This Mediterranean air fryer chicken is inspired by the rotisserie chicken at my favorite Lebanese restaurant and adapted for quick & easy weeknight dinners. It’s crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and, like my sumac-roasted chicken, it is ready in under an hour!
A QUICK LOOK AT THE RECIPE
- ⏲️Ready In: 40 minutes
- 👪Serves: 4
- 🍽 Calories and Protein:
- 📋 Main Ingredients: Chicken, sumac, garlic, olive oil, and spices.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: High-protein
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: It comes together with little to no hands-on time and is perfect for weeknights!
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5-Star Review
“Loved this recipe. So juicy and kid-approved!”
Why I love this Air Fryer Chicken Recipe
Beyond the reasons listed above, here’s why I love this recipe, and I know you will too:
- My kids love it-when your kids approve of a recipe and come back for seconds, you know it’s passed the test!
- It’s juicy & flavorful – Marinating, leaving the skin on, and using adequate spices lock in the juices and give the chicken tons of flavor.
- Quick & easy – No need to put on your oven or stand over a hot stove. Just pop marinated chicken-whole or cut-into the air fryer and let it do its magic.
- It’s healthy-One word: Mediterranean-inspired. Need I say more? Plus, it’s a whole lot better than store-bought rotisserie chicken, which is loaded with more than just chicken, spices, and oil.
- This recipe is also low-carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 compatible.
- It makes for great leftovers-perfect for wraps, sandwiches, or a salad for you or your school lunch boxes the next day.
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Key Ingredients
Chicken: Unlike most of my chicken recipes, you’ll need skin-on chicken for this recipe. This makes the chicken crispy and rotisserie-like, which is what we are aiming for here. While I buy most of my chicken at the halal meat store, for this recipe, I went to my local HEB and bought Crescent Halal whole or bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces.
I have tried this recipe with the whole bird and cut-up pieces. I find that a cut-up whole chicken is easier for weeknight dinners, but I would highly recommend making the whole chicken when entertaining for the wow factor. You can also use just thighs or just drumsticks. Adjust cooking time accordingly. Thigh meat tends to take a little longer than breast meat.
Spices: All the spices you’ll expect in a Mediterranean recipe – Rosemary, oregano, onion powder, garlic, paprika, and black pepper. If you can’t find rosemary, skip it or swap it for more oregano or Italian seasoning.
Olive oil: This makes the chicken tender and blends with the most mouth-watering drippings to drizzle over the final product.
Tomato paste: Just a tablespoon for that rich dark color.
Refer to the recipe card for detailed information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Air Fryer Mediterranean Chicken
- Step 1: Make the marinade.
- Step 2: Coat the chicken and leave it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 3: Lay the chicken pieces on the air fryer tray.
- Step 4: Airfry the chicken till fully cooked. Use the juices collected on the bottom tray to drizzle over the chicken and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- To get the juiciest chicken, the best time to take it out of the oven is at 160 ºF/71ºC and let it rest. The temperature keeps rising once it stops cooking (you want it at 165ºF/74ºC) and you end up with juicy chicken. This is especially good for chicken breast because it tends to dry out.
- You can store this chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat it in the air fryer or microwave.
What To Serve With Air-Fried Chicken
Air-fried asparagus, Turmeric rice, and a side salad would complete the meal. Make some garlic yogurt sauce (recipe coming soon!) as a condiment. Or try my Mediterranean-inspired Kale Salad for a heartier salad option.
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More Easy Chicken Dinners
If you try this Air Fryer Mediterranean Chicken recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
Air Fryer Mediterranean Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Air fryer The best one I've found that has multiple uses and is non-stick.
Ingredients
- 3 pound chicken skin on and bone in (*See notes)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (*See notes)
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
Make the marinade
- In a medium bowl, mix the olive oil, spices, and tomato paste with a whisk till fully incorporated. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces and prick with a fork to enable the marinade to seep through. Next, rub the chicken all over with the marinade, especially under the skin. Cover and put it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to cook, lay the chicken in the air fryer basket (* see note) and fry at 400ºF for 20 minutes, and then flip the pieces and air fry for another 15 minutes. The chicken is ready once the food thermometer reads 160ºF. Drizzle the chicken with the drippings collected in the tray under the airfryer basket and serve with rice or salad.
Notes
- I have tried this recipe with the whole bird and cut-up pieces. I find that a cut-up whole chicken is easier for weeknight dinners, but I would highly recommend making the full chicken when entertaining for the wow factor. You can also use just thighs or just drumsticks.
- Dried rosemary can be a bit annoying once cooked for those of us not used to using it often. One way to prevent that is by crushing it with your fingers or using a mortar pestle before adding it to the chicken.
- My brand of air fryer is a multi-purpose appliance that doubles as a toaster oven. The air fryer basket rests on a baking tray while in use. I line it with parchment paper for easy clean up, and it collects the yummy drippings from the chicken. This is what helps make the chicken even juicier when drizzled on top once ready to serve. If your air fryer is the pull-out basket variety, you can try this trick and see if it works.
Shah Zeeshan says
Loved this recipe. So juicy and kid-approved!