Chicken in an air fryer
Description
I highly recommend all air fryer owners try cooking a whole chicken. The meat turns out incredibly tender and juicy, and the process is extremely simple. This dish is perfect for a festive table—minimal effort and time on your part, yet the result will make it seem as though you've been cooking in the kitchen all day. Chicken cooked in an air fryer is less fatty than oven-baked chicken, since its own fat simply drips off. At the same time, the top develops a delicious crispy golden crust—no one will be able to resist it! If you marinate the chicken ahead of time and let it sit for several hours, as suggested in this recipe, the meat will practically fall off the bone—unbelievably fragrant and delicious.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients from the list. I have an air fryer with a 6.5-liter bowl, which can fit a chicken up to 2 kilograms. I took a whole chicken weighing 1.5 kg. If your air fryer bowl is 3-4 liters, you should use a chicken weighing no more than 1.2 kg.
- 2
Step 2
In a deep plate, combine all the marinade ingredients: mustard, adjika, mayonnaise, soy sauce, vegetable oil, crushed garlic, salt, and spices to taste. Mix well. You can use more garlic than specified in the ingredients, or omit it altogether if you don't like it.
- 3
Step 3
Rinse the chicken under cold running water, removing any remaining feathers. Trim off any unwanted parts if necessary.
- 4
Step 4
Then place it on the cutting board, on its back.
- 5
Step 5
Cut the chicken breast lengthwise. Optionally, you can remove the bone in the middle—it can be frozen and later used to make chicken broth. You can roast the chicken whole without cutting it, but I prefer preparing it this way because the meat cooks more evenly and it's easier to eat.
- 6
Step 6
Cover the chicken with plastic wrap or a bag and lightly pound both sides with a kitchen mallet.
- 7
Step 7
Coat the chicken with marinade on the outside and inside. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a cool place for several hours. I marinated my chicken overnight. The longer the chicken marinates, the tastier it will be. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about an hour before cooking and let it sit at room temperature.
- 8
Step 8
Place the rack into the air fryer basket and spray it with oil. Put the chicken breast-side up. Set the cooking time to 30 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. Cook until the program ends.
- 9
Step 9
After 30 minutes, take out the chicken; it should already be slightly browned.
- 10
Step 10
Carefully flip it over to the other side.
- 11
Step 11
Brush the remaining marinade over the dish with a cooking brush. If you don't need a crispy crust, simply skip this step. Set the temperature to 180 degrees and the cooking time to 40 minutes.
- 12
Step 12
After the program ends, check the meat for doneness; if necessary, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and cook for another 20–30 minutes. Depending on the air fryer's power, the chicken's size, and marinating time, the specified duration may vary.
- 13
Step 13
The chicken is ready in the air fryer. The chicken is delicious both cold and hot. But fresh out of the fryer, it's simply superb. Serve it with whatever you like!