Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken - Deliciously moist chicken that's flavorful and crispy on the outside! So easy to make in your Ninja Foodi in no time at all!
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So, I'm pretty excited about today's post because I get to show you all my newest cooking appliance - the Ninja Foodi! I first heard about the Ninja Foodi in one of my recipe groups.
Everyone was going crazy over this thing and promised that it will replace almost every other "cooking" appliance you own. Why?
WHAT'S A NINJA FOODI?
Well, it's a slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, air fryer, dehydrator (some models) and can bake, roast and broil too. All. In. One. I never bought an Instant Pot because an Instant Pot can't crisp up food - it reminded me too much of just a slow cooker (but it was a faster cooker?).
The Ninja Foodi can be used for all air fryer and Instant Pot recipes as well, so technically, if I really want to go down the Instant Pot recipe road, I'm able to with the Ninja Foodi.
I did a ton of research on this thing before I purchased the Ninja Foodi- and purchasing it - was a challenge in itself. Every store out there is sold out of these babies. I went to Target and tried to buy the floor model, but the associate told me it was just the shell and there was no cooking unit actually in it?
Right before the New Year my friend actually found some in stock at Walmart and sent me the link. I ordered one up right away and hoped that I wouldn't receive an out-of-stock email right after I placed my order.
I didn't. It has arrived!
If you're also a new Ninja Foodi owner, I invite you to join my new Facebook group called Ninja Foodi Easy Recipes, where we all can gather, share new recipes and talk about our Ninja Foodis and Air Fryers.
Today I'm sharing a recipe for Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken. It's my first recipe in the Ninja Foodi and it turned out great - even better then my local grocery store's rotisserie chicken.
Unlike an Instant Pot that just "pressure cooks" a chicken, the Ninja Foodi pressure cooks it AND crisps it up. Win-win.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING NINJA FOODI ROAST CHICKEN
The first step to your flavorful golden bird is adding some liquid to the pot. I added ¾ cup hot water and some cloves of garlic.
If you'd like, you could add some chicken broth in place of the water.
Then I seasoned the chicken with my favorite poultry seasoning, which is this homemade dry rub, and placed it in what's called the Cook & Crisp basket (or air fryer basket).
The first step is pressure cooking. You want to pressure cook the chicken for 21 minutes. Once you have the pressure lid on, you'll want to ensure that the pressure release valve is in the SEAL position.
After 21 minutes, I just did a "natural release" for about 15 minutes.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NATURAL & QUICK RELEASE?
A natural release means you don't move the pressure release valve at all. You just let it sit to release naturally.
A quick release is when you would switch the pressure release valve from SEAL to VENT manually.
I've read quite a few comments from users of the Ninja Foodi that said they never use quick release with meat because it toughens it.
After more experimentation, I'll find out if that's true or not. For my first time using the machine, I didn't want to ruin my beautiful chicken so I did a "natural" release.
After the natural release, I did a quick release but it wasn't needed. All of the pressure had already released. I removed the pressure lid and brushed the chicken with butter and sprinkled a little more seasoning on.
I also ended up tying up the legs at this point with some twine. This step isn't necessary. I just thought it may look nicer for photos once the chicken was done.
I closed the air fryer lid - AKA crisping lid (the crisping lid is permanently attached to the Ninja Foodi) and set it on AIR CRISP for 20 more minutes.
Make sure to check the temperature of the chicken a few times while it's in Air Crisp mode. Depending on the size of the chicken, it may not need to go the full 20 minutes.
Just make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165º Fahrenheit.
I couldn't wait to cut into it.
It was golden brown and crispy on the outside, but how did the inside look?
Moist and delicious! Yay!
I felt like the results of my Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken were pretty similar to my Air Fryer Roast Chicken.
I suppose you want to know if I got rid of my air fryer. Absolutely not.
While I really love all of the features of the Ninja Foodi, the Cook & Crisp basket for the Foodi is not as large as my air fryer basket. When I truly want to "air fry," my air fryer will still be my "go-to" appliance.
But for the first run, the Ninja Foodi didn't let me down. I'll be experimenting more with my Foodi in the next few weeks so keep an eye out for more recipes and learnings as we go along.
Join Our FB Group for Ninja Foodi Fans!
And remember, if YOU are a Ninja Foodi owner, join me over in the Facebook group! I'd love to have you!
Ninja Foodi Roast Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pound whole chicken
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
- ¾ cup hot water
- Ingredients for dry rub recipe or your own seasonings
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Clean chicken and pat dry. Set aside.
- Place garlic and water in Ninja Foodi pot.
- Sprinkle chicken generously with dry rub or own seasonings. Make sure to season the inside of chicken as well as under skin.
- Set Cook & Crisp Basket in pot and place chicken in basket breast side up.
- Assemble pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the SEAL position.
- Select PRESSURE and set to high for 23 minutes.
- When pressure cooking is complete, allow to natural release for 15 minutes. Carefully remove lid when pressure has been released.
- Brush chicken with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with a bit more seasoning.
- Close the crisping lid and AIR CRISP at 400º Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
- Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes and ensure its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes
- Proper Seasoning: Seasoning the chicken generously with your favorite dry rub or seasonings is key to imparting flavor throughout the meat. Don't forget to season both the exterior and interior of the chicken for a well-balanced taste.
- Moisture Enhancement: Placing crushed garlic cloves and hot water in the Ninja Foodi pot helps infuse the chicken with moisture and flavor during the pressure cooking process. This step contributes to juicy and succulent meat.
- Crispy Finish: To achieve a crispy and golden-brown exterior, brushing the chicken with melted butter before air-frying is crucial. This step not only adds richness but also aids in achieving that desired crispiness. Additionally, ensuring the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit guarantees it's fully cooked and safe to eat.
David Bewers
Absolutely delicious, simple and easy to prepare. Next time I will leave the second coating of rub off for the air crisper.
Shae
I still had water/liquid after I pressure cooker and honestly didn’t even look went right into air frying so when that part was done I noticed I still had the liquid in it. That won’t ruin the foodie will it? I’m assuming you usually don’t airfry with liquid in the pot still
Sara
The verdict is still out on whether liquid in the pot affects the air frying. It definitely won't ruin the Foodi. If your chicken turned out to your liking, I'd say go with it. If you feel it could have been more crispy, empty the liquid out before air frying next time.
Ace
Hey there! I love this recipe....but...I have a problem:
Your site on my phone keeps refreshing over and over. Every time I turn my phone sideways even it refreshes to the bottom of the page - requiring me to scroll back over all the ads to get to the recipe. Not fun when you have your phone out trying to *do* the recipe and you can't get to the recipe because it keeps refreshing (and with chicken gunk on your hands). I get want ad rev for your hard work~ But...can we please maybe look into the over refreshing?
Not a gripe - appreciate your hard work. Just....a little hard to get to the actual recipe.
Sara
Hi! I'm not sure why it would be doing that. Maybe try hitting the print button on the recipe card to see if that helps keep the recipe in one place for you! I'm on the site right now and it's not doing it for me.
John
It's your phone, not her site. Works just fine for me
Mary Cunningham
How about using chicken stock instead of water and then using it for gravy? Any reason not too? Do you absolutely need to dump the liquid? What happens if you don't?
Sara
You could use chicken stock, absolutely. With the Foodi, if you don't dump the liquid, many people feel like the meat does not crisp up as nicely. If the crisp-factor isn't a high priority, you can try air crisping without dumping the liquid and make the liquid into a gravy afterwards. Let us know how it turns out!
Dwhit
What do you do with the garlic water?
Sara
Dump it out before you air crisp.
Debbie Burke
My chicken I bought is closer to 5 lbs do I need to adjust the cooking time at all?
Sara
Hi Debbie, I'd pressure cook your chicken for 23 minutes and then take the temperature regularly during the air crisp process. It may not need to go the full time.
Guest
Hi Pam, do I take out the water on the pot before switching it to air crisp?
Sara
Hi! I think you're talking to me. LOL My name is Sara. And yes, I do usually remove the water now before switching to air crisp.
Pam Hanson
Can you cook a whole chicken in the 5-quart ninja foodi or do you need a bigger one
Sara
Hi Pam! The 5 quart Ninja Foodi will hold a 4 lb. chicken!
Pam Hanson
Thank you so much I was just thinking about buying one. treating the post here and it sounds great
pernille
i have a 6 pound chicken how much more time do i add?
Sara
I would pressure cook for closer to 30 minutes and use a digital thermometer to occasionally take the internal temperature when on air crisp.
art johnson
hi
I followed directions from internet for frozen chicken breast. Pressured cooked on hi for 12 minutes and then air fried for 4 minutes per side. Looked great but very tough and not very good. What did dId I do wrong. New to cooking
Sara
Hi Art! Did you do a natural release on them or quick release? If you released the pressure as soon as they were done, I would definitely try a natural release for at least 10 minutes before the manual quick release. If you quick release meat it can often get rubbery and tough. Hope this helps and makes sense!
Anonymous
When time was done on the crisper, the chicken temp was only at 145 F. What do you do if the chicken is not up to temp?
Sara
Continue to crisp and check the temp every 5 minutes or so.
Kate
Can you add veggies or potatoes to the bottom and would that change the recipe?
Sara
I've not tried adding veggies or potatoes to the bottom of the Foodi when making the chicken. The preparation would be a bit different. You could potentially add some root veggies like carrots with the potatoes on the bottom of the Ninja and then pressure cook that and the chicken for 23-25 minutes. Do a natural release. Then air crisp or broil for 8-10 minutes more.
Anonymous
I used your advice and didn't cook the chicken like the recipe with the ninja foodie said. Your recipe was great. Crispy and not dried out. Got it for Christmas and this was my first chicken. But not my last. Thanks
Sara
So glad to hear that! Thanks for leaving a comment! Enjoy your Foodi!
Darrell Phillips
Cooking the chicken right now. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Char
I am trying the roast chicken recipe. I have a Foodi and love it! A Christmas gift from my children. I’ve used it almost everyday.
Sara
I use mine almost every day too, Char. It's so much fun!