At last, it's roast dinner season. If you're anything like me, you'll have that love-hate relationship with roast dinners. I love to eat them, but I hate all the prep that comes before them. That's why, every Sunday, I find myself asking, "can I make a roast dinner in an air fryer?" or, at the very least, "can I cook roast potatoes in an air fryer?"
With a grumbling stomach, I turned to our Deputy Food Editor, Rose Fooks, for advice on how to make a roast dinner in an air fryer. She promised me, “the best chicken I have ever cooked was in an air fryer and there are loads of neat ways that you can make a roast dinner with yours.” As it turns out, the secret lies in picking one of the best air fryers, since a really good model can handle everything from juicy meat to golden roast potatoes and even Yorkshire puddings.
I’ve put her tips to the test using a dual zone air fryer (from Cuisinart) as well as my own compact model, the Ninja Crispi (arguably one of the best Ninja air fryers of all time). Along the way, I’ve learned a few helpful tricks on how to use an air fryer for a full roast. When you account for how much it costs to run an air fryer compared to the oven this is a real win-win if you’re short on time and trying to save on energy bills. Here’s everything you need to complete your Sunday roast.
How to make a roast dinner in an air fryer: our official guide
In my kitchen, everything works on a schedule, which is why I'll start by offering you a timescale for getting your roast cooked and finished in an hour. We'll get into the deeper details further down:
- 0:00 Preheating and prepping vegetables
- 0:15 Roast the potatoes
- 0:25 Add the carrots
- 0:35 Add the chicken
- 0:45 Make the peas and gravy
- 0:50 Add Yorkshire Puddings
- 1:00 Plate up and eat up (bask in glory of a one hour roast dinner)
How to cook a roast dinner in an air fryer: the ingredients
Before we get into the details of what you need to do and when, you'll need to make sure you've got what you need in the fridge. Every family has their quirks and special sides that go on a roast dinner. I won't quibble your ketchups, hash browns, or marmite toast (yes, really), but I will cover the basics for a classic roast dinner: chicken, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, and vegetables. Outside the air fryer, you will need to boil peas and warm up some gravy, but that's not too taxing and can easily be done with a glass of wine in hand.
The ingredients below serve two, as prepared in my single-drawer air fryer. However, if you have more space in yours, feel free to double, triple, or quadruple quantities:
- 3 large potatoes
- 3 tsp vegetable oil (I use olive)
- 1 large chicken breast (stuffed with pork and onion filling)
- 3 medium carrots
- 100g frozen peas
- Gravy (I jazz up Bisto and I'm not ashamed to admit it)
How to cook a roast dinner in an air fryer: the method
Even air fryers that say you don't need to pre-heat will benefit from a 3-5 minute blast at 200°C, because this'll ensure your food is starting off hot. Rose Fooks, Deputy Food Editor advises to "remove the crisper tray and cover the base with oil, just as you would in the oven. This will help you to get your potatoes really crispy." If you have to choose a setting at this stage, go for air frying. Although, bake or roast should also do a great job for you.
As the air fryer is heating, you can peel and cut your potatoes into chunks. Then, I parboil the potatoes for 8 minutes, drain the saucepan and shake the potatoes around to fluff them up. My dad always taught me to add oil, salt, and flour for crispiness and it works, so I'm going to recommend that you do the same. When you're thinking about quantities, Rose cautions "don't be fooled by the idea that air fryers require less oil - although you can probably get away with using a little less as the basket is smaller."
Whilst you have the chopping board out, slice the carrots into batons or rounds (chef's choice) and toss them with oil, salt, and any extra flavours that you like. My family does tarragon, but hot honey would make a very trendy addition.
Start the roast potatoes - 0:15
The potatoes will be the first element to go in the air fryer basket. Yours should already be at 200°C, so set a timer for 10 minutes (or use the air fryer timer setting) to give them 25 minutes, with a shake half way. After 10 minutes, you'll be adding carrots to the potatoes, which is why the air fryer needs a 25 minute timer rather than 10. Rose recommends being careful with positioning, "don't overcrowd the air fryer basket," she says, "it's the key to achieving the perfect crispness."
If you have a dual drawer air fryer, use one side for the potatoes and save the other side for your chicken later.
Add in the carrots - 0:15
After the potatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes, the carrots can go in the air fryer too. It's okay for them to touch the potatoes, but if you have a rack or a spare drawer, that can be really helpful for keeping all the elements separate.
This is where I love air fryers that are either glass, or ones with viewing windows, because you can check up on your food without letting any of the air out. Ideally, you'll keep the air fryer whirring away for another 15-20 minutes until everything is golden.
Add the chicken - 0:35
Most people are curious and a little cautious when it comes to working out how to use an air fryer to roast chicken. Rose says "your air fryer can give you excellent results when cooking meat. This is because the hot air heats and circulates quickly, this rapidly sears the outside of the meat, making the inside really tender and juicy."
For this recipe, I use smaller chicken rather than a whole roast chicken in my air fryer, but you can roast a whole chicken in an air fryer too. I'll explain the full details of that below the next picture.
If, like me, we're working with a chicken breast (packed with pork and onion stuffing), it's easy. Shuffle the potatoes and carrots around to fit your chicken into the drawer. I brush my chicken with 1tbsp of oil, which you could sprinkle some herbs into as well, if you want to add more flavour. You'll want to re-start the air fryer timer, reducing the temperature to 190°C for 10 minutes.
When the 10 minutes is up, drizzle over another tablespoon of oil, with some salt, black pepper, and any other elements that take your fancy - garlic, chilli, lemon. Close the air fryer drawer and cook everything at 190°C for 8-10 minutes. Rose also adds "to beware, as the heating element is directly above what you’re cooking, it can catch on top. Keep an eye on it and if it’s browning too quickly, tightly cover with foil.
If you have another drawer, I'd recommend popping your chicken in there until your air fryer beeps to let you know the chicken is done, use a thermometer if possible. The chicken should reach 75°C internal temp.
For a full roast chicken, you will need a large single air fryer drawer or a whole, deep air fryer drawer that's separate to your vegetables.
You'll want to cook it for 30-45 minutes at 180°C, seasoned with oil, salt, and pepper as you would if it was going in a normal oven. Again, as with the chicken breasts, check that it is properly cooked with a temperature probe, or by looking at the juices. They should run clear.
Make the trimmings and the gravy - 0:45
We're on the home strait at this stage. The peas can be boiled or popped in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and the gravy should be heated gently on the hob. It's a light, easy task (possibly one to assign to a sous chef...)
Add Yorkshire puddings - 0:50
This is a larger air fryer, which uses a tray at the bottom to cook the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. You'll see in my singe drawer that I fitted them in at the edge.
The chicken and vegetables will be nearly ready, which means you can squeeze the Yorkshire puddings onto your tray for 4-5 minutes.
If you're making them from scratch, you'll need a spare air fryer drawer and air fryer friendly Yorkshire pudding tray. Then, add your mix to the tray and cook for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Plate up - 1:00
This is the roast dinner that I made in the larger Cuisinart Air Fryer
Once the Yorkshires are cooked, you can call everyone to the table. Or, after you've forwarded them this link, they can call you to the table, having made you a delicious roast dinner.
It's a good idea to rest the chicken for five minutes, because this keeps it juicy. I keep the carrots, potatoes, and Yorkshires in the air fryer (turned off) just to make sure that they're warm.
How to make a roast dinner in an air fryer: reaheating
If you've stuffed yourself silly and there are still leftovers, don't worry. Get the remnants in the fridge within two hours of cooking and then it's easy to reheat them in the air fryer.
I add slices of chicken and my roast potatoes to the air fryer, which should be at 190°C for 10 minutes.
After 5 minutes, turn your potatoes and chicken to give them an even cook and then add in your carrots and Yorkshire puddings. If anything's looking a little dry at this point, a spritz of oil or splash of water can work miracles.
FAQs
Can I cook a roast dinner in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook a roast dinner in an air fryer. Even better, you can cook it all in under an hour, which is seriously impressive stuff.
Which setting should I use to cook a roast dinner in an air fryer?
I've always used air fry and if you look at other recipes online, you'll see them doing the same. I'd use it over 'bake', but if you have a 'roast' option, that would be perfect.
Can I cook Christmas dinner in an air fryer?
You absolutely can, especially if you have a large air fryer that can boast an impressive capacity. Watch this space though. If you're looking for how to cook Christmas dinner in an air fryer, our food team has some tasty surprises coming your way.
Which air fryers are the best choices for making roast dinners?
Any air fryer can cook a roast dinner. I'm sure of that, but it will depend on how much you need to cook as to which will suit you best. I made a great roast dinner for me and my partner in the Ninja Crispi, but we were tight on space. The Cuisinart Tri Zone Air Fryer, on the other hand, is brilliant when it comes to offering different spaces for all your roast dinner elements, but it's pretty rare to have three sections. I think one of your best bets, if you're a large family is to go for the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer, because this is deep and slim enough to fit a roast chicken in. I've tested it and approved of the results too.
I'm already three roast dinners deep into Autumn and I don't plan on stopping now that I've discovered a one-hour, laid back way to cook everything. It saves massively on washing up, as well as on mental load. Now, it's time to start practicing for Christmas.
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