These air fryer twice-baked potatoes are packed with tender chicken, smoky bacon, and fluffy, cheesy mashed potatoes, then baked to perfection in the air fryer. You can serve them as a hearty side dish or as a full meal. Make them in under an hour.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: My family has always loved twice-baked potatoes, and moving this recipe to the air fryer cut the hands-on time without giving up the crispy shell or fluffy filling. Leftover chicken and a handful of simple ingredients are all you need.
Whenever our family ate out, we always got excited about ordering cheesy twice-baked potatoes. We all ordered them with a lot of melty cheese and 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.
When I was creating this recipe, my kids really wanted me to include bacon. I think they would prefer I include bacon in every recipe, but in this recipe, I had to agree. The smoky flavor the bacon adds takes these potatoes to the next level.
The first time I tested this side dish recipe in the air fryer, I cooked the potatoes at one temperature the whole way through. The filling took much longer to heat, and by the time the cheese melted, the potato skin had softened instead of crisping. Splitting the cook into two stages fixed both problems. High heat first sets and crisps the skin. Lowering the heat for the filled potato protected the cheese and lets the filling warm through without it drying out.
If you love quick air fryer meals, kids also love these Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets or these crispy Air Fryer Green Beans. They are great busy nights! For more tips about air fryers, read The Best Air Fryers for Gluten-Free Cooking
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Potatoes – Use large russets because they will work best for this recipe. Russets are high-starch, which means the interior will mash up nice and fluffy rather than sticky. A waxy potato like a Yukon Gold would produce a gluey filling that won’t hold its shape in the shell.
- Grilled Chicken – Use leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken, or 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 a regular, low-fat, or dairy-free version of sour cream like Kite Hill.
- Cheddar Cheese – Regular or dairy-free varieties. I tested VioLife and it melts well in the air fryer. Daiya also works.
- Heavy Cream – Adds richness. So Delicious makes a dairy-free option.
How to Make Air Fryer Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes (Step-By-Step)
What size air fryer is best?
- My 3.4-qt air fryer barely fits 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!
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. Read my Guide to Air Fryer Oil if so you use the right oil that can handle air frying heat.
Step 2: Place the whole potatoes in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 15 minutes. Flip, then cook for another 15 minutes until fork-tender. Do not skip the temp drop written below at Step 7. It is what keeps the cheese from scorching.
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.
👀 Sandi Says: Go slowly here. If you scoop too aggressively or the potato is not fully tender, the shell will crack and will not hold the filling.
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 on their own or enjoy them as a side dish.
For more dinner inspiration, see all of my Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes.
Flavor Variations:
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 – Try using big sweet potatoes. They also tasted amazing when swapped for the Russets and would go perfectly with all the other ingredients.
- Ranch Dressing – Drizzle your favorite gluten-free ranch dressing over the loaded potato skins. So yummy! My kids loved this drizzled on top.
- Jalapeños – If you love a little spice, I like to add finely dice some jalapenos and toss them on top before putting them in the air fryer.
Make Ahead Tips:
As a time saver, you can meal prep these potatoes by storing the whole baked potatoes in the refrigerator until you are ready to mix the filling, or make the filling too, and assemble the potatoes with the mashed mixture and let them cool. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. Reheat in the air fryer at 350º F until hot, and the cheese is melted.
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Air Fryer Twice-Baked Potatoes with Chicken and Bacon
Ingredients
- 3 large potatoes * see note
- 2 grilled chicken breasts sliced
- 3-4 slices of cooked bacon
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chives
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
Private Notes
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This post was updated from an older July 2020 post with more recipe details and oven baking options.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
