Cooking raw chicken is simple to make, and cooking them in an air fryer is much more comfortable. But you may be wondering, can I cook raw chicken in an air fryer? It takes only minutes to cook.
Flavorful and juicy chicken can be made in an air fryer for meal prep or a hearty meal. This is because an air fryer circulates the hot air within and cooks the food evenly. The meat acquires a crispy, golden-brown fried texture.
Can I cook raw chicken in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you could cook raw chicken in an Air Fryer. However, with practice, you will get the hang of the perfect cooking of raw chicken. Also, avoid cooking raw chicken with a wet coat in an air fryer.
When you plan to use a raw chicken, cooking right is essential, or may end up with a tough exterior while rawness within the chicken. If it's a thin cutlet, then cooking is all the easier.
An Air fryer is a smaller convection oven without any self-cleaning. So your raw chicken is exposed to direct high heat, similar to a grill. The heat is due to hot air circulation.
So if you are looking for externally cooked chicken, then this is good. However, if you want the internal core to be cooked, you will have to move the heat zone off in periods until the whole chicken is cooked. It is the same method you use on the grill to keep the heat down.
The other method is a blend of microwaving and air frying. With a little cooking in the microwave, you can get better air fried chicken. With practice, you will be able to get a faster-cooked chicken too.
Some groceries sell coated raw chicken within their frozen section that results in beautiful and better air fried chicken. However, do not use wet probed chicken.
How long do you cook a chicken breast in an air fryer?
The time taken for cooking a chicken breast depends on the size of the chicken breast. Though the majority of them are identical in shape, they can be seen by weight-thick or thin.
When you cook a chicken breast in an air fryer, you place it on the air fryer basket standing on the basket sides. You then cook it for about 15 minutes at a temperature of 350-375 deg F.
Flip the chicken breast and cook it for about 5 minutes to 8 minutes. The cooking should be done until the juice of the chicken's thickest center, when cut, drips clear. This should be cooked at 165 deg F. You can place a meat thermometer and verify if it is done.
Step by step procedure to cook chicken breast in an air fryer:
- Take olive oil and brush this oil onto the chicken breasts.
- On one side of the chicken breast, sprinkle some pepper, garlic powder, and salt to taste.
- Place this seasoned chicken breast into the air fryer facing the seasoned chicken side down.
- Now season the other side of the chicken breast as above.
- Cook the chicken breast on one side for about 9 minutes at about 360 deg F. This time is applicable for an 8-ounce chicken breast.
- Flip the chicken breast to the other side and let it cook for about 9 minutes on this side too.
- Large-sized chicken breasts will need some more time to cook appropriately unlike smaller sized ones.
- Open the air fryer lid right away to avoid overcooking or exposing the chicken breast to more heat.
- Take a meat thermometer and check the temperature at the thickest part of the chicken. If this temperature is from 158 deg F to 160 deg F, then it is rightly cooked.
- For temperatures read below this range, close the air fryer lid and let it cook for some more time in the residual heat. Now, check the temperature again.
- Remove the chicken breast and cover it with a foil.
- Leave it for 5 more minutes to cook in the residual heat.
- This time will allow the chicken juices to get into the meat.
- Now the temperature should be 165 deg F.
- This is when the chicken is done.
Can you put raw meat in an air fryer?
Yes, you can put raw meat in an air fryer. It can be pork or chicken. An entire whole chicken requires around half an hour to cook in an air fryer at 360 deg F. Raw meat, so cooked in an air fryer, has a crispy skin and is very delicious.
Some brands even have a grill pan to be used within an air fryer. If you want to cook the whole chicken, it will take only 30 minutes to make a moist and delicious low-fat chicken in an air fryer.
When it comes to what types of meat can be cooked in an air fryer, you can use bacon, pork chops, steak, salmon, chicken nuggets, fish, roast chicken, and chicken wings.
The griller is an air fryer can be used for grilling lamb chops, meat patties, steaks, fish fillets, burgers, salmon, veggies, and so on within an air fryer. They cook quickly and taste good.
Can you cook chicken and fries at the same time in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook chicken and fries at the same time in an air fryer. You can stack the fries and place the chicken beside and cook. This is because an air fryer cooks both of them or anything place within it using the process of hot air circulation.
This way, an efficient and even surface cooking of the food is done. The only thing is you need to place the food so that the entire surface is exposed or timely flipped to the hot air.
You can cook both chicken and fries simultaneously by placing the chicken tenders on the bottom rack to one side in the air fryer and let it cook for about 3 minutes first. Then the air fryer can be paused.
Now place the French fries on the rack's other side. Now close the lid and cook both of them together for about 12 minutes. This way, both of them are cooked evenly and properly.
Final Thoughts
You can cook raw chicken in an air fryer and practice a very delicious and crispy one for a quick meal.
Cooking it for about 15-18 minutes in an air fryer, you will get flavorful chicken. You can verify it to be cooked by checking the temperature at the thickest part of the chicken.
Now off you go to have some delicious air fried chicken!
