I bought the Cosori TurboBlaze for ~$85 on Prime Day, and I've since bought three more as gifts. For chicken specifically, it's the machine I trust with my HungryMan's dinner every single time. But browning is a liar, and I've cut into enough "gorgeous" thighs to know that crispy skin doesn't mean cooked through.
Related: How To Make Crispy Fries In An Air Fryer
The Cosori TurboBlaze is the best air fryer for chicken I've tested, because it holds temperature within 5 degrees of the set point, the ceramic coating makes post-chicken cleanup a 30-second job, and the preheat feature actually works so skin crisps instead of steaming.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer, 9-in-1, 6 Qt, PFAS-Free Ceramic Coating
Seven minutes. That's how long it takes to reheat fried chicken in this thing, and it comes out better than when he bought it...
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Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, 8 Qt DualZone, 6-in-1, Grey, DZ201
The DualZone is the machine I recommend when you're cooking for more than two.
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Typhur Sync 8QT AI Smart Air Fryer with Built-in Wireless Meat Thermometer
"It's a good option if you plan to prepare full meals in your air fryer, with a wide range of temperature settings and fan speeds. It also comes with a temperature probe that you can use to cook meat
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Ninja Air Fryer Pro, 5 Qt, 4-in-1, Grey, AF141
This one sits between the budget Chefman and the premium Typhur.
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Chefman Air Fryer – 6 QT Compact Airfryer for Quick & Easy Meals in Minutes, Features Hi-Fry Technology for Extra Crisp, Touchscreen Controls with 4 Presets, Nonstick & Dishwasher Safe Basket - Black
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal, and it's a solid budget option.
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Cuisinart Air Fryer, Glass Basket & ClearView Window, 5 Functions, 4 Qt
"It's a good option if you plan to prepare full meals in your air fryer, with a wide range of temperature settings and fan speeds. It also comes with a temperature probe that you can use to cook meat
Visit on Amazon →How I test chicken
Every machine goes through the same battery. The chicken thigh crisp test: skin crackling, meat cooked through to 165°F, no pink at the bone. The frozen fry test for wings and tenders. The cake test for hot spots, because if a machine scorches one side of a cake, it's scorching one side of your chicken too.
And then 30 days of daily use, because a machine that nails week one and falls apart by week three is a machine I need to know about.
The Cosori TurboBlaze
Seven minutes. That's how long it takes to reheat fried chicken in this thing, and it comes out better than when he bought it fresh. The skin crackles, the meat stays juicy, and it tastes like Sunday dinner at my mom's house. Takes me back every single time.
I've cooked more chicken in this machine than I can count. Whole thighs, drumsticks, wings, breasts, even a whole spatchcocked bird that just barely fit. The preheat feature actually works, which matters more than you'd think.
I set it to 380°F, let it preheat, and by the time it beeps the basket is ready. No guessing, no waiting for the temperature to drift up while my chicken sits there steaming.
The temperature accuracy is the real story. I've tested machines that run 25 degrees hot and ruin half the meals I cook in them. This one holds within 5 degrees of the set point. That's the difference between skin that crisps and skin that burns while the inside stays raw.
I check with a thermometer every time, and the Cosori is the only machine I've used where the readout and the actual temperature agree.
Cleanup is where this thing wins for daily use. Chicken skin sticks to cheap baskets. It fuses to them. I've scrubbed baskets until my wrists ached. The ceramic coating on the TurboBlaze releases even melted cheese with ease. A quick soak, a wipe, done. The basket is dishwasher-safe too, though I rarely bother because it's easy peasy by hand.
The complaints are real though. Small food items like fries slip between the grates. I've lost more than a few tater tots to the bottom of the basket, where they burn and smoke and make a mess. For chicken this barely matters, but if you're doing a batch of wings, some of the smaller pieces will find their way down. A liner with magnetic strips fixes it, and I'll get to that.
The Ninja DZ201 Foodi DualZone
The DualZone is the machine I recommend when you're cooking for more than two. Two baskets means chicken in one, taters in the other, dinner done at the same time instead of in shifts. The MLE function is genuinely clever, it matches the cook times so both baskets finish together.
But it's loud. My old air fryer was so loud I had to check if it was even on when I bought the Cosori, and the Ninja is the opposite. I can hear it from the living room. The baskets are bulky too, and when they're full of hot chicken they're heavy to maneuver. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's a daily reminder that this is a bigger machine than most kitchens need.
For chicken specifically, it does the job. The two baskets mean you can do wings in one and thighs in the other at different temperatures. That's a real advantage when you're cooking for picky eaters. But you'll still flip everything halfway through, and the temperature accuracy is fine, not exceptional. I measured it running about 8 degrees hot on average.
The price is the other issue. At ~$180, it's more than twice the Cosori. If you're cooking for two, the extra basket isn't worth it. If you're feeding a family, it might be exactly what you need.
The Typhur Sync 8QT
This is the smart one. The built-in wireless thermometer means you set your target temperature, 165°F for thighs, and the machine tells you when it's done. No cutting into chicken to check for pink at the bone. No guessing. It's the closest thing to a small miracle I've seen in a kitchen appliance.
The problem is the price. At ~$300, it's a serious investment. The thermometer is genuinely useful, I used it every day during my 30-day trial, and it never once gave me a false reading. The cake test revealed even heat distribution, no hot spots, which is rare. If you cook a lot of chicken and you're tired of dry breasts and raw thighs, this machine eliminates the guesswork entirely.
But I have a ~$15 instant-read thermometer that does the same job. The Typhur is the machine I'd buy if I had the budget and wanted to be spoiled. For most people, the Cosori plus a cheap probe gets you 90% of the way there for a third of the price.
The Ninja Air Fryer Pro AF141
This one sits between the budget Chefman and the premium Typhur. At ~$110, it's a solid mid-range option that handles chicken well. The 5-quart basket is big enough for a family meal, and the simple controls mean my 87-year-old mom could figure it out on day one.
The catch is the lack of preheat. I noticed it immediately. Without a preheat cycle, the machine spends the first few minutes of cooking just getting up to temperature, which means your chicken is steaming before it starts crisping. I compensated by adding three minutes to the cook time, but that's the kind of thing you shouldn't have to think about.
It also runs a touch hot. I measured it about 12 degrees above the set point, which isn't terrible, but it means I had to back off the temperature for skin-on thighs. The skin was gorgeous, crackling and golden, but I had to watch it more carefully than with the Cosori.
The Chefman 6 QT
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal, and it's a solid budget option. At ~$60, it's the cheapest machine on this list, and for wings it does a decent job. The auto shake prompts are genuinely useful, they remind you to flip things halfway through, which is the single most important step for crispy chicken.
But there are real compromises. The basket just won't go back in sometimes. Like it just doesn't slide in well and takes a minute to get perfectly lined up. When it's full of hot chicken and you're trying to get it back in the machine, that's frustrating.
There's no off button, so it just waits to be fired up. I unplug it usually cause it'll blink for a while.
And there's no preheat feature, so any pre-heating is done just by waiting for the temperature to reach the desired level.
For chicken, it's fine. The skin crisps, the meat cooks through, and at this price you can't complain too much. But you get what you pay for, and the little frustrations add up over 30 days of daily use.
The Cuisinart Glass Basket
The glass basket is the selling point here. You can watch your chicken crisp up without opening the drawer and losing heat. It's a nice feature, and the clear view window means you can see exactly when the skin turns golden.
But the glass basket is heavy. When it's full of chicken and you're trying to slide it back into the machine, it takes some effort. The 4-quart capacity is also smaller than I'd like for a family meal. It fits about four thighs without crowding, which is fine for two people but tight for more.
The performance is solid. The cake test showed even heat distribution, no hot spots, which is impressive for a machine with a glass basket. Price sits at ~$130, which is reasonable for the features. It's a good machine, just not one I reach for over the Cosori.
Should you buy it?
If you want the best air fryer for chicken and you're cooking for two, buy the Cosori TurboBlaze. It's quiet, it's accurate, and the ceramic coating makes cleanup a breeze. If you're feeding a family and need two baskets, get the Ninja DualZone. If you want to spend ~$300 on a machine that tells you exactly when dinner is done, the Typhur is worth every penny.
What I'm testing next
I'm running the same battery on the Instant Pot Vortex Plus and the GoWISE USA 5.8-quart, because people keep asking if a pressure cooker brand can do crispy skin. The spreadsheet says the Vortex runs 10 degrees hot, but I'll give it the full 30 days before I judge.