Air fryer roast chicken

You can make a delicious and succulent roast chicken in an air fryer, in little over an hour. Here, the bird sits upside down for half of the cooking time so the breast is kept moist. The skin crisps up perfectly for a lovely golden finish, too.

Ingredients

• 20g/¾oz butter, softened
• 1 good quality whole chicken, weighing 1.4–1.5kg/3lb 2oz–3lb 5oz
• ½ lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, left whole
• handful thyme or few rosemary sprigs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the air fryer to 180C and rub the butter all over the skin of the chicken. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. Place the lemon half, garlic and thyme in the cavity of the chicken.

3. Roast, breast side down, for 30 minutes. Then flip the right way up and roast for another 35 minutes. Check the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the juices run clear when the thickest parts of the breast and thigh are pierced with a skewer or knife.

4. Leave the chicken to stand for a few minutes before carving. If you would like to make gravy, see the Recipe Tips.

Recipe Tips

If you can’t fit a whole chicken in your air fryer, use halves or pieces instead. For halves, take a whole chicken and use strong scissors or a boning knife to cut down the spine. Then flip over and cut down the middle of the breast. You’ll be left with two halves to fit snugly inside your air fryer. Proceed with step 2, check after 45 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter until the chicken is cooked through. For pieces, use 2 chicken thighs or drumsticks per person. Mix the butter with a teaspoon of olive oil to loosen and add a squeeze of lemon juice and about 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, then season well. Spread this paste over the chicken pieces and cook in the air fryer at 180C for 10 minutes then turn and cook for another 12–15 minutes until crispy and golden.

The juices from the roast chicken in the air fryer can be used to make a gravy. Add a little water to loosen any bits stuck to the base, then pour into a saucepan. Add a little flour and chicken stock or wine and whisk over a medium heat until thickened.

Leftover roast chicken will freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

This recipe was developed using a 5.5 litre/9½ pint air fryer.

Air fryer roast chicken