Many of us eat chicken multiple times a week, and the air fryer is the perfect place to cook it if you want excellent, juicy results.
Here we’ve laid out how best to cook chicken breasts, although the same logic can also be applied for cooking other parts too, such as the legs, thighs or wings.
What you’ll need
- An air fryer (we used the Ninja Double Stack XL 9.5L Air Fryer SL400UK)
- Chicken breasts
The Short Version
- Preheat your air fryer to 200°C for 20 minutes
- Spray chicken with oil, and season with salt and pepper
- Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes at 200°C
Step
1Preheat your air fryer to 200°C for 20 minutes
First of all, preheat your air fryer to 200°C for five minutes, although if your air fryer can go higher, then you can set it to a higher temperature for even crispier results.
Step
2Spray chicken with oil, and season with salt and pepper
While your air fryer is preheating, prepare your chicken. For simple, plain cooking spray your chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper; you may prefer to use a marinade instead. We’re using chicken breasts here, as they’re traditionally one of the hardest parts of a chicken to cook.
Step
3Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes at 200°C
Cook your chicken for between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on how many pieces you’re cooking at once. Turn the chicken halfway through cooking to make sure each breast cooks evenly. You know when chicken is cooked when the juices run clear, and it’s hit an internal temperature of around 74°C.
FAQs
You can cook all sorts of chicken in an air fryer, from breasts to thighs and wings. If you’ve got one with a large enough basket, you can even fit an entire chicken inside one. Just adjust the cooking time to match: wings will take around 20 minutes; thighs 25 minutes; and a whole chicken around 50 minutes. It’s useful to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, to make sure you’ve cooked properly, adding extra cooking time if needed.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
