One of the things I love about the Instant Air fryer Ovens is the rotisserie option.
One of the things I hate about the Instant Air Fryer Ovens is the rotisserie option. Or more specifically, the fact that you can only rotisserie food 4 pounds or less.
That’s not such a big deal when cooking pork or beef roasts because you can cut them to fit, but anyone who has tried doing rotisserie chicken knows that it is a HUGE problem. It is almost impossible to find a chicken that is 4 pounds or less and it is one of the biggest complaints I here from my readers. what I used to tell them was to just cook the chicken on the rack and then flip half way. But I always felt like that was such a cop out because even though it comes out delicious, it’s just not rotisserie.
So I decided to take up the challenge and I have to say, in the word of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady…… “By George I think she got it!!!”.
Here is a video that shows you step by step how to convert your large chicken, into a chicken you can rotisserie in your Instant Air Fryer Oven. Scroll down to get written step by step instructions with pictures.
You can use my affiliate link to buy the Instant Omni Plus on Amazon here:
or click below to buy the Instant Vortex Plus
How to Rotisserie a Chicken Over the 4 lb Limit
What You Need:
- 4+ lb Whole Chicken
- Sharp Knife
- Kitchen Shears (optional)
- Kitchen Twine
- Toothpicks
- 1 Onion (you can also choose a small potato or apple)
Rinse off your Chicken and remove any giblets that are inside the cavity.
Place the Chicken on a cutting board with the breast up and the keel bone facing you.
Using a sharp knife, cut the skin between the leg and the body of the chicken. Then pull the whole leg back to pop the thigh joint out. Use your knife cut in between the joint and separate the entire leg quarter.
Once you removed both leg quarters, use kitchen shear and cut 1/4 of the spine and cut off the wings. (this is optional but it will help make the chicken easier to truss).
Once you have trussed your chicken, insert the rotisserie skewer into the chicken. (It is easier to get the chicken, or really any protein, on the spit if you place a fork on one end before inserting into the chicken.)
Once you placed the Chicken on the spit, if you rotate it to test it out, you will notice that the weight is off balance due to removing the legs. To fix that, flip the Chicken breast side down and place 2 halves of an Onion (or you can use a potato or an apple) in the cavity.
Lift the flaps of Chicken skin up over the cavity and use toothpicks to close it. This will keep the onion from falling out.
Season your Chicken and the Leg Quarters and set aside.
Place a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the Instant Omni/Omni Plus/Vortex Plus. Make sure to cover the heating elements and then press down in the middle to create a bowl effect. place the Leg Quarters on the foil and then add the Rotisserie Spit. (Move the legs out of the way and to the side so that the Chicken on the spit doesn’t hit them as it turns.)
Cook on “ROAST” mode at 400 degrees F for 1 hour. (Make sure you do not use a mode where the bottom heating elements heat up. Click here for a guide that gives you details of each mode.)
Once the Chicken is done cooking, allow to rest in the oven for 5 mins before removing it.
Buen Provecho!
Wow, you must be a surgeon (besides the colour of the gloves; just had a throat abscess lanced and I swear those were the same gloves 😂😁😉) Sorry TMI. Having said that I think this is brilliant. Here in Vancouver B.C. I’m fortunate to find under 4 lb organic trussed chickens all the time. AND I am lucky not to have had any issues whatsoever with the Vortex Plus, but to cook larger birds for larger families, this is really the only way to go.
Haha, I ordered them on Amazon. I am a doctor, but not the cool kind, lol. Just the nerdy PhD, too many students loans and never really uses it, kind. Even here in the states it is really hard to find chickens smaller than 4 lbs. We grow them so big it can be frustrating. Glad I could help. 🙂
Great stuff on here. Just got my no and going to give this a whirl, but wondering since “roast” uses the bottom heating elements, want to be sure that won’t burn the thighs on bottom or the foil lining the bottom?
Hi. Thank you so much for the kind words. In the Omni, the bottom heating element does not turn on in Roast mode.
Thanks for the quick response!
Interesting, on mine it does. I’ve got the Omni plus, maybe that’s the difference? They do not turn on with “Air Fry”. Should I give it a go with that setting?
Ahhhh, yes the Omni Plus the Roast function uses both. The functions that only user top are Air Fry, Broil, Slow Cook, Proof, and Dehydrate.
Turned out perfect. Thanks for the pointers!!!
Oh I’m so glad!! And you are so welcome.
Just finished my first rotisserie chicken in my OMNI. It came out beautiful!
Bravo! Isn’t it amazing? It’s one of my family’s favorites.
This stripped my rotisserie and now the whole thing is useless
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you weigh the chicken after you cut off the legs? It has to weigh 4 lbs or under on the spit. If it weighed 4 lbs or under abs still broke the rotisserie than I would contact the company abs they should replace it. 4 lbs is the guidelines in the manual.
Can you please make video how to use rotisserie lift in omni plus, Thank you
Lana, how do you clean your omni after it gets splatters from the chicken? I tried oven cleaner and it didn’t do much on the sides.
Hi. First, I would not recommend heavy cleaners like oven cleaner. Usually if you wipe the sides down after cooking (of course once it is cooled) it should clean easily. If not I suggest Magic Eraser. If it’s really dirty with a lot of baked on grease, watch my video on deep cleaning. The worst thing to do is cook with a dirty oven. The more the grease gets baked on the harder it is to clean.
Thank you for the magic eraser tip I will try that out.
My answer to the 4 lb chicken is: switch to a lesser weight Cornish game hen. You can two of these on the spit. They are delicious; great for serving two people.
I’ve done game hens and they come out delish!