Today’s air fryer gourmet question is how to cook quail in air fryer.
Impress your friends and family with a dish that looks complicated but is so very easy to make, like a quail or veal cutlets! Below, we guide you through all the steps needed to prepare a delicious quail dish in your air fryer.
Why cook quail in an air fryer
Quail is a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron. In comparison, chicken has a lower density of these vitamins and minerals. Quail meat is also low in calories, coming out to 110 calories per 3 ounces when cooked. Overall, quail is a very nutritious protein that can help with bone and eye health, kidney function, and cell growth.
Cooking food in an air fryer is far healthier than deep frying or pan-frying it. Air fryers use little to no oil and cook food by circulating hot air inside the chamber. While baking might not give you the same crunch as frying, air fryers combine the best of both worlds by making your food crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. For example, a very popular dish that people make in the air fryer is chicken drumsticks, which turn out deliciously close to fried chicken minus the oil and excess calories. Quail meat cooks quickly in an air fryer (compared to pork belly for example), and the results are just as good as chicken. This recipe is sure to give you an amazing result!
Ingredients needed for quail in an air fryer
You do not need many ingredients to cook quail in an air fryer. On the contrary, simpler is usually better to let the unique taste of the quail meat shine. Your base spices should consist of salt, pepper, paprika, or red chili powder if you like spice, and various sauces depending on the taste you are trying to achieve. Some sauces that work well on a quail meat marinade are oyster sauce and soy sauce for an Asian-inspired dish or plum chutney and honey for something a little more fun yet hearty.
You can also massage some butter, minced garlic or garlic powder, onion powder, and lime onto quails before putting them in the air fryer. A dash of oil, preferably one that works best in an air fryer, also adds moisture and flavor to your quail.
You can complete the dish by adding garnishes like lime wedges, coriander, freshly cracked black pepper, and a homemade sauce to your cooked quail. These will also aid in the presentation and make the dish look appealing.
Ingredients needed:
Marinade:
- A few drops of oil
- One teaspoon salt
- A few cracks of fresh black pepper
- One teaspoon Paprika or red chili powder for spice
- One lime or lemon
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder (optional)
Condiments:
- A wedge of lime
- Coriander
- Soy or oyster sauce
- Plum chutney
How to cook quail in air fryer
Perhaps just as important as the actual cooking is the preparation. It is best to debone and spatchcock quail before you cook it to avoid dealing with tiny bones while eating.
Instructions on how to spatchcock and debone quail:
- To spatchcock your quail, use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut out the backbone and push the bird flat. This increases the surface area of the quail and cooks it faster.
- You can also trim off the neck and use it to make some delicious quail stock.
- Next, remove the wishbone and rib cage if you want your quail to be fully deboned. If not, you can leave these in.
How to cook the quail:
- Once you marinade your quail, let it rest for a while to allow the flavors to be soaked up. Quails are small birds, so you may be able to fit a few in your air fryer at one time.
- Lay them flat in a single layer and cook at 400 degrees F for 12-14 mins.
- Flip the quails halfway and add a few more drops of oil if necessary.
- Your quail is ready when it is golden brown and fragrant.
Tips to make this dish
Remember that quails cook fairly quickly, so be sure to check up on them and flip them after 7-8 minutes. They also need high heat to crisp up, and skin-on quails provide the best crunch. If you have access to a butcher or farm, buy your quails fresh from there rather than a grocery store for optimal taste.
Ideally, it would be best to serve quails with a side as they tend to be small and not too filling. Some popular options for side dishes are white rice, garden salads, and mashed or baked potatoes.
You can use any type of air fryer, but probably an air fryer oven is the most versatile for this dish.
Conclusion
So the question was how to cook quail in air fryer. Cooking quail in an air fryer is quick, easy, and healthy. It provides a different experience than the regular chicken and beef dishes you may regularly have, and is sure to wow your guests!
