Chicken is perhaps the most basic food that anyone wants to try out on a new appliance. Chicken is such a standard food that it is generally used as a baseline for many products. Plus, since it is loved by a vast majority of people, it is a popular food to fry.

Hence it is only fair to look for the best Air Fryers for chicken. The thing is, any Air Fryer worth its salt would be able to cook chicken fairly well.

Chicken, while it is not as easy to cook as fries in an Air Fryer, can be prepared if you purchase a quality Air Fryer.

In this article we will review some of the well suited models of roasting chicken as well as look the attributes one should look for in an Air Fryer.

Also Read: Toaster Ovens vs Air Fryer

List of Best Air Fryers for Chicken in 2023 – Whole Chicken and Breast

The following air fryers in our opinion stand out the most if you want to get most out of your chicken.

1. AmazonBasics Air Fryer – 10 Liter – Extra Large and Highly Affordable

2. COSORI Air Fryer – 5.8 Quart – Very Popular Option – High Powered

3. Ninja Air Fryer – 4 Quart – Midsize Option – Limited Functions – Great for Chicken Breast

4. GoWISE USA – 5.8 Quart – Budget Pullout Box Air Fryer

5. COSORI CO130-AO – 30 Liter – Toaster Oven with Air Frying – Perfect for Large Whole Chicken

5 Best Air Fryers for Chicken in 2023 Reviews

1. AmazonBasics Air Fryer – 10 Liter – Extra Large and Highly Affordable

A highly affordable Air Fryer despite having a very large capacity as well as a mid range power rating.

We would not be far off if we label this Air Fryer as having one of the best value in the market.

One thing you need to realize about AmazonBasics line of products is that their price tag is generally far far lower than their competitors, yet they feature the quality of build and service that either matches or surpass the more expensive competitors.

Therefore, it should come as a no surprise that that we have chosen this as among the best Air Fryers for chicken.

If the price tag wasn’t low enough, this Air Fryer also features an extraordinary capacity for its price. This is a 10 Litre Air Fryer which roughly translates to about 10.5 Quarts.

Hence, as far as as standalone Air Fryer goes, this is among the largest in this list.

Feature wise, this is a digital Air Fryer with a detachable basket instead of a pull out basket. Therefore, it has a see-through glass for monitoring your food.

It also features 8 presets for various food items including chicken, pizza, fish and also features the dehydrating function.

It should also be noted that for those who love roasting, it also has the rotisserie mechanism.

All in all, this is a complete package of an Air Fryer for a very low price. Hence we highly recommend it.

2. COSORI Air Fryer – 5.8 Quart – Very Popular Option – High Powered

One of the most popular Air Fryer in the market. Offers an XL with a very high power rating and plenty of feature presets.

If you want to make a beeline for the most popular option there is, then COSORI Air Fryer should be on top of your list.

You can gauge the popularity of this model by looking at the sheer number of positive customer reviews it has. Very few, if any, Air Fryer comes as close to this in terms of customer satisfaction.

While this is smaller than the AmazonBasics Air Fryer above, it has a different form factor. Instead of having a suspended basket for Air Frying, this has a pullout box. The size of the box is large enough to handle an entire 5 lbs chicken.

Besides that, there are two unique features that set it apart from the rest.

For starters, this is a high powered Air Fryer with a 1700 Watts rated power. This basically means that your food will be cooked faster and consistently across the surface.

Secondly, this is one of the rare Air Fryers that comes with a dedicated smart App for monitoring. This app enables you to control and monitor the Air Fryer, plan and review recipes all in one place.

To add to that, this is also compatible with Amazon Alexa smart home device. You can literally control this using your voice.

In short, if you are sold by the idea of having an advanced and a powerful model, then this is the best Air Fryer for chicken in our opinion.

3. Ninja Air Fryer – 4 Quart – Midsize Option – Limited Functions – Great for Chicken Breast

A relatively small air fryer for chicken. Can accommodate chicken strips and pieces.

Next up, we have a rather small Air Fryer. Like the previous Air Fryer, this also has a pullout box but features a small 4 Quart Capacity.

This is particularly great for those who have a limited counter or stowage space or for those who can live without cooking a whole chicken in one go.

With this Air Fryer, you will be better off cooking smaller pieces of chicken at a time. As such, this is particularly great for serving chicken breast or chicken wings.

Essentially, this is a very simple and a minimal Air Fryer. It only has a few buttons and a few presets including Air Fry, Roast, Reheat and Dehydrate.

Therefore, if you want to cook small portions quickly and conveniently, then we find this to be among the best Air Fryers for chicken.

It should also be noted that this rather popular model with a great customer base.

4. GoWISE USA – 5.8 Quart – Budget Pullout Box Air Fryer

An family sized air fryer with a budget price tag and a high power.

If you want power at a budget, then this is one of the best Air Fryers for chicken in our opinion.

This is one of the rare Air Fryers that happens to feature a high 1700 Watts output power despite being in the budget range.

Size wise, it is large enough to handle a whole chicken in one go.

Furthermore, it offers 8 digital cooking presets of ease of use.

Besides that, there is nothing too fancy about this device. It is perhaps for its simplicity in deliver high power that makes it a highly loved Air Fryer in the market.

5. COSORI CO130-AO – 30 Liter – Toaster Oven with Air Frying – Perfect for Large Whole Chicken

A unique toaster oven that features a dedicated Air Fry functions along with much more.

COSORI CO130-AO isn’t your average Air Fryer. In fact, this is a toaster oven disguised as an Air Fryer.

So what makes this toaster oven an excellent candidate for this list?

For starters, this is huge compared to most Air Fryers out there. It has a capacity of 30 Liters or 32 Quarts, which is extraordinary for a device with the capability to Air Fry.

Occupying a large whole chicken would not be an issue for this.

But the function that enables this to have the Air Frying ability is its very high 1800 wattage and dual convection fans.

You see, an Air Fryer basically has a huge and a powerful convection fan that allows it to air fry. Having two powerful fans in a large toaster oven would practically enable it to do the same.

Sure this is more expensive than any Air Fryer in this list, but this is a full fledged baking, Air Frying, Broiling and toasting machine.

COSORI CO130-AO is a completely digital toaster oven with Air Frying capabilities and features 12 different cooking presets including Rotisserie, Ferment and Dehydrate.

Plus, while it is impossible to fit a medium sized pizza in most toaster ovens, this can support an entire 13″ pizza in one go.

So, if you are sold by the idea of having multiple devices in one large appliance, then this is certainly one of the best Air Fryers for chicken.

What to Look For?

The thing about Air Fryers, or any electrical cooking appliance, is that there are a few key attributes one should look.

For an Air Fryer, particular for chicken, you can look for the following characteristics:

Size

Dedicated Air Fryers come in many sizes generally measured in Quarts ranging from mini 2 Quarts to 12+Quarts.

In order to conveniently cook a whole chicken, you need to look for an Air Fryer with about a 6 Quart capacity.

A smaller Air Fryer i.e a 4 Quart Air Fryer, may have difficulty accommodating a whole chicken but may be able to handle separate chicken pieces, chicken strips, nuggets or fillets.

Anything larger than 6 Quarts is a luxury and anything lower than 4 quarts is not recommended for chicken particularly if you are buying an Air Fryer for a family.

Power Rating

Air Fryers range vastly in terms of of power rating. An average Air Fryer can range in power anywhere from 1200 Watts to 1800 Watts.

However, it is not rare to find Air Fryers that consume even lower power than 1200 Watts.

The thing about power is that the higher the power rating, the faster the Air Fryer heats up. This also corresponds to faster cooking times.

You will also notice that larger Air Fryers generally have a higher power output as they need to have enough power to circulate hot air inside a larger chamber.

Features

Some premium models can offer plenty of features such as dual racks and many presets. Source: Chefman Air Fryer

Air Fryers can come with a whole lot of feature sets. Some air fryers are very basic. They have two manual knobs one for selecting the temperature and another for setting the time.

While they are quite functional even in their basic forms, the more expensive Air Fryers can have multiple functions.

Some can dehydrate, other can bake like a convection oven and some even have the rotisserie function.

You may also notice some larger air fryers featuring dual racks so that you can cook multiple food on different racks at a time i.e fish and chips.

Of course the more feature-laden an Air Fryer is, the more expensive it would be

Final Words

If you are a fan of fried chicken but want to maintain a low calorie intake than the best Air Fryers for Chicken reviewed above must have at least pointed you to the right direction.

In short, when choosing an Air Fryer for chicken, you need to consider whether you are going to cook the chicken as a whole or in pieces.

Thus, you will need to take into consideration the overall capacity of the Air Fryer. Furthermore, the more presets the model has, the more it will enable you to experiment with your chicken.

FAQs:

1. Which brand Air Fryer is the best?

The following air fryers in our opinion stand out the most if you want to get most out of your chicken.

1. AmazonBasics Air Fryer – 10 Liter – Extra Large and Highly Affordable
2. COSORI Air Fryer – 5.8 Quart – Very Popular Option – High Powered
3. Ninja Air Fryer – 4 Quart – Midsize Option – Limited Functions – Great for Chicken Breast
4. GoWISE USA – 5.8 Quart – Budget Pullout Box Air Fryer
5. COSORI CO130-AO – 30 Liter – Toaster Oven with Air Frying – Perfect for Large Whole Chicken

2. What can you not cook in an air fryer?

According to experts in cooking, you should not put any food that contains a wet batter should be avoided in the air fryer. Additionally, avoid putting food with a wet batter in air fryers, such as corndogs or tempura shrimp.

3. What dishes are safe in an air fryer?

When cooking in the Air fryer, you can use any ovenproof dish or mold, whether they are made of glass, ceramic, metal, or silicone. Additionally, you can bake cupcakes, muffins, or small gratins using silicone or paper cupcake cups or molds.

4. Can you fry an egg in an air fryer?

Yes, you can use your air fryer for cooking eggs. The first step is to place a pan that will fit in your air fryer; if you have a basket air fryer, you can fry the egg on the tray; if you have an air fryer oven, you can fry the egg directly on the tray. In a skillet, crack the eggs. Preheat the oven to 370 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer for 3 minutes.

5. What size air fryer do I need for a family of 2?

For comfortable air frying for a family of two, you will require an air fryer with a capacity of between 2.0 and 3.0 quarts. If you intend to expand your family to three, consider an air fryer with a capacity of 3.0 to 5.0 quarts.