This Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Cornish Hen recipe is crispy, buttery, and perfectly seasoned on the outside with a juicy, tender inside. The potatoes are also nicely seasoned and develop a crispy outside with a pillowy, fluffy inside. It’s PERFECTION!
An Air Fryer Cornish Game Hen is a perfect weeknight dinner because it’s so easy to make and it’s practically a ‘one pan’ dinner!
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Air Fryer Cornish Hen with potatoes is an easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients Needed:
Cornish hen – One large hen (approximately 2 lbs) will feed two people, or one very generously with leftovers. The difference between a regular chicken and a Cornish Game Hen is a regular chicken is usually at least double the size (and weight) of a Cornish hen.
Baby (creamer) potatoes – I used tri-color baby potatoes, but use what you have. If you have no new/baby potatoes on hand, use regular potatoes and simply cut up into large chunks approx. 2” in diameter.
Basting Butter – This is just a mixture of butter and herbs/seasonings that I explain to you how to make. It’s to baste the hen as it’s air frying to add even more flavor and crispiness.
Oil – Just a little is needed to coat the potatoes for crispiness and so the seasonings stick. Any cooking oil you have on hand is fine here.
Seasonings – Just a few seasonings are needed here, but if you don’t have what I used on hand, feel free to use your favorite seasonings!
How Long Should I Air Fry my Cornish Hen?
I cooked my 1.5lb Cornish hen for about 30 minutes all combined (stopping to flip and baste the chicken in between).
A complete printable recipe with specific amounts, instructions, and handy notes is at the bottom of this page for your reference.
Can I just Air Fry a Cornish Hen from Frozen?
Air frying the hen from frozen won’t work well because the outside of the bird will burn by the time the inside came to temperature.
Also, cooking the potatoes would need to be done separately because the potatoes would be obliterated if pressure cooked along with the hen when it was frozen.
If you wanted to cook the hen from frozen, I would pressure cook the hen instead, as Melanie from Melanie Cooks did, and then air crisp at the end for a tasty, crispy skin.
Storing the Leftovers:
If there’s leftover chicken, it will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days. The potatoes (if kept separate from the chicken) will be good for up to a week.
You can freeze the entire thing in a freezer-safe container for up to a month.
Handy Tips and Tricks:
A really good meat thermometer makes this job SO MUCH EASIER. This is similar to the kind I use and it’s awesome because it’s a digital read and in my opinion, more accurate than the regular dial type of thermometer.
Remember when cooking any poultry, you want an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s best to check the temperature as you go because some air crispers run a bit hotter (or colder) than other brand names.
This recipe doesn’t make a gravy-like my other recipe, Ninja Foodi Roasted Chicken does, but it’s easy enough to make one! You can always make a chicken gravy by thickening some bone broth and seasonings, with a cornstarch slurry, or you can use a commercial gravy packet for ease and convenience.
Heck, you could even double the basting butter recipe (which can be made well ahead of time, incidentally) and brush a little extra onto the meat and potatoes on the plate.
Favorite Sides for my Cornish Hen that’s Air Fried
- 3 Minute Maple Cinnamon Carrots
- Orange Pecan Roasted Broccoli
Thank you so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today! If you’ve tried this recipe, or you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I’ll answer you personally as soon as I can! Have a wonderful day!!
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Cornish Hen
Yield: 1 hen with potatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Crispy skin and juicy, tender meat, this air fryer cornish game hen is perfect for two! The potatoes are perfectly seasoned, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside!
Ingredients
- 1 Cornish game hen, (thawed), 1.5 lb
- 1.5 lbs baby potatoes (see options in Notes below)
- For the Basting Butter:
- ⅓c Butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon parsley (1 teaspoon fresh if you have it)
- as desired, salt and pepper
- For the Potatoes:
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- as desired, Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Pat the hen dry very very well with paper kitchen towels. Season the inside of the bird with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the butter and the seasonings for the basting butter listed above. With a butter knife or clean hands, take HALF the butter mixture and spread it over the entire hen.
- In a bowl, place the potatoes, oil, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Toss well to distribute oil and seasonings.
- Place the hen, BREAST DOWN in the crisping basket. Sprinkle the potatoes around the hen. Place inside the bowl liner insert in the Ninja Foodi.
- Set the Foodi on 'Air Crisp' at 350F for 10 minutes and close the lid.
- After ten minutes is up, carefully flip the hen over so it's breast side up. (I used a set of tongs to flip it over).
- Air fry for another 10 minutes and then check on the hen. The potatoes should be getting crispy. Move some of the potatoes around to help in even cooking, and use the remaining butter mixture to baste the chicken.
- Air fry for another 10 minutes.
- When finished air frying, the temperature at the thigh should be 165F. Turn the unit off and close the lid. Let the hen rest 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the crisping basket and then using the tongs, remove the chicken carefully from the basket. Cut in half down the breast bone through to the back to separate into halves. Serve with the potatoes and enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have all the seasonings listed, feel free to use something like an all purpose seasoning, or even a Montreal Steak Seasoning would be delicious.
If you don't have baby/creamer potatoes, use larger potatoes and cut them into 2' pieces, leaving the skin on.
It's important to have the chicken patted as dry as possible for the butter to spread nicely.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1533Total Fat: 100gSaturated Fat: 38gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 54gCholesterol: 526mgSodium: 790mgCarbohydrates: 74gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 85g
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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