There’s a big selection of kitchen home equipment that may make cooking tasty treats simpler and speedier, however some show to be extra in style than others – and that is definitely the case for air fryers.
Two million air fryers have been bought between April and June final yr, in line with market analysis agency NPD. It’s not laborious to see why these kitchen home equipment have turn into so in style – not solely do the very best air fryers pace up cooking instances, in addition they use significantly much less oil to prepare dinner more healthy variations of dishes which are historically deep fried in oil, resembling fries and hen wings.
The UK has lately been warned to brace itself for shortages at branches of quick meals hen chain, KFC, attributable to disruption to the provision chain, and being large fried hen followers, this information left us dismayed.
So we obtained to considering, if air fryers can produce crisp, crunchy fries – can they be used to create a more healthy different to fried hen at house in the event you can’t get your take-away repair from elsewhere?
Greatest air fryer offers
Learn on to find what occurred after we made crispy hen in an air fryer, or in the event you’ve already determined you wish to spend money on an air fryer, try the very best costs proper now:
Coating concerns
Earlier than even switching the air fryer on, you’ve obtained to determine simply what to make use of to coat the crispy hen.
Historically, fried hen is coated in flour blended with a variety of herbs and spices, though the precise 11 that KFC makes use of in its recipe is a closely guarded secret. Nevertheless, as cooking in an air fryer makes use of significantly much less oil and a decrease cooking temperature than deep frying, I used to be involved as as to if the flour would truly brown and prepare dinner sufficient to create a thick crust with a satisfying crunch.
So I began rifling by means of my pantry on the lookout for different coatings I may use that might create a crisp, crunchy crust.
In a world earlier than air fryers, hen coated in breadcrumbs was usually touted as a wholesome different to fried hen, because it crisps up when cooked within the oven with out the necessity for a similar degree of oil as deep frying. I grabbed the Panko breadcrumbs, that are drier and flakier than common breadcrumbs and soak up much less oil, retaining a crisp coating whereas nonetheless aiming to be comparatively wholesome too.
Then a field of cornflakes caught my eye. Changing breadcrumbs with crushed cornflakes has been a preferred pattern for the previous few years for these making more healthy fried hen as a result of it gives a a lot crisper coating than breadcrumbs, and the nice and cozy amber shade is extra akin to the look of deep-fried hen.
Over the previous few years, I’ve tried a number of recipes determined to recreate this crisp, crunchy hen coating, and this one by British chef Tom Kerridge, has proved by far probably the most profitable.
So I made a decision to observe this recipe to the letter, however create two extra coatings substituting the flour within the recipe for panko breadcrumbs in a single, and crushed cornflakes within the different, to see which, if any, created a crisp, evenly browned coating.
Whereas I used to be mulling over the completely different coatings, I additionally started to ponder the reduce of meat I ought to use. KFC sells each fried hen on the bone, and boneless fried hen. Boneless hen thighs would prepare dinner extra shortly, taking round ten minutes in whole, however would this be lengthy sufficient to brown and crisp the coating? Meat on the bone would possibly make sure the thighs prepare dinner for a length that may create a golden crust.
In an effort to take a look at this, I selected to make use of each boneless and bone-in thighs that had been rolled within the completely different coatings, to determine simply how one can obtain wholesome fried hen in an air fryer.
I additionally determined to double-coat the hen too – this implies dipping the hen in crushed egg, rolling it within the coating, and repeating the method, to make sure the crust is thick, moderately than a fragile coating that falls off when the hen is picked up.
This was significantly essential because the hen, like all meals cooked in an air fryer, have to be turned half means by means of cooking to make sure even browning.
Let’s get cooking
As soon as I’d double-coated the hen thighs, I used cooking oil spray and squirted every the highest of every piece of hen 5 instances, to make sure it was as brown and as appetizing as attainable. This was repeated when turning the hen midway by means of cooking too.
I heated the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer, which at present holds the highest spot in our checklist of finest air fryers, to 356 F / 180 C (the beneficial cooking temperature in line with the Immediate app that accompanies the air fryer for cooking crispy hen) and began by cooking the boneless hen thighs for 5 minutes both sides.
As soon as attending to the top of the cooking time, I used a meat thermometer to examine the temperature – every bit of hen was above 165 F / 75 C – which is the required temperature for hen in line with the Food Safety website.
I used to be upset with each the hen coated in flour and panko bread crumbs. Though I’d used spray oil, it was left trying extraordinarily pale and under no circumstances appetizing. There have been additionally clearly areas of flour, which remained white and weren’t cooked in any respect. Nevertheless, the hen beneath the coating was succulent and juicy.
The clear winner of this take a look at was the hen dipped in crushed cornflakes. Partly this was due to the colour of the cornflakes, which have golden amber hue in comparison with the white flour, and the pale cream shade of the panko breadcrumbs.
Even after such a brief period of time within the air fryer, the cornflake-crusted hen was crisp and crunchy, whereas the panko breadcrumbs and flour have been comfortable and in components soggy too.
Subsequent we repeated the take a look at with bone-in hen thighs, and allowed ten minutes per facet, after consulting the Immediate app. Checking the temperature after 20 minutes, our meat thermometer was solely registering 150F / 65 C, so we cooked the hen for an additional 5 minutes so it reached the right temperature.
The longer cooking time proved to be extra profitable with all three coatings evenly browned and attaining a shade that seemed appetizing. The flour coating was nonetheless slightly soggy in sections, nonetheless the panko breadcrumbs and crushed cornflakes have been crisp throughout.
All three coatings have been scrumptious, however for me, the cornflake-coated hen was the winner, due to the satisfying crunch it supplied. Nevertheless, my companion thought the panko-breadcrumbed hen was higher, stating he discovered the cornflakes barely over-cooked, virtually bordering on burnt.
Verdict
It’s clear an air fryer can rival KFC on the subject of producing crispy hen, however what you utilize to coat the hen and whether or not the meat consists of the bone will have an effect on simply how crunchy the crust is.
For probably the most satisfying crunch, use crushed cornflakes to coat the hen particularly in the event you’re utilizing boneless hen – because the shorter prepare dinner time isn’t sufficient to brown panko breadcrumbs and flour to an appetizing golden shade.
Nevertheless, the preliminary shade of the cornflakes goes some solution to creating an interesting end in such a brief length. With this in thoughts wholemeal breadcrumbs would additionally work, though we didn’t use these in our take a look at.
In the event you choose your hen on the bone, all three coatings will brown and crisp within the allotted cooking time, though the floured coating was nonetheless ever-so barely soggy.
For hard-core KFC followers, air-fryer crispy hen could not style precisely just like the quick meals you’ve come to know and love, however it’s a more healthy different that may suffice people who have a hen craving, particularly if their native retailer is battling meals shortages.
