If you’re craving comfort food with crispy edges, creamy centers, and melty cheese, these air fryer twice-baked potatoes will hit the spot. Each potato skin is packed with tender chicken, smoky bacon, and fluffy, cheesy mashed potatoes—then crisped to perfection in the air fryer. You can serve them as a hearty side or enjoy them as a full meal.
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❤️ Sandi’s Summary
1. These easy air fryer twice baked potatoes are stuffed with chicken, bacon, and cheesy mashed potatoes.
2. They make a hearty side dish or a full meal, served with a salad.
3. The air fryer crisps the potato skins beautifully and cuts down on cook time.
4. This easy air fryer meal with leftover chicken is the best for using leftover chicken, or you can quickly cook chicken for the recipe.
5. [👉 Jump to Recipe]
Whenever our family used to eat out, we always got excited about ordering cheesy twice-baked potatoes—melty cheese potatoes loaded with the works. They are family-friendly and kid-approved! We love them because they are so full of flavor, and with the diced chicken, they can also make a satisfying meal or side dish.
If you love quick air fryer meals, don’t miss my popular Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets or these crispy Air Fryer Green Beans. They’re all kid-friendly and easy to make on busy nights! Don’t forget to check out all of my easy Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes for more recipe ideas!
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Potatoes – Large russets work best for this recipe. They hold their shape and get beautifully crispy in the air fryer.
- Grilled Chicken – Use leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken, you can also use store-bought grilled chicken strips. Trader Joe’s Just Chicken is very good for quick meals.
- Bacon – Cook it fresh, use pre-cooked strips, or crumble gluten-free bacon bits (always check the label).
- Sour Cream – Use regular, low-fat, or a dairy-free version of sour cream like Kite Hill.
- Cheddar Cheese – Regular or dairy-free cheddar cheese (like VioLife or Daiya) melts well.
- Heavy Cream – Adds richness. So Delicious makes a dairy-free option.
- Chives, Scallions, Salt, and/or Ground Pepper all add great flavor
Which air fryer and what size is best?
If you’re shopping for an air fryer, here’s what I’ve learned:
- My 3.4-qt air fryer barely fit large potatoes—fine for 2–3 people.
- For families, I highly recommend a 5.8-qt air fryer. I regret not getting the larger size!
- For more tips about air fryers, read The Best Air Fryers for Gluten-Free Cooking.
- Use a high smoke point oil like avocado oil (not spray cans with propellants). Read my guide to air fryer oil if you need more ideas to see which oils have a high smoke point.
Note From The Kitchen: I love making these after a rotisserie chicken night. Just chop some leftover rotisserie chicken and toss it in with the potato and cheese. This dinner practically makes itself.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
These gluten-free stuffed baked potatoes are so easy to make in air fryer. I will walk you through every step!
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Step 1: Wash and dry the potatoes. Poke holes all over with a fork to let steam escape. Spray your air fryer basket or rack with avocado oil.
Step 2: Place whole potatoes in the air fryer and cook at 400º F for 15 minutes. Flip, then cook for another 15 minutes until fork-tender.
Step 3: Carefully cut each potato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the centers into a large bowl, leaving a thin shell.
Step 4: Add cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, sour cream, and heavy cream. Mash until smooth and fluffy.
Step 5: Mix the grilled chicken chunks and chopped crispy bacon into the mashed potato mixture.
Step 6: Spoon the filling back into each potato shell, mounding it slightly.!
Step 7: Top with lots of Mexican blend or cheddar cheese. Bake in your air fryer at 350º F for 4-5 minutes to heat and melt the cheese. Eat them hot by themselves or enjoy them as a side dish.
Have fun with the flavor! Try these:
I wanted to share a few more flavor options for these air fryer twice baked potatoes with chicken. You can vary the flavors as much as you like!
- Sweet Potatoes – They taste amazing and would go perfectly with all the other ingredients.
- Ranch Dressing – Drizzle your favorite gluten free ranch dressing on the loaded potato skins. So yummy!
- Jalapenos – If you love a little spice, finely dice some jalapenos and toss on top before putting them in the air fryer.
- Pepper Jack Cheese – Pair the pepper jack with the cheddar or replace it completely. It adds a fantastic element of spice!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Russet potatoes are ideal because of their size and fluffy interior. Red and white potatoes also work, but hold less filling.
Yes! Assemble the potatoes and let them cool. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. Reheat in the air fryer at 350º F until hot and the cheese is melted.
Absolutely. Use vegan bacon, dairy-free cheese, and sour cream, and a plant-based protein like jackfruit or tempeh.
Yes! Bake the whole potatoes at 400º F for 1 hour. After stuffing, broil for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Storage & Reheating Tips
- Reheat: Air fry at 350º F for 5–7 minutes until hot throughout and crispy on the edges.
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month. I have recently become a fan of FoodSaver, a vacuum sealer for my frozen leftovers.
More Potato Recipes To Try:
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Loaded Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your air fryer to 400º F.
- Wash 3 large potatoes and pierce each several times with a fork. This will allow hot steam to vent out of the potatoes.
- Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes each side in the air fryer.
- When the potatoes are done, stab a fork inside. If the potato is soft in the middle, it is finished cooking.
- Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop the potato middles out of each one into a large bowl.
- Add 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 grilled chicken breasts (chopped), and 3-4 slices of cooked bacon (chopped) to the potato middles and mix well.
- Scoop the potato mixture back into each potato skin and top with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and sour cream.
- Bake at 350º F for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot as a meal or side dish.
Nutrition
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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This post was updated from an older July 2020 post with more recipe details and oven baking options.
