. Every model’s a little different so go by internal temp (165°F), not the clock.
Storage & Reheating
- Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for 2–3 days.
- Reheat chicken at 375°F in the air fryer for 4–5 minutes.
- Reheat waffles at 350°F in the air fryer for 1–2 minutes or use the toaster.
Serving Suggestions
More Breakfast and Brunch Recipes to Try
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Recipe
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Air-Fried Hot Chicken and Waffles
See the full post for extra tips and photos
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!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
Waffles
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup milk
- cooking spray
Maple Butter Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
Chicken
- Marinate or brine chicken in salt, pepper and milk for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F.4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, salt and black pepper to taste, 1 cup buttermilk
- Mix flour and spices in a medium-sized bowl, then dip a piece of chicken in the flour mixture making sure it is coated on all sides.½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon cayenne
- Place chicken in the air fryer basket and cook for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through (time depends on your individual air fryer, check to ensure it isn't burnt and internal temperature is 165 degrees F).
Waffles
- Add all waffle ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until combined and batter is smooth.1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 cup milk
- Preheat waffle maker and once ready, spray with cooking spray. Add about ¼-1/3 cup of waffle mix to the waffle maker and cook until slightly browned on both sides. Continue until all of the mix has been used.cooking spray
Maple Butter Sauce
- Add butter, maple syrup and spices to a small saucepan and heat on medium-low until butter is melted, stirring to combine. Turn off heat.2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup maple syrup, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon chili powder
Assembly
- Serve 1-2 waffles with 1-2 pieces of chicken and pour maple butter sauce on top. Enjoy!
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Sarah's Tips
- Use boneless thighs or tenders to speed things up; just reduce the air fryer time.
- No waffle maker? Toast frozen waffles or use toasted brioche in a pinch.
- Spray the chicken with oil and don’t crowd the basket.
- Leftovers keep for 2–3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer to keep everything crispy.
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
Did you enjoy this?Jump to the comments to leave a review or click the stars above!
D Jenkins says
So my husband tells me the other day it's "waffle day". Of course I had not planned for waffles for dinner but found this recipe and had to make due with what I had on hand.
I made the waffles using Trader Joe's gluten free flour mix. I cut the recipe in half and left out the cinnamon due to food allergies, but these still turned out nice and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.
I had a rotisserie chicken that I sprinkled the spices on and just crisped it up in my air fryer, not exactly what was called for in the recipe but we still enjoyed it.
The spicy syrup was great. I would use a little more cayenne to make it a little hotter.
Sarah Holt says
Thanks for the kind words, really happy you enjoyed the waffles and the syrup! Always an option to add extra spice if you want 🙂
Patty says
It was probably my air fryer - which is a Ninja - but these chicken pieces were white and dry. They never browned and were definitely not juicy at all. I had to oil up a fry pan and grill them fast for color and some attempt at moistness because my party guests were arriving. This is not a recipe I will try again - many others turn out much better. Apologies, but thumbs down for me.
Sarah Holt says
Hi Patty, I tried reaching out to you via email. I would love to help you troubleshoot and find out what went wrong. Would you mind sharing the air fryer model you used, the temperature you cooked the chicken at and the cut of chicken you used?
Erika says
Two teaspoons of thyme? Are you crazy? This chicken recipe is one of the worst I have ever tried. It was inedible. Do yourself a favor and just go to another recipe. No flavor other than strong thyme!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Erika,
Thanks so much for your feedback—I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I’m so sorry the thyme flavor was overwhelming for you! I realize now that I didn’t clarify in the recipe card whether to use fresh or dried thyme, and that can definitely make a big difference.
Dried thyme is much more potent than fresh, so the recipe should call for 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or just ½ teaspoon if using dried. I’ll update the recipe to make that clearer—thank you again for pointing it out! And I apologize that the recipe didn't turn out as expected.
Erika says
Hot chicken sandwiches are one of my favorites. I can never get enough spicy food! This chicken has the perfect amount of spice and is so delicious.
Sarah Holt says
Thanks Erika! I love anything spicy
Beth says
I love my air fryer! Can't wait to try these chicken and waffles! The combination of flavors is so intriguing!
Sarah Holt says
I love my air fryer too!
Laura says
I can't believe how crispy the chicken comes out in the air fryer. It's so much easier to make and way less splatter!
Sarah Holt says
So much easier in the air fryer! So perfectly crispy
Erica Schwarz says
I was literally wondering yesterday if I could fry chicken in the air fryer. So excited to give your recipe a try - I LOVE chicken and waffles.
Sarah Holt says
you can fry almost anything in the air fryer!
Katherine says
This is such a flavor bomb, with crispy air fried chicken on cinnamon waffles. Cinnamon is a genius addition.
Sarah Holt says
I love cinnamon, always add it when I can!