How Long to Cook Cornish Hen in Air Fryer

How long to cook cornish hen in air fryer or crisp Ninja Foodi cornish hens so these mini chickens get crispy skin and tender meat inside. Perfect individual serving that’s packed with protein and tastes amazing cooked this way.

Air Fryer Cornish Hen Frozen Time

If yours is still rock hard I would suggest pressure cooking and then air crisp in a Foodi. If you don’t have that machine you still can do it by starting at 200 degrees F for 17 minutes or until mostly defrosted. Increase temp to 360 F, spray with olive oil and season. Crisp for 15 minutes. Turn over, spray, season and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until 165 F inside.

How Long to Cook Cornish Hen in Air Fryer at 350

I suggest using a lower temperature of 350 degrees F for 35 minutes so the meat is as tender as possible. If you do want the skin to be crispier you can turn the heat up with a spray of olive oil for that. With this method you get the ideal texture inside and out.

NO need to fry to get this yummy texture outside. Just use this or your own dry rub to amp up the flavor up. Then the chicken skin is crispy with a ton of flavor. That is the only way I enjoy eating it.

Of course you can make smaller pieces like air fryer leg quarters or even frozen chicken wings. But these whole birds are just so “cute”! I mean you can eat the entire thing yourself for a really healthy meal.

How Long to Cook 2 Cornish Hens in Air Fryer

You can find these babies at your local grocery store. They’re typically wrapped tightly in brightly colored wrappers, sold individually but many times in pairs of 2 together. If you’re at Costco they can be sold in bulk. Two is perfect for a couple and will take the same timing as just one, about 35 minutes.

They look like baby chickens really, and they are. Categorized as less than 5 weeks old and less than 2 pounds each, you may have been intimidated to try them but shouldn’t be. Treat it the same way really. You can bake, smoke, or now cook them in your Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or other brand. If you chose to use our chicken marinade that would be wonderful too.

One of the most important tips is to make sure you spray the basket with non stick spray though. If not you’ll regret seeing all that wonderfully crisp skin stick and stay on the bottom only to be scraped off and discarded. This time a simple mix of seasonings were used. Just throw them together and sprinkle all over the bottom and top. A bit of olive or vegetable oil on the outer skin will help it to stick nicely.

Do you wash mini chickens before cooking?

That is the big debate right?? Some say you’ll spread bacteria if you rinse poultry, I do so quickly. So long as you aren’t splashing it all around your countertop I feel safe and like to get the juices off the outside.

Tip: Whether you rinse or not it is a good idea to pat it dry on the outside with paper towels. Especially when air frying you don’t want moisture on the skin or it won’t become like really crispy like air fryer fried chicken.

I use olive oil for everything when cooking, baking I use vegetable. This is used to get the seasonings to stick. If you want it really really crisp just spray more on at the very end. Works like a charm. Here are a few step by step photos so you can see how these were done.

Of course timing may vary slightly depending on the size you have. 20 minutes is good if you’re just going to pressure cook it. Add air crisp and 17 min. is a bit better at the beginning. If making Slow Cooker Cornish Hens you may want to crisp at the end too.

Some refer to these as Cornish game hens, the same thing. If you don’t want to do the additional steps to make your own rub you could use ready made. Dry poultry rub is pretty good and made by one of my favorite brands.

How to Cook Cornish Game Hens in Air Fryer

1. Rinse outsides and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Brush olive oil on underside and tops and brush inside of your air fryer basket too.
3. In a bowl mix seasonings together, or use favorite seasonings of choice. Rub mixture on all sides of one or both of them until it’s all gone.
4. Place them in the basket with breast side facing down.
5. Cook at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes total. Flip them over to make breast side facing up after 25 minutes of cook time.
   • timing will vary from 30 minutes to 40 minutes depending on how large they are
6. When done check internal meat temperature in thickest part with a meat thermometer to ensure it reaches 165 degrees F. Remove and let sit and rest for 5 minutes before slicing or consuming.

One usually served 1 – 2 people depending on how hungry or large they are. My girls can share one and it is the perfect size, my husband needs his own.

Always check temp. at the end. If it is not high enough cook for an additional 3-4 minutes and check again. Overall air fried cornish hens are a super easy one pot meal done in under 45 minutes flat. We serve them with air fryer broccoli, asparagus in air fryer or homemade air fryer biscuits.