For an easy barbeque without the need to fire up the grill, why not try this tasty air fryer barbeque chicken? With only 10 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes in the air fryer, you can have deliciously juicy barbeque chicken on your table in no time!
This is my tried and (extensively) tested recipe for barbeque chicken with a delicious chutney glaze, which I've adapted to make in the air fryer.
We've just returned from a mid-week break to the seaside, and true to form, the British weather didn't play the game. Luckily, it was quite warm and surprisingly, it didn't rain. Unfortunately, though, our plans for enjoying an outdoor barbeque were thwarted by the strong wind that blew all week! Fortunately, I'd had the foresight to pack my air fryer, so we had air fryer barbeque chicken in the kitchen instead!
The recipe starts with a quick par-boil of the chicken in a tangy homemade marinade made from tomato ketchup, chutney and Worcestershire sauce. If you prefer a bit of heat, you could add a touch of cayenne pepper too. The par-boiling not only gives the chicken a head start in the cooking process but ensures that it stays juicy and succulent in the air fryer. In addition, the chutney in the marinade gives the chicken a deliciously sweet yet savoury glaze!
Once the chicken has been par-boiled, you can either leave it to stand in the marinade until you are ready to cook it or transfer the chicken pieces directly into the air fryer. I normally air fry the chicken for 8 minutes, skin side up, then dip the chicken pieces into the marinade and fry them for a further 5 minutes, skin side down. Finally, I turn it skin side up again, and give it another 2 to 3 minutes, just to crisp the skin.
Chicken cooked in this way in the air fryer is beautifully succulent, and almost as good as it would have been if cooked over the coals.
The best part? You can enjoy a barbeque any night of the week in only half an hour! I like to serve this chicken with a side of potato salad, coleslaw or beetroot salad, and slices of crusty bread. However, it would be equally good served as a roast with your favourite potato recipe (try these butter-roast potatoes) and freshly steamed vegetables.
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Recipe information
Prep time: 12 minutes - 2 minutes to mix the marinade and 10 minutes to par-boil the chicken.
Cooking time: Approximately 15 minutes in the air fryer. The actual cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces. I used thighs - drumsticks will cook in slightly less time.
Yield: 8 pieces of barbeque chicken
Ingredients for air fryer barbeque chicken
**You can find the exact ingredient quantities for making this barbeque chicken in your air fryer on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**
- Chicken pieces - you can use either chicken thighs, drumsticks or a combination of both. Take the cooking time into consideration if you use a mixture of cuts. Drumsticks cook in less time than thighs, so you might want to remove the drumsticks from the air fryer a few minutes early.
Note - you can make this recipe with boneless or bone-in thighs. However, I do recommend getting thighs with the skin on as this helps prevent the chicken from drying out in the air fryer and also turns lovely and crispy once browned.
Marinade
- Tomato ketchup - plain old tomato sauce. I normally make the marinade when hubby isn't around because his pet hate is tomato ketchup. But as long as he doesn't see what goes into the marinade, he's more than happy to scoff a huge helping of this chicken 🙂 !
- Chutney - this is a South African recipe, so of course I'm using good old Mrs Balls chutney. You can buy it at South African shops, and of course from Amazon. However, take care on Amazon - I've seen bottles for over £10 and the same size bottles for a much more reasonable £2.59. That said, you could use any fruity chutney for this recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce - this adds a savoury flavour but can also be quite salty so take care when seasoning the marinade.
- Salt - I find with Lee and Perrins Worcestershire sauce (UK brand), that a half teaspoon of salt is ample.
- Oil - this is any neutral-flavoured cooking oil. I've been making this marinade for years, and I always add a splash of oil. Thinking about it, the fat in the chicken skin will render as the chicken boils in the marinade, so the oil might not be necessary. Note to self - make it without oil and see!
- Water - not too much, just sufficient to combine with the rest of the marinade ingredients so it will cover the chicken.
Instructions for air fryer barbeque chicken
Step 1: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a saucepan large enough to hold the pieces of chicken.
Step 2: Submerge the chicken in the marinade.
Step 3: Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to a strong simmer and leave (covered) for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up in the air fryer drawer.
Step 5: Cook on 180C / 360F for 8 minutes.
Step 6: Use a pair of tongs to take each piece of chicken and dip it into the marinade. Replace the chicken skin-side down and cook at the same temperature for a further 5 minutes.
Step 7: Turn the chicken back to skin side up and cook at the same temperature for a final 2 to 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your air fryer barbeque chicken always turns out perfectly:
- Use sufficient water in the marinade to cover the chicken. The actual amount will depend on both the size of the pan and the number of chicken pieces you are making. If you need to add more than one cup of water, adjust the quantities of tomato ketchup, chutney and Worcestershire sauce to compensate.
- Do not boil the chicken for more than 10 minutes, or it will start to fall off the bone.
- You can leave the par-boiled chicken to stand in the marinade until you are ready to put it in the air fryer. If you are making this in advance, allow the chicken and marinade to come to room temperature, then store the pan of pre-boiled chicken in the refrigerator.
- When air frying the chicken, cook it skin side up for the first few minutes, then turn it and cook for a few minutes longer. Finally, turn it skin-side up and cook for another few minutes until the skin crisps up.
Variations
There are a few ways in which you could alter the flavour profile of this recipe:
- Garlic - add a teaspoon of garlic granules to the marinade.
- Spicy - add cayenne pepper to your own taste into the marinade.
- Herby - add a teaspoon of dried herbs (or a tablespoon of freshly chopped herbs). Rosemary and thyme are particularly good with chicken.
Equipment
You will need an air fryer! Although that said, this chicken is delicious when cooked over the coals on a barbeque (or braai)! See this recipe for more details - barbeque chicken South African style.
This recipe is suitable for any make of air fryer (oven-style or basket).
You will also need a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken and marinade.
A pair of tongs will make it easy to turn the chicken in the air fryer.
Storage and freezing
Leftover chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is great when sliced and served cold on sandwiches, or it can be warmed in the microwave or air fryer for a couple of minutes.
I wouldn't recommend freezing the air-fried chicken; however, the chicken in the marinade can be frozen. Simply transfer the marinade and (cooled) par-boiled chicken to a suitable freezer container (a large ziploc bag would be ideal) and freeze for up to three months. To use, allow the chicken to defrost in the refrigerator and then air fry it according to the recipe instructions.
FAQ
Yes, the chicken can be prepared in advance. Par-boil the chicken in the marinade, allow it to cool, then transfer the pan of chicken to the refrigerator. If you intend to take the chicken to a potluck or family barbeque, simply pack the pan into the car and cook the chicken over the coals when you get there.
You could also store the par-boiled chicken in the pan in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and transfer it to the air fryer when you are ready to cook it.
Don’t throw away the marinade once you've par-boiled the chicken – it’s packed with flavour and can be turned into a delicious sauce! Just strain it to remove any bits (optional), then boil it rapidly for 5–10 minutes to make sure it's completely safe to eat. Once reduced, it makes a tasty glaze to drizzle over the cooked chicken or a dipping sauce on the side.
You can even freeze it after boiling – just let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. It's a great way to cut down on waste and get even more flavour from this easy recipe.
Do not freeze it for a second time!
I have allowed 2 large chicken thighs per person. For larger appetites or small pieces of chicken (such as drumsticks), you might want to allow 3 pieces.
Save for later
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Related recipes
Visit my chicken and poultry recipes page for other ideas with chicken. Here are a few chicken air fryer recipes that you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Air fryer barbeque chicken - with chutney glaze
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Saucepan to par-boil the chicken in the marinade
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons fruit chutney
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce or ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or other vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a saucepan large enough to hold the pieces of chicken.2 tablespoons fruit chutney, 2 tablespoons tomato sauce or ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons sunflower or other vegetable oil, ½ cup water, ½ teaspoon salt
- Submerge the chicken in the marinade.8 chicken thighs
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to a strong simmer and leave (covered) for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- You can allow the chicken to stand in the marinade until you are ready to air-fry it. If making in advance, store the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator.
- Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up in the air fryer drawer.
- Cook on 180C / 360F for 8 minutes.
- Use a pair of tongs to take each piece of chicken and dip it into the marinade. Replace the chicken skin-side down and cook at the same temperature for a further 5 minutes.
- Turn the chicken back to skin side up and cook at the same temperature for a final 2 to 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy.
Notes
- Use sufficient water in the marinade to cover the chicken. The actual amount will depend on both the size of the pan and the number of chicken pieces you are making. If you need to add more than one cup of water, adjust the quantities of tomato ketchup, chutney and Worcestershire sauce to compensate.
- Do not boil the chicken for more than 10 minutes, or it will start to fall off the bone.
- You can leave the par-boiled chicken to stand in the marinade until you are ready to put it in the air fryer. If you are making this in advance, allow the chicken and marinade to come to room temperature, then store the pan of pre-boiled chicken in the refrigerator.
- When air frying the chicken, cook it skin side up for the first few minutes, then turn it and cook for a few minutes longer. Finally, turn it skin-side up and cook for another few minutes until the skin crisps up.
- Leftover chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is great when sliced and served cold on sandwiches, or it can be warmed in the microwave or air fryer for a couple of minutes.
- I wouldn't recommend freezing the air-fried chicken; however, the chicken in the marinade can be frozen. Simply transfer the marinade and (cooled) par-boiled chicken to a suitable freezer container (a large ziploc bag would be ideal) and freeze for up to three months. To use, allow the chicken to defrost in the refrigerator and then air fry it according to the recipe instructions.
- Don’t throw away the marinade once you've par-boiled the chicken – it’s packed with flavour and can be turned into a delicious sauce! Just strain it to remove any bits (optional), then boil it rapidly for 5–10 minutes to make sure it's completely safe to eat. Once reduced, it makes a tasty glaze to drizzle over the cooked chicken or a dipping sauce on the side.
- You can even freeze the marinade after boiling – just let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. It's a great way to cut down on waste and get even more flavour from this easy recipe.
- Do not freeze it for a second time!
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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