Can you cook Chicken & Chips together in air fryer

Its difficult to time chicken and chips in an air fryer, especially when time and temperature of them both can be hugely different, but there's always a middle ground.

Air fry any chicken portions, including chicken drumsticks, thighs, legs to half-chicken, to the recommended temperature for oven cooking on the packaging - reducing time by 10 minutes. With 15 minutes remaining on the timer, you can add a reasonable portion of chips to the basket, to air fry both together.

Not quite as straightforward as cooking chicken and chips together, when there are perhaps thousands of ways to cook many different types of chips and chicken varieties.

I can tell you, what the temperature of your air fryer must be, should really be set to the temperature what is suggested for your chicken portions, whatever that may be.

In this case, I decided to air fry five chicken drumsticks which were prepared fresh, and marinated in a BBQ sauce.

Chicken drumstick packaging suggested 355°F/180°C, with a 35 minute oven cooking time, of which I knew air frying would take 25 minutes only. I now know the total cooking time in the air fryer, is just 25 minutes.

Chips will take far less time than the drummies - perhaps 10 minutes or so - and therefore I knew these generic but tasty TESCO Homestyle Straight Cut Oven Chips can be air fried alongside the drumsticks, for approximately 15 minutes.

To air fry chicken and chips together in the air fryer then, would need 25 minutes for the chicken drumsticks - with 15 minutes for the frozen chips. Drumsticks will begin air frying first, whilst a reasonable portion of chips will join the drumsticks 10 minutes later.

Timing is everything, of which you would hope both chicken and chips will be ready at the exact same time.

Let me warn you, its OK for the fully cooked chicken drumsticks to be cooked too early; chips don't sit well at room temperature, and will quickly go cold with a chewy texture if you end up waiting on the drumsticks to cook through.

I can tell you, whilst these chicken drumsticks were fresh, the chips are cooked from frozen, but none of that matters.

Air frying cooking technique will involve separating the chicken - marinated or not - in parchment paper, so any fat/grease plus marinade, won't make a mess of the chips. Bear in mind, the chips could go soggy if allowed to air fry in access fat and grease.

Prepare Chicken

First stage of air frying chicken and chips will begin by making a cut-to-size parchment paper nest, which is a divider for the chicken to stop access fat/grease and marinade, from messing up the chips - which can lead to a soggy mess.

• STEP 1: Preheat air fryer: 5 minutes - Chicken should air fry from a hot air fryer, as a cold start would effect the timing
• STEP 2: Cut lining to fit around Chicken - Shape a piece of parchment paper around your group of chicken portions, before adding it all to a hot air fryer basket

• STEP 3: Position Chicken to one-side of air fryer basket - Place the chicken whilst sitting on parchment paper with elevated edges, to one side of the basket
• STEP 4: Carefully close basket - Basket can now be closed ready to air fry the chicken only

NOTE: Make a parchment paper divider prior to air frying with cold chicken sat inside - in this case it was five drumsticks - which will sit on either side of the air fryer basket. It must be positioned in a way which you can conveniently rotate/turn the chicken.

How to cook Chicken & Chips in air fryer

It can be a simple case of placing the chicken in the air fryer, and letting it go for 10 minutes. I will say in this time, its important to rotate/turn the chicken once in a while; with emphasis on the skin facing up to crisp it up in the 25 minute air frying time.

• STEP 1: Set temp: 355°F / 180°C; time to 25 minutes - Temperature replicates chicken oven cooking temp, with the oven time reduced by 10 minutes
• STEP 2: Cook Chicken for 10 minutes - In the meantime, I allowed the chicken drumsticks to air fry, although I did rotate the drumsticks 2-3 times in this period

• STEP 3: Add frozen Chips to outside of lining - With the available space - about half the air fryer basket capacity - pile in a reasonable amount of chips, being careful to use a single later of chips only
• STEP 4: Cook both together while shaking Chips frequently - for the final 15 minutes, the chips will need to be mixed about with tongs, because the presence of the chicken, will prevent you freely tossing the chips about

NOTE: Not possible to shake/toss frozen chips whilst sharing a basket with chicken portions, of which you will have to use a pair of tongs to mix the chips around as best as you can - although remember, the best way to air fry chips is to frequently shake.

Keep Chicken and Chips separate

I can't emphasis the need to keep both chicken and chips separate as they cook in your air fryer, because sharing a basket could be catastrophic in regards to texture.

Chicken isn't going to be effected at all, but the chips can end up being a soggy mess, if allowed to be air fried in a mix of chicken grease, fat and marinade.

You can air fry chicken and chips together, along with an additional item if you like, but chips and chicken must be kept apart.

Go for a cut-to-size piece of parchment paper, for the very reason; if your chicken portions have skin included, the skin cannot stick to the baking paper. Chicken skin does have a tendency to adhere to foil, which is why it isn't good to use it for this purpose.

To make the parchment paper divide, cut and fold it in a way it takes up only half the space available in the air fryer basket.

Remember, you need space left to air fry a decent portion of chips, so you don't want the chicken using up too much of it. In addition, fold the elevated edges of the parchment paper, which will help to keep them facing up. Only towards the end of the air frying process, can both chicken and chips cook together for a few minutes.

Summary

While I am air frying both marinated chicken drumsticks and frozen chips together, of course you may have a completely different idea of what chicken and chips should look like.

Don't worry, the procedure I have outlined here will apply to all types of chicken portions, be it legs, wings, breasts or thighs - plus any chips which I presume you will favour the frozen kind - which do air fry better than chilled chips.

Here's how to air fry chicken and chips together. Simply air fry at the temperature suggested on the chicken packaging, intended for the oven.

You will also copy the oven cooking time, reducing it by 8-10 minutes. Air fryers cook faster, thus the reduced cooking time is vitally important.

In my case the packaging suggested 35 minutes, but really only needed 25 minutes for the bony chicken drumsticks.

For the chips, they will air fry in about 15 minutes, which will be no good if both are cooked at the same time.

Chips then will be added to your air fryer - alongside your chicken of your choice - for the final 15 minutes of the air frying time.

Chicken must be kept separated from your chips to stop them going soggy, which is why the chicken must be divided in parchment paper.

Air fry at a temperature of 355°F/180°C, or the temperature featured for your own chicken oven cooking instructions. Chips normally like a higher temperature, and can cook quite fast, but whatever you do - always make sure the chicken is cooked prior to the chips - to stop the chips going cold and soggy whilst waiting for the chicken to cook.

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