7/18/19

8 Instant VORTEX Air Fryer Rotisserie 101- Lemon Herb Chicken


Skip the store bought rotisserie chicken and make it yourself in an hour or less! Nothing is more mouthwatering than watching a chicken go round and round, basting in its own juices, turning dark golden brown and developing a crispy skin.

Rotisserie chicken is incredibly easy to make. The hardest part for me was trussing (tying) the chicken, and after watching a few videos, I felt comfortable wrestling the chicken and tying it down.

Here are all the tips and tricks I learned along the way! Watch my video or read for step by step directions.





1. Chicken Size 
Use a 4lb chicken or less, when using the Vortex rotisserie. If you use a larger chicken, one or both things can happen;
1. Your chicken will burn, as it is too close to the heating element, and
2. The black attachment holding your spit rod can crack and break. See photo below:

If you have a hard time finding a small chicken, you can roast up to a 5-6  lb chicken on the lower tray. You'll still get a fantastic oven roasted chicken.

I found my chickens over at Costco. They come two to a package and I had to sort through several to find one that was close to 8 lbs total.

2. Prep

  • Use a flat baking sheet or cutting board as your prep surface. This will keep contamination to a minimum and allow you to wash it afterwards. 
  • Check the cavity of your chicken for any parts (liver, neck, etc) and remove. Save these for chicken stock.
  • Do NOT rinse your chicken! Doing so will only spray chicken juices all over and in places you can't see. 
  • Place your chicken on your prep surface and pat it dry with some paper towels.
  • Trim any loose, fatty parts near the neck and tail. 

3. Season Cavity
Sprinkle some salt & pepper into the cavity or add some sprigs of rosemary and thyme. 
TIP: put a lemon, potato or onion in the cavity. Split it down the middle to accommodate the spit rod. This helps balance the chicken and give it additional flavor. 
OPTIONAL: loosen the skin on top of the breasts. Insert your choice of seasonings.
I used 1/2 recipe of the Herbed Turkey Breast recipe found here.

4. Truss (Tie) 
Trussing the chicken achieves two things. 
1. Keeps the chicken parts from flopping around and getting burned. 
2. Helps the chicken cook more evenly. 

5. Assemble
  • Secure the fork on one end of the spit rod, and screw it tight. You may want to watch a short demo of how to do this and practice it a few times before doing it with a chicken. 
  • Insert the spit rod into the tail end of the chicken, making sure it goes through the lemon and out through the neck and press the fork in between the chicken legs. 
  • Push the chicken down the rod, pressing the fork into the chicken and securing the screw.
  • Check to make sure the chicken is centered.
  • Roll the rod between your hands and make sure the chicken is balanced. 

6. Brush oil & Season
Oil makes the skin crispier than butter (which can burn). The oil will also help your seasonings stick.
Place the trussed chicken/spit over a large 9"-10" bowl. 
Turn the chicken, making sure it is fully coated and seasoned. 

7. Preheat the air fryer
Place the drip pan in in the bottom of the fryer.
Select ROAST - it will default to 380°F and 1:00 hour
Push the (+) (-) to adjust the time, if desired. 
I like to set it for 1 hour and check the internal temperature at 40 min. 
Push START. 
When the air fryer beeps and the display shows ADD FOOD, proceed to the next step.

8. Use Lift to insert chicken 
Using the lift attachment, pick up the chicken on the spit rod and insert it into the air fryer.
Press /hold the red lever towards the middle until you have your chicken all the way in.
Release the red lever and check to make sure the rod is securely in the black attachment. 

9. Watch
  1. Make sure the black attachment on the LEFT is latched onto the spit rod. If not, open the door and reattach the rod, following the directions in step 8. 
  2. Make sure the chicken is not touching the heating coil above or the trip tray below. If it's touching, remove the chicken from the rotisserie rod and use a tray instead. 

10. Temp, Rest & Carve
At the end of the cook time, place the lift under the spit rod and press/hold the red lever toward the middle to release. Place the chicken on a food safe plate or cutting board. Reserve the juices to make gravy, if desired. 
  1. Using an accurate food thermometer, take the temperature of your chicken. 
  2. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, making sure you do not touch the bone.
  3. Thighs should be 180°F and breasts at least 160°F.
  4. Cover your meat with foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This will allow the juices to be redistributed throughout the meat and be easier to carve. Meat can also go up 5-10°.

Carve your chicken, first removing the thighs, wings, then breast meat. Don't throw away the bones, or carcass - freeze it to make a delicious chicken stock. You can try this easy pressure cooker chicken stock recipe. 

Enjoy your delicious rotisserie chicken! 


print recipe

Lemon Herb Rotisserie Chicken - Instant Vortex Plus
Skip the store bought rotisserie chicken and make your own! Place a lemon, onion or small potato inside the cavity for balance & flavor. You can use any of your favorite seasonings, under the skin or on top. Use cooking oil, rather than butter, for an extra crispy skin.
Ingredients
  • 4 lb whole chicken, or smaller
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 whole lemon, split
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1.5  teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1.5 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 whole lemon, split
  • 3-4 feet 100% cotton butcher's twine
  • Medium sized bowl
Instructions
1. Prepare the chicken by removing any contents from its cavity, trimming any lose fat/skin, and patting it dry with a paper towel.2. Salt & pepper inside the cavity of the chicken; insert rosemary and thyme sprigs. Insert split lemon. *If desired, loosen the skin from the breast to place spices.3. In a small bowl, mix together: garlic, mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, oil, & lemon juice, to make a paste.4. Spread half of this mixture, under the loosened skin on both sides of the chicken breast.5. With the chicken on its back, center the cotton twine and truss the chicken as desired.6. Secure one rotisserie fork to one end of the spit rod.7. Insert the free end of the spit rod into the tail end of the trussed chicken, going through the lemon and out of the neck. Push the chicken down and secure the other fork to the spit rod. Check to make sure the chicken is centered and balanced by suspending it between your palms. 8. Set the chicken & rod over a 9"-10" bowl. Spread the rest of the paste mixture on all sides of the chicken. 9. Select ROAST on the Vortex air fryer. It will default to 380°F and one hour. When it displays ADD FOOD, use the lift accessory to pick up the chicken, open the door, and with your other hand, push/hold the red lever towards the center of the oven. Place the spit rod on the center metal slat as far as you can. Release the red lever and ensure that the spit rod CLICKS in place. 10. Watch the chicken rotate 360° and make sure it does not touch the drip pan or heating coils. Check the temperature at 40 minutes. Cook for additional time if necessary.
When cook time ends, open the door, push/hold the red lever towards the center, and use the lift accessory to remove the chicken onto a plate or cutting board. Test the internal temp by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching bone. Thigh should be at least 180°F and the breast at least 160°F. Cover chicken with aluminum foil and allow to rest 5-10 minutes. Carve and enjoy!
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: 1Yield: 4-5 servings

What? You have leftovers? Well, here are some recipes that you can use for your rotisserie chicken. You can skip the parts that call for cooking the chicken, since you already have delicious rotisserie chicken on hand!
Chicken Noodle Soup


8 comments:

  1. That looks SO GOOD!!! This makes me want this appliance!!! Thank you for the wonderful directions and video. Wish I was there to try this beautiful roasted chicken with you!!!

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  2. Unable to find a small chicken, I used a Cornish game hen and it was delicious! Definitely will be in my weekly dinner plan with the Vortex. Thanks for the great review and I look forward to more.

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  3. I just completed my first rotisserie chicken, and it turned out amazing, thanks to your video! I used a Phillip's screw driver, stabbed a hole in the lemon, and put the spit rod right through it, and it worked like a charm! Thank you for the tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hooray! I'm glad you found my video helpful. Your idea to use a screwdriver is brilliant... thanks for sharing it!🙂

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  4. We just got lucky and found a fresh chicken at a butcher less than 4 lbs. It was 15$ lol. But the chicken was divine!!. Any other places you can recommend finding smaller chickens? (Hubs doesnt care too much for cornish hens)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! I never knew that fresh chicken could be that expensive. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I found my chickens at Costco (of all places), but I'm sure you can go to a whole foods or organic market and find smaller chickens.🙂

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  5. Cooked my first using your recipe came out perfect 🥰 💞 👌

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!🙂
      Frieda

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