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Soul Food Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

Soul Food Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

For a delightful combination of flavors, try air fryer BBQ chicken. The air fryer will allow the BBQ sauce to caramelize beautifully, resulting in a culinary masterpiece with a deliciously sticky Southern BBQ sheen!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Soul Food, Southern Food
Servings: 6
Calories: 396kcal
Author: Shaunda Necole • The Soul Food Pot®

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Basting brush

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken or 6 chicken pieces
  • 2 tablespoons seasoning salt Famous Dave’s Country Roast Chicken Seasoning or similar (it contains soulful flavors such as paprika, mustard seed, garlic powder, onion powder, bell pepper, and lemon zest all in one!). You can also check out my seasoning guide for chicken HERE. 
  • 2 tablespoons garlic & herb seasoning Weber Seasoning Roasted Garlic & Herb, or similar
  • 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce My homemade BBQ sauce recipe HERE.
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce To baste the chicken after cooking
  • cooking oil spray

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix the chicken seasoning and garlic & herb seasoning.
  • Rub the seasoning mixture on the chicken pieces to coat them.
    Rub the seasoning mixture on the chicken pieces to coat them.
  • Then, coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce using a basting brush.
    Use a basting brush to coat the chicken with the BBQ sauce.
  • Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil, or if you have an air fryer tray or baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and then spray the paper.
  • Place the chicken in or on the air fryer basket or tray.
  • Air fry at 360 degrees F for a total of 25 minutes.
  • Halfway through, after about 13 minutes, flip the chicken over in the air fryer and return to cooking.
  • Air fry at 360 degrees for the remaining 12 minutes.
  • Remove the cooked BBQ chicken from the air fryer and use the ½ cup of BBQ sauce to coat the chicken with a second brushing of BBQ sauce.
    Remove the cooked BBQ chicken from the air fryer and use the ½ cup of BBQ sauce to coat the chicken with a second brushing of BBQ sauce.
  • Serve this Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe right away, and enjoy!
    Serve this Southern soul food BBQ chicken recipe right away, and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 5476mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

❤️ Why trust this recipe?

Created + tested by Shaunda Necole, creator of The Soul Food Pot® (real cook, real kitchen). Rooted in African American culinary traditions, with modern shortcuts that don’t sacrifice flavor or legacy. No AI-generated instructions — measurements, timing, and techniques are written, cooked, and verified by Shaunda. Make-it-your-way guidance included, so you can cook confidently with the tools you have.

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