Curry Guy Air Fryer
(Quadrille, £16.99)
Photography by Kris Kirkham
You Can Make This Whole Tandoori Chicken in Your Air Fryer
Enjoy a delicious tandoori twist on a classic roast chicken
Tandoor ovens are great for cooking a whole chicken but not many people have one - they are also difficult to use if you're new to them. Air fryers make the process of cooking tandoori chicken so much easier, with very similar results. Your air fryer is nothing more than a small but efficient oven. The way the air flows simulates the radiating heat from the tandoor walls. You can leave the chicken skin on for this recipe or you could remove it and score the meat in about 12 places, which is a more traditional way of preparing a chicken for tandoori cooking.
Serves
3–4
Prep Time:
20 minutes, plus marinating
Cooking Time:
50 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1.5kg whole chicken
- 70ml melted ghee mixed with 1 tsp salt
- For the Tandoori marinade
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder – optional)
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste, or mild paprika)
- 2 tbsp garlic, ginger and chilli paste
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 4 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt, whisked until smooth (optional)
- Red food colouring powder (optional)
Method
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients, adding just enough water to make a smooth paste – about three tablespoons. You can use a little red food colouring, too, but it adds no flavour so it is optional.
Add the marinade all over the chicken, including inside and underneath the skin if you like to add more flavour. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for one to four hours. If you add yoghurt, you can leave it to marinate for up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 180C. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket, breast-side down. Cook for 50 minutes. Baste the chicken from time to time with the melted ghee.
After 50 minutes of air frying, flip the chicken over with a pair of tongs and baste it with the ghee. Continue cooking for a further 10–15 minutes to make the skin nice and crispy. Make sure the internal temperature is 74C before removing from your air fryer. Allow the chicken to rest for five to eight minutes before carving.
