Pollo Campero-Style Air Fryer Fried Chicken

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons sazón (homemade or store-bought)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

4 fresh limes, juiced

8 pieces skin-on, bone-in chicken (4 drumsticks, 4 thighs)

For the flour dredge:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon  adobo (homemade or store-bought)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For cooking chicken:

Nonstick cooking spray

Method

Prep and marinate the chicken:

In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, garlic, pepper, cumin, sazón, oregano, and lime juice. Pour into a gallon sized plastic zip-top bag. Add chicken and massage to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours.

Prepare the flour dredge: 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pepper, adobo, salt, cumin, and cayenne. 

Coat the chicken with the flour dredge:

Remove chicken from the refrigerator. Shake off excess marinade and scrape off any solids such as large granules of garlic. Dip the chicken pieces in the flour dredge and coat well. 

Let the chicken rest:

Transfer coated chicken pieces to a clean plate or wire rack with a sheet tray to rest for at least 10-15 minutes. 

Air-fry the chicken:

Spray the basket of an air fryer with non-stick cooking spray. Working in batches, depending on the size of the air fryer, place chicken pieces in the basket of the air fryer (it doesn't matter if the chicken is skin-side up or down). Be sure to avoid stacking or overlapping the chicken pieces and ensure that chicken pieces do not touch. 

Spray the chicken pieces lightly with non-stick cooking spray, making sure that there are no dry flour spots. 

Place the basket in the air fryer and turn the air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 20 minutes, then flip the fried chicken with tongs, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of chicken reaches ​​165°F.