This Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe is the perfect easy alternative to grocery store rotisserie chicken – quick and simple to make, juicy meat and crispy skin! A super easy roast chicken recipe!
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe
Roast chicken is one of the easiest and most versatile recipes in our kitchen arsenal and this Air Fryer Whole Chicken is our new favourite way to make it! We love making this air fryer chicken at least once a week to serve for dinner, add to soups, enjoy on salads, in tacos or wraps, or to throw in the freezer for meal prep.
The bones left behind are even perfect for making homemade chicken stock! Trust us – you NEED this easy air fryer chicken recipe in your life!
Why should I make Air Fryer Chicken?
There are so many things we love about this Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe:
- the chicken stays nice and juicy in the air fryer and doesn’t dry out as quickly as it does when roasting in the oven.
- the skin gets nice and crispy on all sides of the chicken.
- it cooks faster in the air fryer than in the oven – roasting a chicken in the air fryer takes about 30% less time than in the oven!
- using an air fryer uses less electricity and air fryers emit less radiant heat, so you’ll save on your electric bill and won’t heat up your kitchen!
- you’ll save oven space for other side dishes and desserts to serve with the meal!
If you’ve been gifted an air fryer for the holidays and it’s been sitting on your shelf collecting dust, or if you’ve been thinking about picking up an air fryer for awhile but haven’t yet, we’d HIGHLY recommend getting started. An air fryer is a fantastic kitchen appliance for achieving that oven-crisp or fried texture in a fraction of the time with next to no added fat, and to be honest it’s a kitchen appliance we’d have a hard time living without!
More Air Fryer Recipes
Because we love our air fryer so much we’ve got so many new Air Fryer recipes coming your way soon! If you’re looking for something to serve with this Air Fryer Chicken, you’ll love these Air Fryer Baked Potatoes! Sign up below to receive all our new Air Fryer recipes straight to your inbox FREE!
What kind of Air Fryer should I buy?
We recommend adding an air fryer to your collection of kitchen appliances, and here are a few of our favourites (affiliate links):
- A great Air Fryer for space-saving (2 quart capacity)
- The perfect Air Fryer for large families with a dual basket feature
- A standard Air Fryer for everyday use (works well for a family of 2 to 4 people)
- A large Air Fryer for everyday use (works well for a family of 2 to 4 people)
If you’re choosing an air fryer for this roast chicken recipe, be sure to choose one that has a 5-10 quart capacity so a small roasting chicken fits easily.
Other kitchen tools you’ll need for this recipe:
In addition to your air fryer, we recommend using the following kitchen tools for this recipe (affiliate links):
- a pair of tongs
- a silicone brush
- kitchen paper towels
- butcher’s twine for tying the chicken legs together
- an instant-read thermometer
- aluminum foil
- a serving platter or large plate
- a chef’s knife for slicing the chicken off the bones
Ingredients for Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- small roasting chicken (3-4 pounds or 1.5-2 kilograms)
- lemon
- fresh thyme
- fresh garlic
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- seasoning salt (or use sea salt)
- black pepper
- olive oil
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How to Make Chicken in the Air Fryer
Time needed: 45 minutes
Follow these tips to make the BEST air fryer whole chicken!
- Choose the right sized chicken.
Make sure your chicken fits in your air fryer – we recommend a 3-4 pound chicken for an air fryer that holds between 5 and 10 quarts. Choose a whole chicken that’s fresh, or use a frozen chicken that’s been thawed completely.
- Stuff the chicken for flavour.
Stuff the chicken with the lemon, herbs and garlic so these flavours infuse the meat as it cooks.
- Pat the skin dry.
The key to crispy skin is dry skin, so pat it dry with kitchen paper towels before massaging with a little oil and the spice mixture.
- Don’t forget the spices.
Massage the spice mixture into the skin of the chicken on all sides, making sure not to miss any spots or crevices.
- Preheat your air fryer.
Preheating your air fryer cuts down on cooking time.
- Flip it.
Start the chicken cooking with the breast-side down. Flip it for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time so it cooks evenly and so the skin on top becomes extra crispy!
- Let it rest before serving.
The key to a juicy bird is letting it rest. Tent some aluminum foil over the bucket of your air fryer and allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing into it.
How long to cook chicken in the air fryer
How long to cook chicken in the air fryer largely depends on the size of the chicken and the thickness of the meat in the legs and breasts. For a standard rotisserie chicken (about 3-4 pounds or 1.5-2 kilograms), the cooking time is approximately 25-30 minutes.
What temperature to cook a whole chicken
Cook this air fryer whole chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can I make this recipe with a frozen chicken?
If you’re starting with a froze chicken, we recommend thawing the chicken in the fridge for 24 hours before using in this recipe. Or, buy a fresh whole chicken from your grocery store or butcher.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite way to use rotisserie chicken as a kitchen shortcut? We’d love to know!
Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll LOVE these:
Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this recipe. You can find many more deliciously simple recipe videos on our YouTube channel!
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
- 3.5 pound roasting chicken neck and giblets removed (3-4 pounds or 1.5-2 kilograms is the recommended size)
- 1 lemon
- A handful of fresh thyme
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt or use 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, if preferred
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- nonstick spray or use a small amount of olive oil
Recipe: Instructions
- Preheat your Air Fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while you get everything else ready.
- Remove the neck and giblets and any excess fat from your chicken. Leave the skin on. Pat dry with kitchen paper towels.
- Cut the lemon in quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Stuff the chicken with the whole garlic cloves, lemon pieces and the fresh thyme.
- Tie the chicken legs together with butcher's twine and tuck the ends of the wings under the bird. Instead of using butcher's twine you can also make a small hole in the skin between each breast and leg and tuck the opposite leg into each hole (as pictured above).
- Mix all the spices, dried herbs, salt and peppper in a small bowl. Oil all sides of the chicken and massage the spice mix all over the chicken.
- Spray the inside of your air fryer with nonstick spray (or brush with a small amount of oil) and place the chicken breast-side down.
- Air fry at 350 Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, then flip and air fry for about 10 more minutes.
- Your bird is done when the internal temperature of the breast is 165 Fahrenheit (74 Celsius)
- Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe: Notes
Reheating instructions:
Reheat in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes or until warmed through.Storage instructions:
This chicken is best enjoyed the day of cooking, but leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheated before serving. Freeze any leftovers for up to 2 months in a freezer safe airtight container.Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I had no clue you can roast a whole chicken in the Air Fryer! I am so happy to have found a recipe where I can create rotisserie like chicken at home. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback! We’re so happy you are enjoying this recipe ☺️
This changed the game for me for Sunday dinners. It’s so easy and delicious, my family loves it.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!