Skip the store bought rotisserie chicken and make your own at home with this easy air fryer whole chicken recipe. Juicy, tender chicken cooked perfectly without ever turning on the oven!
One of my favorite ways to meal prep is to make a whole roast chicken to repurpose throughout the week for use in my healthy chicken salad, kale caesar salad, on pizza, in chicken noodle soup, or just alone with a side of parmesan roasted baby potatoes and veggies. There are many ways to cook a whole chicken – oven, slow cooker, instant pot, grill – but my new favorite way might be cooking a whole chicken in the Air Fryer!
Why I love this Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe
- It’s quick! In less than an hour, you can have tender, juicy chicken with the crispiest skin to feed your family for dinner or throughout the week.
- No need to turn on the oven – especially during the summer months when I want to meal prep chicken for salads, I have have perfect roast chicken without heating up the house.
- All you need is just a few ingredients – some simple spices, some oil, and a chicken and you are good to go!
Recommended Equipment
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- The size and style of your Air Fryer matters for this recipe, as in order to make a whole chicken in the Air Fryer, your air fryer must be at least 5-6 quarts in size.
- Also, this recipe with a taller, basket style Air Fryer like my Instant Pot Vortex model linked above or a rotisserie-style air fryer. For more information on different air fryer models, check out my post on the best air fryers.
- Another piece of equipment that is helpful for this recipe is digital instant-read thermometer so you ensure juicy meat that isn’t overcooked.
- Last but not least, a sharp knife is helpful for carving your bird.
Ingredients
Just a few simple ingredients are needed for this recipe:
4- 5lb chicken – the size of your chicken matters, and you are looking for a smaller, no more than 5 pound chicken for this recipe. If you have a larger chicken, you will need to use a different cooking method.
avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray – or sub with a little oil brushed onto the skin
spice blend– kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika or smoked paprika is my go-to easy blend
optional – sprinkle of thyme
aromatics– half lemon, garlic cloves, half onion – to put inside the chicken
garnish – fresh herbs
Instructions
Be sure to check out the recipe card and video below for complete, step by step instructions.
- Preheat Air Fryer to 350 degrees f.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and be sure the giblets have been removed. If you feel like your chicken is a bit large for your air fryer, push down on the breast bone a bit until you hear a crack. This will reduce the height of your whole chicken a bit and give you more space when opening and closing your air fryer.
- Place aromatics in the cavity of the chicken – lemon, half onion, garlic cloves.
- Spray chicken on both side liberally with avocado oil spray or olive oil spray, then sprinkle with seasonings on the top and the bottom.
- Place chicken breast side down on the air fryer basket and cook for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, carefully flip the chicken breast-side up. If your seasonings have rubbed off, add some extra kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and thyme to the breast side of your chicken. Carefully shut the air fryer drawer as to not ruin the super crispy skin , and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken is 165 degrees f. The best way to test this is to place a digital meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and check the temperature of the chicken before removing it from the air fryer.
- Before carving your chicken, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Serve with your favorite sides and a drizzle of the cooking juices from the bottom of your air fryer, if desired!
Expert Tips
- Be sure you pat your chicken dry to ensure beautiful, crispy skin (even if you don’t plan to eat it).
- Be sure to cook the chicken breast-side down for the first 40 minutes – this ensures the white meat doesn’t dry out. You will flip your chicken for the last 15 minutes so the skin on the breast gets crispy before serving.
- The breast of the chicken should read 165°F on a meat thermometer, but it’s ok if the dark meat temperature is higher. I prefer my dark meat to be above 180°F.
- If your Air Fryer is clean, the pan drippings at the bottom are perfect to throw over your chicken or over veggies and potatoes. You can even make a gravy with them!
- If you are using the roasted chicken for meal prep, the best time to remove the meat from the carcass is when the chicken is warm.
Recipe FAQs
You can follow the same method as I outlined above, but flip the chicken at the 30 minute mark. Then watch the temp. In my experience, a smaller chicken around 3.5 pounds will take about 45 minutes to cook where a 5 pound chicken takes 60 minutes in the air fryer.
You will need a basket or rotisserie style Air Fryer to make a whole chicken that is at least 5-6 quarts in capacity. You can read more information about different Air Fryer models in my Best Air Fryers post.
Honestly, any cut of chicken works perfectly in the Air Fryer – like these Air Fryer Chicken Thighs or Air Fryer Chicken Tenders. You can use bone in or boneless chicken, they both come out delicious!
Meal Prep and Storage
To prep: You can prepare your chicken ahead of time for meal prep, or simply prep your spice rub and aromatics and store until you are ready to cook your chicken which also saves time.
To store: Remove the meat from the carcass and store it in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
To freeze: You can freeze your rotisserie chicken to use later! Simply add meat to a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Also, a chicken carcass is great for making homemade broth. If you don’t have time to do this now, you can freeze the carcass to use later.
To reheat: I actually prefer cold chicken to reheated chicken, but if you want to warm your chicken up before serving, you can reheat your chicken right in a warm air fryer, in the microwave, or in a warm oven. If you saved pan drippings, you could drizzle some on before reheating.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes:
Air Fryer Zucchini – delicious as a side or a snack!
Air Fryer Shrimp – love this one for a quick and easy weeknight protein.
Air Fryer Salmon (from fresh or frozen) – another go-to recipe.
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb chicken
- avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray or sub with a little oil brushed onto the skin
- half lemon and onion to put inside the chicken
- fresh herbs garnish
spice blend:
- 1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
- optional – sprinkle of thyme
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 350 degrees f.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and be sure the giblets have been removed. If you feel like your chicken is a bit large for your air fryer, push down on the breast bone a bit until you hear a crack. This will reduce the height of your whole chicken a bit and give you more space when opening and closing your air fryer.
- Place aromatics in the cavity of the chicken – lemon, half onion, garlic cloves.
- Spray chicken on both side liberally with avocado oil spray or olive oil spray, then sprinkle with seasonings on the top and the bottom.
- Place chicken breast side down on the air fryer basket and cook for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, carefully flip the chicken breast-side up. If your seasonings have rubbed off, add some extra kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, and thyme to the breast side of your chicken. Carefully shut the air fryer drawer as to not ruin the super crispy skin , and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of your chicken is 165 degrees f. The best way to test this is to place a digital meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and check the temperature of the chicken before removing it from the air fryer.
- Before carving your chicken, let it rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
- Serve with your favorite sides and a drizzle of the cooking juices from the bottom of your air fryer, if desired!
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