Air Fryer Complete Rooster – Rachel Cooks®

The air fryer is nice for lots of issues. Air fryer hen wings? Unbelievable! Air fryer French fries? Scrumptious! This air fryer hen recipe got here as a little bit of a shock although. I had by no means tried cooking one thing so large within the air fryer and I used to be just a little nervous about how it might prove.

In the long run, I had nothing to fret about. Air fryer entire hen is probably not as quick as air fryer hen breast but it surely has all the opposite qualities I really like about cooking hen within the air fryer—particularly, it’s juicy, cooked to perfection (that crispy pores and skin!), simple, and wholesome.

Why We Love Air Fryer Complete Rooster

Completely excellent hen. With the crispy pores and skin, juicy meat, and my go-to mix of seasonings, this air fryer entire hen is simply all-around scrumptious. It’s additionally more healthy than that store-bought rotisserie hen.

Crispy pores and skin with out the grease. The air fryer’s sizzling air circulation cooks the hen evenly and crisps up the pores and skin to perfection, very similar to a convection oven would. You don’t want so as to add a ton of oil or butter to realize nice outcomes!

A constructing block for straightforward meals. Should you’ve ever picked up a rotisserie hen from Costco and used it to make a couple of days’ price of dinners, this air fryer entire hen offers you a home made model. Make it for dinner one night time together with your favourite sides, then use the leftovers to make curried hen salad, and boil the carcass to make broth for home made hen noodle soup.

Ingredient Notes

• Complete hen: You’re going to wish a hen that matches into your air fryer, so stick with round 4 to 4 ½ kilos.
• Olive oil: Rubbing seasoned olive oil into the pores and skin flavors the hen and helps the pores and skin get crispy.
• Seasonings: I mix collectively an assortment of pantry spices which incorporates kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, coarse floor black pepper, and smoked paprika. You would additionally use my all objective seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or some other seasoning that you simply want.
• For the cavity: I wish to stuff the cavity with half of a lemon and a number of other garlic cloves. These are elective however they may infuse the entire hen with taste because it cooks within the air fryer. Additionally they odor actually nice because the hen roasts. You would add a couple of sprigs of contemporary herbs you probably have some available.

The way to Air Fry A Complete Rooster

Put together the hen. Pat the hen dry with paper towels; that is vital if you’d like crispy pores and skin. (And in fact you need crispy pores and skin!) Discard the packet of giblets, in case your hen has it, and let the hen sit at room temperature for 15 to twenty minutes. Permitting it to heat up barely helps the hen cook dinner extra evenly.

Season. Mix the seasonings with the olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the combination all around the hen, together with contained in the cavity. Attempt to fastidiously loosen the pores and skin to get some seasoning below it with out tearing the pores and skin. Add the lemon and garlic to the cavity in case you’re utilizing them.

Begin cooking. Set the hen within the air fryer basket with the breast facet down. Cook dinner at 360°F for 40 minutes.

Flip and proceed cooking. Rigorously flip the hen over, breast facet up, and proceed to air fry it for 35 to 40 minutes extra, or till the inner temperature reaches 165°F.

Relaxation. Take away the hen from the air fryer and let it relaxation for 10 minutes earlier than reducing it and serving.

Useful Ideas

Ensure that your hen suits. If it’s a bit too massive and hits the heating components of your air fryer, you’ll be able to crack the breast bone to flatten it a bit and check out once more. If it’s nonetheless too tall, you’ll must go along with Plan B: Attempt my entire hen within the crockpot or roasted hen.

Use an instant-read thermometer. Making certain your air fryer entire hen reaches an inside temperature of 165°F is essential for meals security and for ensuring your entire hen doesn’t over-cook within the air fryer. Verify the inner temperature of the hen utilizing an instantaneous learn thermometer, both within the thickest a part of the breast or the place the thigh connects to the physique. Keep away from touching the bones.

Don’t skip the resting time. Permitting the hen to relaxation for at the least 10 minutes after cooking lets the juices redistribute all through the meat. With out this resting time, the juices will run out onto the reducing board, leaving you with dry, lackluster hen.

Serving Concepts

There are such a lot of methods to place leftover air fryer entire hen to make use of! Toss it with ranch pasta salad, roll it into hen enchiladas, or make it into hen à la king.

Fridge: Leftover air fryer hen could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. I want to take away the hen from the bones and reduce it up earlier than refrigerating it.

Freezer: You may also freeze the leftover hen for as much as 3 months. To forestall freezer burn, I like to recommend wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap, then putting the wrapped hen in an hermetic container or freezer bag. Thaw it within the fridge earlier than reheating. If the hen is faraway from the bones and reduce up, it may be extra simply frozen and thawed, prepared to make use of for recipes.

Reheating: To reheat, place the hen in a roasting pan with a splash of broth, cowl with foil, and heat in a 350ºF oven. The outside received’t be as crispy, however reheating this manner helps maintain the hen moist, which I believe is extra vital than the crispy pores and skin. The microwave additionally works, but it surely’s much less superb as a result of it’s extra more likely to make the hen rubbery.

• Earlier than you start, be certain that the hen suits in your air fryer with out touching the heating components. If it is just a little too massive, do this: Place the hen on a reducing board and press firmly down on the breast bone to crack it (if the hen is tied, take away the ties earlier than cracking). This can make the hen flatter and it could match. If it’s nonetheless too massive, take a look at our recipes for oven baked entire hen or crockpot entire hen (see hyperlinks under).

  1 entire hen, 4 to 4 ½ kilos

• Utilizing paper towels, pat dry the skin of the hen, eradicating any extra moisture. This helps to realize a crispy pores and skin. If there are giblets within the cavity, discard them. Let the hen sit at room temperature for 15 to twenty minutes.

• In the meantime, In a small bowl, mix olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

  2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon coarse floor black pepper, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

• Rub the olive oil combination all around the hen, ensuring to coat it completely, together with below the pores and skin and contained in the cavity.

• Non-compulsory: Place the lemon halves and garlic cloves contained in the cavity for added taste.

  ½ lemon, elective, 4 garlic cloves, elective

• Place the hen breast-side down within the air fryer basket. Cook dinner at 360°F for 40 minutes.

• After 40 minutes, fastidiously flip the hen over so the breast facet is dealing with up. Cook dinner for an extra 35 to 40 minutes, or till the inner temperature reaches 165°F when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer within the thickest a part of the thigh (avoiding the bone).

• As soon as the hen is absolutely cooked, take away it from the air fryer and let it relaxation for about 10 minutes earlier than slicing it.

• Servings: A complete hen can serve as much as 6 individuals, relying on how massive the hen is. Diet info is predicated on a 4 ½ lb. hen divided into 6 servings. Diet will range relying on which a part of the hen is consumed.
• Alternate cooking strategies: In case your hen is simply too massive to suit into your air fryer, strive my oven roasted hen or entire hen within the crockpot. Each strategies are simple and scrumptious. 
• Seasoning: Be at liberty to season the hen utilizing your favourite seasonings though I believe you’ll love my mix (the smoked paprika imparts a barely smoky taste to the hen). 
• Storage: For finest outcomes, take away the meat from the bones earlier than refrigerating or freezing in order that the hen can be utilized for recipes. It chills extra rapidly and thaws sooner, too. It may be saved within the fridge for as much as 4 days, or frozen for as much as 3 months.

Energy: 395kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 31g, Fats: 29g, Saturated Fats: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 6g, Monounsaturated Fats: 14g, Trans Fats: 0.2g, Ldl cholesterol: 122mg, Sodium: 503mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.04g, Vitamin A: 274IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 2mg

Diet info is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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