Air Fryer Potato Skins With Buffalo Chicken

The ultimate crowd-pleaser is here:  Air Fryer Potato Skins with Buffalo Chicken!  Made in your Air Fryer, these are quick, easy and come come out nice and crispy. I have a new recipe for Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken that gives them an extra kick in the pants!

LOOKING FOR MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES? CHECK OUT MY:

•  Air Fryer Onion Rings
• Sweet and Spicy Air Fryer Chicken Wings  
• Air Fryer Kale Chips
• Mozzarella Sticks

It seems like Potato Skins are on just about every restaurant menu you look at.  Right there with the nachos and the mozzarella sticks, you’ll always find them in the appetizer section.  I’m a pretty big fan of potato skins as long as they are done the right way.  I like mine heavy with toppings and light on the potato.  I love to slather them with cream cheese and maybe even some green onions on top as well.

But it seems like just about every version of Potato Skin that I see is the same: cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives.  While there is nothing wrong with this combination, it occurs to me that there are so many other things that you could do with a potato skin.  You can make BBQ Chicken Potato Skins, Sweet and Sour Chicken Potato Skins, Pulled Pork Potato Skins or Veggie Potato Skins.  The list is almost endless!  Why are we limiting ourselves to just a few common ingredients?

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Skins?  Yes Please.

I’ve always loved anything with buffalo chicken in it.  I recently came up with a great Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Recipe that turned out fantastic.  That is when it occurred to me that I should try out a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins. This could be the perfect appetizer, side dish or game day snack for my next party.  One of the great things about Potato Skins is that they are easy to share and easy to eat.  This is whey they are so popular as an appetizer. You don’t even really need a plate for them.  Just grab one and go.

Another thing that got me excited about this was my Air Fryer.  I’ve had an Air Fryer for about one year now, and I’ve made a ton of fantastic things in.  But I haven’t tried out Air Fryer Potato Skins yet.

What Is An Air Fryer?

I have completely jumped on the Air Fryer Bus, it has changed the way that I cook so many of my favorite dishes.  What is an Air Fryer?  It is a small electrical kitchen appliance.  They come in various sizes and can fit easily on your kitchen counter.  How does an air fryer work?  It uses “rapid air technology” to cook your food.  This is quickly moving hot air that, paired with the metal basket that most of them use, gives your food a crispy outside and an evenly cooked inside.  So, you can get that “fried food” result using very little (or no) oil at all!  The bottom line is your dish with be healthier, with less saturated fat, than traditional deep frying.

Air Fryer Potato Skins With Buffalo Chicken

Learning how to make potato skins in an Air Fryer is pretty darned easy.  The ingredients that you will  need are:

AIR FRYER POTATO SKINS INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 medium baking potatoes
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cooked bacon
• Green onions
• Foil

AIR FRYER POTATO SKINS INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Preheat Air Fryer to 400.

Steps 2-4:  Pierce each potato 5-6 times with a fork or sharp knife. Rub or spray with oil and sprinkle with the salt.

Step 5: Place potatoes in the Air Fryer basket, making sure they are not crowding each other. We had large potatoes, so we could only fit two potatoes at a time.

Step 6: Cook potatoes for 20 minutes, turn and cook 20 minutes. Using tongs, lift out your potato.

Steps 7-8: Slice potato in half and scoop out potato.

Steps 9-10: Add chicken, cheese and bacon.

Steps 11-12: Air Fry for 2 minutes, or until skins are crispy and the cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions or additional toppings if desired. Drizzle hot sauce or ranch dressing.

One question that I had was how long to cook potato skins in an Air Fryer.  It turned out to be about 40 minutes total (20 minutes, turn then 20 more minutes).  This isn’t necessarily faster than cooking them in a traditional oven, but it the oil on the outside and the frying method gave the potato skins a nice crispy feel.

These turned out nice and crispy on the top and had that perfect crunch when I bit into them.  The buffalo chicken gave them an extra zing that I’ve never tasted in a potato skin before.  They are a great alternative to buffalo chicken wings!  Try these out for your next party or when you are hosting friends for the next big game!  Enjoy!