Air Fryer Cornish Hen

5 from 4 votes

You can cook cornish hen in the air fryer! Your air fryer cornish hen will have crispy skin and the most tender, juicy meat, with very little fuss.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

4 servings

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt, poultry seasoning and black pepper. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Remove the giblets if necessary and pat the cornish hens dry. Rub olive oil all over the cornish hens.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the cornish hens and cover both the inside and outside of the cornish hens.
Stuff the cavities of the hens with lemon wedges.
Place the cornish hens, breast side down, in the air fryer basket in a single layer. If needed, cook one cornish hen at a time.
Air fry at 380°F/190°C for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the cornish hen is golden and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C. Remove from the air fryer and let rest for 10 minutes. Discard the lemon wedges before serving.

Cornish hens are typically cooked two at a time, since two hens will comfortably serve 4 people. This recipe can be used to make just one cornish hen in the air fryer, simply cut all of the ingredients in half. Cooking more than 2 hens will require at least two rounds of air frying.
If your air fryer is too small to comfortably hold two cornish hens, only cook one at a time. You don't want them touching or overlapping.
Cornish hens are often sold frozen. Be sure to defrost them completely before starting this recipe. The best way is to leave them in the refrigerator overnight.
Instead of lemons, you can stuff the cavity of the bird with other citrus, or an onion. It's important to put something there to prevent the breast from collapsing as it cooks, plus it adds great flavor to the meat.
Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the "Air Fry" function.
Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes air frying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.

Have oven recipes that you’d like to convert to an air fryer recipe? Use our Air Fryer Calculator to help you estimate cooking times and temps! Calculator here: https://airfryereats.com/air-fryer-conversion-air-fryer-calculator/