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This Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken tastes like your favorite chips, but it’s dinner! Just 10 minutes in the air fryer and you have perfectly tender, crispy, juicy chicken!
It’s The Crispity Crunchy Onions For Me.
If you’re the type of person that eats the crispy onions off the top of the green bean casserole when no one is looking, then this chicken recipe was made for you.
Tastes like a bag of chips, but it’s actually dinner. Which is exactly the way I like my dinners to work.
We start with a little sour cream bath for the chicken that makes things so tender and juicy. Next you’ll dredge the chicken in a mixture of those crispy, buttery fried onions (from a container – we’re not deep frying onions on a weeknight) and Panko.
10 minutes in the air fryer, a minute or two marveling at yourself for pulling together such a simple but impressive dish, and then bam. Dinner is served.
We love to experiment with different types of breading for chicken. This Heavenly Chicken is coated in crushed Ritz crackers! And our Pretzel Crusted Chicken is also big on crispy flavor.
♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
It’s comfort food that actually satisfies. Instead of mindlessly munching on chips, you get all those sour cream and onion flavors in a protein-packed dinner that fills you up.
Weeknight friendly timing. Marinate the chicken when you get home from work (or even the night before), then 10 minutes in the air fryer and dinner is done. No complicated steps, no weird ingredients, just crispy chicken that tastes way fancier than the effort you put in.
Uses stuff you probably have. Sour cream, panko, and those fried onions from the green bean casserole aisle. That’s it. No specialty store runs or ingredients that’ll sit in your pantry forever after using them once.
Ingredients & Swaps:
Chicken: We prefer chicken breasts, but thighs will work as well. I like to slice them in half and then pound them out to an even thickness for even cooking.
Fried Onions – You know the ones. When I first tested this recipe, I was really worried the end product would be too salty because of the fried onions. Not to worry though – the sour cream, panko, and chicken all need a good dose of salt! In fact, we ended up adding a pinch of kosher salt sprinkled over the cooked chicken just before serving.
Panko – Panko is a Japanese bread crumb that is light, airy, and very crispy. It’ll make for a more crispier coating compared to traditional bread crumbs.
Sour Cream – We use full fat sour cream here, but a lighter option is non-fat Greek yogurt. Very similar flavor and will work just the same while adding some extra protein.
Serving Ideas:
This chicken is destined to be the star of the show, but here are a few simple sides to make it a meal:
- Our favorite creamy mashed potatoes are always welcome on our table.
- A quick green salad with ranch dressing. You can toss on some more crispy onions or even slice up the chicken and serve it over the salad.
- Try our cheesy hashbrown casserole when you really want to knock dinner out of the park.
Tips from the Test Kitchen:
No air fryer? No problem. Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. You’ll still get that crispy coating, just give it an extra minute or two if needed.
Make it ahead. The chicken can marinate for up to 24 hours, which actually makes it even more tender. Bread the chicken just before cooking and you’re looking at just 20-30 minutes of prep + cook before dinner is on the table.
Crushing the fried onions. Toss them in a zip-top bag and go at them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. You want them finely crushed but not powdered. You can also pop these in a food processor or blender.
Thin chicken is key. If you can’t find thin-sliced breasts at the store, just slice regular ones in half horizontally and give them a quick pound to even out the thickness. This ensures they cook evenly and stay juicy.
Storage:
Refrigerator: Store leftover crispy sour cream and onion chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheating: Pop it back in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 350°F to crisp it up again. The microwave works too, but you’ll lose that crunch.
Freezing: Haven’t tried freezing this one and am honestly not sure how well that breading would hold up.
More Crispy Chicken REcipes!
Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced chicken breasts see notes
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 6 ounces fried onions finely crushed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- Kosher salt for sprinkling over the top
- Fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Add the sour cream and milk to a bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture and turn to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before breading and cooking.
- Add the panko and crushed fried onions to a shallow dish along with the garlic powder and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the panko mixture, pressing firmly to fully coat the chicken in the breading.
- Spritz your air fryer basket with oil spray and arrange the chicken in a single layer in the basket, leaving a bit of space between each piece for air to flow. You may need to work in batches.
- Spritz the chicken liberally with oil spray and air fry at 390 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and spray again with oil spray. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Repeat with remaining chicken, if needed. Rewarm chicken in air fryer for 1-2 minutes, if needed.
- Sprinkle with a bit of salt and chives before serving.
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