Who doesn’t like a nice roasted chicken? Crispy skin, juicy, and flavorful white and dark meat. I’m going to show you how to roast one in the Ninja Foodi grill air fryer combo. Let’s make an Air Fryer Whole Chicken.
It only takes about 40 minutes, and the results are superior to any oven-roasted chicken I have had.
I’m doing mine with a classic Tandoori style marinade, but you can use any marinade or dry rub you like.
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
- chicken
- plain yogurt (any fat % is fine)
- grated fresh ginger
- 2 large cloves fresh chopped garlic
- tandoori seasoning
- smoked paprika
- turmeric
- fresh chopped cilantro
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
Marinating the chicken
Simply combine all the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl, then place your whole chicken in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the marinade over the chicken and massage it thoroughly and get inside the inner cavity of the chicken, and under the skin of the breasts. You could transfer this to a large zip lock bag, but it is fine to leave it in the mixing bowl tightly wrapped.
Place it in the refrigerator overnight. Don’t cut corners here, guys. You just used several dollars worth of spices, and marinade ingredients, if you only marinade for an hour or two it’s a tragic waste.
Air Frying the Chicken
The next day… It better be the next day, you waited overnight, right? Of course, you did.
Preheat your air fryer to 350 F (176 C) and set the timer for 20 minutes. When it’s ready spray the basket lightly with cooking spray and place the chicken breast side up.
Close the lid and put your feet up for 20 minutes… Actually, it would be smarter to clean up but it’s your call.
After 20 minutes flip the chicken over and cook for 20 more minutes breast side down.
I prefer to finish the chicken breast side down, as the breast is most likely to overcook and the air fryer cooks from above.
So we finish with the light meat under the dark meat soaking up the juices that render as the dark meat cooks. SCIENCE!
After 20 minutes check the temp of the chicken in several places you need a minimum internal temperature of 165 F (73 C)
For the record, my chicken was 3.89 pounds and needed about 5 more minutes breast side up. You need to be ready to adapt, every chicken is different, and perfect results will only be because you checked the temp and gave it a few more minutes.
Whatever you do, let the chicken rest on a rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Of course, you can serve the chicken however you like. I whipped up some basmati rice, snow peas, and red peppers to serve with mine. I recommend not even starting any sides till the chicken is resting. The longer it rests the juicer it will be.
I rested for about 15 minutes while I prepared the sides. Here are my results.
That’s it for today folks, you just made an Air Fryer Whole Chicken. Be sure and check out the video I made to showcase this recipe here Home Pressure Cooking – YouTube
See ya soon – Chef Eric
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Air Fryer Whole Roasted Chicken – Tandoori Chicken
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- meat thermometer
- fine grater/micro plane
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 pound whole chicken
marinade
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 large cloves fresh chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp tandoori seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the 'marinade' ingredients in a small mixing bowl
- place whole chicken in a large mixing bowl, and pour over the marinade
- massage the marinade into the chicken. Be sure to coat the inner cavity, and under the skin of the breast meat.
- wrap bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight
- preheat air fryer to 350 F, 176 C
- place chicken breast side up and cook for 20 minutes
- turn chicken over and cook for 20 more minutes or to internal temperature of 165 F, or 73 C
- depending on the size of your chicken it may need more time. take a temp from multiple places on the bird to ensure even cooking.
- when chicken is done remove from air fryer, and rest for a minimum of 10 minutes before carving
Video
what are tandoori spices?
Hey Elaine! The tandoori spices mentioned depends on the brand you buy. For the most part they can consist of ginger, coriander, paprika, cumin, turmeric, garlic, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cloves and more. Hope that helps!