So as we all know Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be a complete mental challenge for all! If you’re like my family you’re use to visiting family on the holidays and not typically in charge of hosting the Thanksgiving or Christmas feast! With everything going on in terms of Coronavirus and this pandemic perhaps you’re not really sure what you’re doing for Thanksgiving or Christmas and are now feeling disappointed and a little overwhelmed at still maintaining holiday traditions and keeping it special for your kids. For the past few weeks, I have had a few ideas for how to make the holidays still feel special without being able to see family and friends
One suggestion my husband had, which I thought was great especially if it’s just the 4 of us celebrating, is to make a chicken instead of a turkey. Although I do love a good thanksgiving meal I’m not particularly fond of turkey in general and with our Thanksgiving holiday needing to be scaled back even a small turkey is overkill for the 4 of us. A roast chicken is not only delicious and a great substitute for a Thanksgiving turkey, but will also save time and energy on this joyous occasion that will allow you to spend more time with your family instead of stressing out!
I have the perfect way to cook a chicken that is incredibly fast, easy, and delicious!
On Amazon Prime Day I made an impulse purchase that I’m incredibly happy with. I bought the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker 11 in 1, 8 Qt with Air Fryer, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, and more. I have always been curious about air frying but didn’t really want another appliance taking up space in the kitchen but on Prime Day it was on sale for $99 and couldn’t resist.
They do make a retrofitted air frying lid for the original instant pots that you can buy, but I believe it’s only for the 6 quarts Instant Pot and the cost is $79 which is almost equal to the price I paid for the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker 11 in 1, 8 Qt with Air Fryer, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate and more. I’m not entirely sure if it works for the 8 quart instant pot but I am okay with having 2 pressure cookers. I’ve often had to transfer recipes from one pot to another to use the air fry basket and having the additional stainless steel pot comes in handy. I can also use the second one to make a side dish while making a main entrée.
I’ve made chicken thighs in the instant pot but the skin never comes out crispy, so I never would have attempted a whole chicken until the air fry option was available.
I followed the instructions from this recipe on how to cook it but did a different approach to the recipe.
DIY Small Holiday Dinner Ideas: Perfectly Roasted Chicken in 40 minutes.
Notes
You need at least an 8 qt instant pot for this recipe. If you buy a smaller chicken it may fit in a 6 qt but you will need to reduce air fry time by 8 minutes a side.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 5-6 lbs) too big wont fit in the instant pot
- 1/2 onion cut into wedges
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon
- 3 twigs of fresh rosemary
- 5-6 twigs of fresh thyme
- kosher Salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 2-3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken inside and out.
- Liberally sprinkle kosher salt and pepper inside the cavity and all over the outside.
- Fold the wing tips back then stuff the cavity with garlic, onion, lemon, rosemary, and thyme. You can use a toothpick to pin the skin of the cavity closed by weaving it through both sides and back through.
- Put a 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth in the instant pot. Place the chicken inside they fry basket that comes with the air fryer. Make sure the base is attached. Put the lid on and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. You can do a slow release for 5 minutes or throw a towel over the release valve and manually release the pressure.
- Once the chicken is pressure cooked remove the fry basket with the chicken in it and place it on a plate.
- Dump out the chicken broth and wipe the pot clean then place the chicken in the fry basket back into the instant pot.
- Place the air fry lid on top and set to 400 degrees and air fry for 8 minutes, check to make sure it's cooking even and continue to air fry for another 8 minutes. If it doesn't look gold and crispy continue to air fry for 5 minute increments until it reaches the desired golden crispiness.
- Flip the chicken over and repeat the process on the other side until the entire chicken is crispy and golden.
- When finished, put the chicken on a plate and let rest for about 5 minutes for proper eating temperature. Carve and serve!