Name: Potato Chip Chicken (Air Fryer or Oven)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1¾ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (, trimmed of excess fat (5 to 6 thighs)); ¼ cup all purpose flour; 2 large eggs; 8 ounce bag potato chips ((see Notes 1 and 2)); 1 teaspoon Lawry's original seasoned salt (, divided); 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder (, divided); ¾ teaspoon onion powder (, divided); ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika (, divided); ¾ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper (, divided (plus additional for seasoning the thighs)); Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Golden and crunchy with a touch of nostalgia, Potato Chip Chicken turns a simple pantry staple into a fun, satisfying dinner. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are coated with crushed potato chips and air-fried or baked until crisp outside and juicy inside. Ready from prep to table in under an hour.

Crispy potato chip–crusted chicken thighs on a tray lined with faux newsprint, served with a small bowl of honey mustard dipping sauce and a side of kettle-style potato chips in the background.

Before You Start Cooking

Chicken: This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They’re more flavorful than breasts and stay juicier while the coating browns and crisps. If you prefer, chicken tenders also work well—just shorten the cook time slightly.
Internal Cooking Temperature: While chicken is safe at 165°F, I like to cook thighs to 175–185°F for the most tender texture. If you’re using chicken breast tenderloins, aim for 165°F so they don’t dry out.
Cooking Method: You can make this recipe in either the air fryer or the oven. The air fryer is my go-to—it produces the crispiest coating and juiciest chicken. Oven-baking works well if you’re cooking for a crowd, though the coating will be a little less crisp and golden. The chicken shown in this post was air-fried.

What Potato Chips to Use for Breading Chicken

You can use almost any potato chips to coat the chicken, but the texture will vary depending on the type you choose. For the crunchiest coating, kettle-cooked chips or “wavy” chips (like Lay’s Wavy) work best.

Flavored chips—BBQ, sour cream and onion, or jalapeño—are a fun way to switch things up. Depending on the flavor, you’ll want to skip or adjust the coating’s seasonings.

I tested this recipe with Herr’s Kettle Chips (170 mg sodium per serving). If your chips are noticeably saltier or lower in sodium, adjust the added salt in the coating so the chicken doesn’t end up too salty—or bland.

For a lighter version, reduced-fat kettle chips (such as Cape Cod 40% Reduced Fat) work well. The coating will be slightly drier since those chips contain less oil.

How to Make Potato Chip Chicken

Ingredients for Air Fryer Potato Chip Chicken arranged on a white marble surface, each labeled with beige text bubbles. Shown are raw boneless chicken thighs on a plate, a bowl of crushed potato chips, a bowl of flour, two eggs in a glass dish, and small bowls of spices including seasoned salt, garlic & onion powders, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

Step 1: Set Up Your Breading Stations

Start by crushing the potato chips. I like to use a gallon-sized zip-top food storage bag and a rolling pin. Leave one corner slightly unsealed so air can escape, then roll over the chips to crush, leaving some pieces a little coarser for texture.

You can also crush the chips right in the bag they came in, or pulse them briefly in a food processor. If you use the processor, stop short of turning them into powder; a little texture is what gives the coating its crunch.

A top-down view of a marble countertop setup for breading chicken thighs. A plate of raw, seasoned chicken thighs sits at the lower left. Around it are three bowls containing flour, beaten eggs, and crushed potato chips, plus an empty plate at the top right for the breaded chicken.

To prep the breading, you’ll need three shallow bowls or trays.

In the first bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour with a blend of Lawry’s seasoned salt, garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, and black pepper.
In the second, beat a couple of eggs until smooth to make an egg wash.
In the third, stir the crushed chips with the same seasonings you used in the flour. The natural oil on the chips helps the spices cling—give them a good toss so everything’s evenly coated.

Step 2: Bread the Chicken

Lightly season the chicken thighs on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper before breading. You don’t need to be heavy-handed here–most of the flavor in this dish comes from the coating.

Working one piece at a time, dredge a chicken thigh in the seasoned flour, shaking off any extra. Dip it into the egg wash, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then press it firmly into the crushed chips.

Close-up of flour-dredged chicken pieces being dipped into a bowl of beaten eggs, part of the breading process. Bowls of flour and crushed potato chips are partially visible, along with a plate of raw chicken thighs in the corner.

Use the palm of your hand to help the coating stick, flipping once or twice so there aren’t any bare spots. The fine crumbs create full coverage; the larger bits give that great crispy texture.

As you finish each piece, set it on a plate or parchment-lined tray so they’re ready to cook.

Chicken thighs coated in egg and being pressed into a bowl of crushed potato chips. The chip coating clings to the chicken with visible seasoning. Part of the raw chicken plate and egg wash bowl are visible nearby.

Step 3: Air Fry or Bake

To Air Fry

Preheat your air fryer to 390°F, following the recommended preheating times for your specific model. Arrange the breaded thighs in a single layer, leaving a little breathing room between them. If they’re packed too tightly, the coating won’t crisp well.

You’ll likely need to cook the chicken in batches. My XL basket comfortably fits 2 to 3 thighs at a time, depending on their size.

Two pieces of potato chip-coated chicken arranged in a black air fryer basket, ready to cook. More breaded pieces are visible on a white plate just outside the basket.

Air fry for 13 to 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is golden and the chicken registers 175–185°F inside. If your air fryer runs hot and the chips seem to brown too quickly, lower the temperature to around 375°F for the next batch.

When cooking in batches, I like to keep the finished chicken warm on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. It keeps the coating crisp without overcooking while the rest of the chicken is in the air fryer.

Golden brown potato chip–crusted chicken thighs cooling on a wire rack after air frying. The crust is visibly crisp with uneven, craggy texture from crushed chips.

To Bake in the Oven

If you’re cooking for a crowd, the oven’s your friend because you won’t have to bake the chicken in batches.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a wire rack over a parchment- or foil-lined half-sheet pan. The wire rack is an extra piece to clean later, but it helps hot air circulate around the chicken so the coating crisps evenly.

Arrange the breaded thighs in a single layer and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through. Like the air fryer-cooked chicken, the potato chip coating should be golden, and the meat cooked through and juicy.

Crispy potato chip–crusted chicken thighs served on a gray plate with a small bowl of creamy dipping sauce. More pieces of chicken are visible on parchment paper in the background.

Serving Potato Chip Chicken

Let the chicken rest on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before serving. Using a rack rather than a plate helps keep the crust from steaming and softening.

Depending on the saltiness of your chips, a light pinch of flaky sea salt over the top can be a nice finishing touch. Taste a piece first—you may not need it.

Potato Chip Chicken is well-flavored on its own, but even more delicious served with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, Comeback Sauce, BBQ Sauce, or ranch dressing on the side.

Since the coating is made from potatoes, I usually skip another potato side and serve a vegetable instead. Steamed or roasted broccoli, buttery corn, or homemade coleslaw are favorites in my house.

If you’re craving comfort food, creamy mashed potatoes, potato wedges, or mac and cheese never disappoint.

A bite of potato chip-crusted chicken held up by a gold fork, showing the tender, cooked center and craggy, golden-brown coating, with the remaining cutlet resting behind on the plate.

Storage and Reheating

Leftover Potato Chip Chicken keeps well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To bring back the crunch to the coating, reheat the chicken in the air fryer at 360 °F for about 8 to 10 minutes, or in a 375 °F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

You can also freeze the cooked chicken in a single layer, then transfer to freezer bags; reheat straight from frozen in the air fryer until hot and crisp again.

One of my favorite ways to use the leftovers is in this Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich with Hot Honey and Boursin. Simply skip the chicken prep in that recipe, reheat your Potato Chip Chicken, and build the sandwich as written. So good!