Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Sandwich delivers juicy, crunchy chicken without the deep frying. This simple air fryer method and a few pantry-style ingredients will give you a restaurant-worthy sandwich in less than 20 minutes! Even better, it can be made gluten-free too.
If you are craving a spicy lunch, dinner, or game day sandwich, this recipe will deliver all the crispy, tender, and spicy chicken that you are craving. Add a pickle and your favorite sauce.
Why you’ll love these Spicy Chicken Sandwiches:
- Crispy without ever deep-frying!
- Customize the heat, toppings, and more.
- Gluten-Free Swaps!
- Ready in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Sandwich:
- Chicken Breasts
- Regular or Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- Regular or Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs
- Grated Parmigiano
- Salt
- Ground Pepper
- Ground Chili Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Eggs
- Hot Sauce
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Unpack the chicken breast and cut each in half lengthwise so that they are not as thick, and this should then give you 4 to work with.
- In a shallow bowl or plate, large enough to fit the chicken, mix the flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. Mix this well and set aside.
- In another bowl or plate, mix the flour, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and ground pepper.
- Take one piece of chicken breast and coat it with the first dry mixture.
- Transfer to the egg mixture and coat both sides.
- Finally, coat the chicken with the second dry mixture.
- Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken.
- Place the coated chicken in the air fryer in one layer, leaving enough room for the air to circulate all around.
- Spray some oil on top of the chicken.
- Air Fry at 360 degrees F for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Place on a cooling rack and cook the remaining chicken. If you want to keep it warm while the rest cooks, place it on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees F in the oven.
- While the chicken is resting, butter your hamburger buns and air fry at 350 degrees F for 2 minutes.
- Add condiments along with the chicken and build your sandwich, then serve.
Gluten-Free Spicy Chicken Sandwich Options:
Spicy Chicken Sandwiches can be made with gluten-free all-purpose flour, a 1:1 ratio. I use King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour; however, Cup 4 Cup, Bob’s Red Mill, and Better Batter work as well.
Along with the flour, serve the sandwich on a gluten-free bun.
Tips for Making Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Sandwich:
- Read the instructions carefully.
- Be sure to cut the chicken breasts lengthwise in the middle to create two thinner slices of chicken; this will give you 4 total if you are using 2 chicken breasts. It will make the sandwich easier to handle.
- It’s best to give the chicken a spritz of oil, too, when cooking it in the air fryer. This works best with Grapeseed Oil Spray since it has a higher smoke point.
- Two types of coatings will be used.
- If the chicken looks floury at all, spray it with oil spray.
- Do not overcrowd the basket.
- Use a gluten-free bun if you are making this gluten-free.
- Serve with your favorite toppings like pickles, lettuce, tomato, or even homemade slaw.
- Serve sandwiches with Air Fryer Onion Rings or Air Fryer French Fries.
How to store leftover Spicy Chicken:
Store the leftover spicy chicken in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. When ready to serve, warm in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes. If needed, spritz with oil spray to restore the crispiness.
Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Sandwiches give you that restaurant-quality chicken sandwich that you know and love without ever deep-frying. That makes it a better option for you, plus easy to make right at home!
Air Fryer Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
First Coating
- 2/3 Cup Regular or Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Chili Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
Wet Coating Mixture
- 2 Whole Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Hot Sauce
Second Coating
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free or Regular All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free or Regular Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano Cheese
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Ground Pepper
Instructions
- Unpack the chicken breast and cut each in half lengthwise so that they are not as thick and this should then give you 4 to work with.
- In a shallow bowl or plate, large enough to fit the chicken, mix the flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. Mix this well and set aside.
- In another bowl or plate, mix the flour, breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and ground pepper.
- Take one piece of chicken breast and coat it with the first dry mixture.
- Transfer to the egg mixture and coat both sides.
- Finally, coat the chicken with the second dry mixture.
- Repeat the steps for the remaining chicken.
- Place the coated chicken in the air fryer in one layer, leaving enough room for the air to circulate all around.
- Spray some oil spray on top of the chicken.
- Air Fry at 360°F for 14 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Place on a cooling rack and cook the remaining chicken. If you want to keep the chicken warm while the remaining chicken cooks, place it on a cookie sheet at 200°F in the oven.
- While the chicken is resting, butter the hamburger buns and air fry at 350°F for 2 minutes.
- Add condiments along with chicken and build your sandwich, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Esmé Slabbert says
Thank you from your SSPS Team for sharing your various links with us at #265 SSPS Linky. Please check back weekly to see if featured on the blog post or by any co-hosts.
Pinned it.
Estelle Forrest says
This sounds so very delicious – and out of an air fryer?!? Nice! Thanks for sharing at SSPS, hope to see you again next week.
Melynda says
Thank you for sharing with SSPS #266, this post is one of my features for SSPS #267! Pinned.