Bake It With Love: Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken

One of my new toys during the pandemic was an air fryer.  Because at this point everyone seems to have one but me.  But I decided to go the ultimate route and get one that also has a rotisserie function, because who doesn't like a rotisserie chicken, with all that juicy meat and crispy skin?  Now, you have to use a pretty small chicken for this, because those big 5-pounders won't fit, but if you get everything trussed the right way, in less than an hour you'll have a delicious golden chicken on your plate.

Note: I opted to just season with Lawry's seasoned salt, as that is what my favorite store-bought chicken is seasoned with.  This lets the true flavor of the chicken shine, but if you have a delicious rub, feel free to use that.

Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
Adapted from Bake It With Love blog

1 (3½-pound) whole fryer chicken

Canola oil
Lawry's seasoned salt

Empty out the body cavity (remove any gizzards, if inside), place your chicken on a clean cutting board, and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Trim the tail off, if desired, as well as any excess skin or fatty deposits.

Drizzle oil on your fryer chicken and rub it into the skin on all sides of the chicken. Sprinkle seasoned salt on your chicken, rub it into the skin, and rub the seasoning into the inside of the bird as well.

Truss your chicken with kitchen twine so that the wings and legs are bound. Otherwise, they will flop loosely with each rotation of the chicken. Once your whole fryer is trussed, push the rotisserie spit (or rod) through the chicken and use the forks included with your Vortex Plus to secure each end of the chicken to the rotisserie rod. Line your drip pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, then set your air fryer so it is preheating to 380ºF.

There will be options to 'air fry' or 'roast' the chicken. While both will work, with a very similar cook time, the 'air fry' option will give a crispier skin. Set the air fryer cooking time for 40 minutes and wait for the indicator to 'add food'.

After your air fryer is preheated, load the rotisserie spit in by pulling the red lever on the left and latching it into the left side of the rotisserie first. Slide the rod along the metal bar on the right until the rod drops into the catch and is securely in place. Close your air fryer door and cook for 40 minutes.

Check your chicken's internal temperature after the 40 minutes, and continue to cook in 5 minute intervals until your chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF at the thickest points. This is the USDA food safety recommended internal temperature, that should be read using a digital meat thermometer.

To remove your air fryer rotisserie chicken, press the red lever down on the left side and lift the spit out using the y-rod that came your Instant Pot Vortex Plus or rotisserie air fryer. Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board, plate, or platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Bon Appétit: Triple-Cherries Jubilee

When you think about old-timey, 1950's-ish era desserts, I think one of the images that comes to mind is a saucepan on a rolling cart, with blue flames licking the sides, and a beautiful syrup of cherries in the bottom.  I have literally never had this at a restaurant, but that's still the image that comes to my mind.  So of course I had to see what the fuss was about.  Much like Bananas Foster, this dessert comes together pretty quickly and actually makes a pretty not-too-sweet topping for ice cream or pound cake or angel food cake or whatever dessert item you want to spread it on.  Plus, it's dessert with a show.

Note: I used Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream as my base.  I recommend you do, too.

Triple-Cherries Jubilee
From Bon Appétit magazine, September 1999

1 (1-pound) bag frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cherry juice, divided use
½ cup dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
¼ cup thin matchstick-size strips orange peel (orange part only)
⅓ cup kirsch
1 quart vanilla or cherry-vanilla-swirl ice cream

Place sieve over bowl. Add thawed cherries; let drain. Pour drained juices into heavy medium skillet; set cherries aside.

Mix 2 cups cherry juice, dried cherries, and sugar into the skillet with the drained juice. Scrape in seeds from the vanilla bean; add bean. Boil sauce until reduced to 1½ cups, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Mix arrowroot with remaining 1 tablespoon cherry juice in a small bowl. Whisk into sauce. Boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Discard vanilla bean. Mix in drained cherries and orange peel.

Heat kirsch in skillet over low heat. Remove from heat. Carefully ignite kirsch with match. Carefully pour flaming kirsch into sauce. Scoop ice cream into bowls. Spoon sauce over.

Makes 6 servings