You do not have to marinate the chicken first, but you certainly can.u003cbr/u003eFor my basic recipe, I just season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper before dredging them. Then you can add whatever sauce you like after it’s cooked.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you want to make u003ca href=u0022https://allwaysdelicious.com/air-fryer-korean-fried-chicken/u0022u003eAir Fryer Korean Fried Chickenu003c/au003e, u003ca href=u0022https://allwaysdelicious.com/sesame-chicken/u0022u003eAir Fryer Sesame Chickenu003c/au003e, Air Fryer Orange Chicken, Air Fryer Buttermilk Fried Chicken, or other delicious variations, you can and should marinate the chicken first.