Enjoying a comforting meal of roasted chicken on a Sunday afternoon is a familiar and satisfying experience. For someone well-versed in air fryer cooking, the idea of making a whole chicken in an air fryer oven presented a new challenge. The author experimented with cooking a whole chicken in an air fryer and was impressed by the results. The chicken cooked quickly, with crispy skin and tender meat, making it a delightful dish that will likely be repeated.
The key to achieving great roasted chicken is high heat without overcooking the bird, resulting in a crispy skin and moist, tender meat. An air fryer is ideal for this method as it uses rapidly moving hot air to cook the food evenly and crisp the outer layers. Despite being smaller than a traditional oven, many air fryer models can accommodate a 3-4 pound chicken comfortably. The author used a 4-pound roaster in a 6-quart ChefMaker smart air fryer oven with impressive results.
Minimal preparation is required for this air fryer chicken recipe, which includes a quick marinade of olive oil, grain mustard, salt, pepper, and seasoning blend. The chicken is stuffed with orange, green onion, and parsley before being placed in the air fryer. The author recommends keeping a close eye on the chicken while it cooks to prevent burning, as the intense heat of the air fryer can quickly char the skin. The chicken is ready when a meat probe reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the breast.
To make air fryer roast chicken, preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit and whisk together the olive oil, mustard, seasoning blend, salt, and pepper. Rub the mustard marinade over the entire chicken and place it in the air fryer basket breast down. After 25 minutes, flip the bird breast up and continue cooking for another 25 minutes or until the juices run clear or an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
In conclusion, making air fryer roast chicken is a simple and satisfying process that yields delicious results. By utilizing the quick cooking time and even heat distribution of an air fryer, you can achieve a crispy, juicy whole roasted chicken in less time than traditional methods. With minimal prep and careful monitoring, you can enjoy a comforting meal of air fryer roast chicken on any day of the week.
