Air Fryer Whole Chicken is my new favorite way to roast a chicken. The chicken comes out perfectly juicy with extra crispy, golden skin. And it's so simple and easy!
Why I Love My Air Fryer
You may have noticed my love for air fryer cooking lately. I don't think I've ever been so enamored with a cooking appliance! I've cooked so many recipes in my air fryer, including Air Fryer Salmon, Air Fryer Asparagus Fries, Gluten-Free Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Fried Green Tomatoes, Air Fryer Carrots and even Air Fryer Flank Steak just to name a few. Everything turns out delicious.
My favourite so far though is cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer.
What's to Love?
- The chicken cooks quickly at a high temperature with constantly circulating heat, which means juicy, tender chicken with crispy, golden skin.
- Roasting a chicken in the air fryer doesn't heat up your kitchen, so it's perfect for those hot summer days when you don't want to turn on the oven.
- It's quick and easy, only about an hour to perfectly roasted whole chicken.
- It's pretty much hands free. You only have to flip the chicken once, and there's no basting.
- Clean up is a breeze. All you need to do is wash the air fryer basket in hot soapy water. No greasy oven splatters or roasting pan to scrub.
- Air frying a whole chicken it a perfect start to meal prepping. You can have leftovers for sandwiches, wraps, soups (like this amazing Thai Red Curry Chicken Soup), and so many other delicious meals.
Here's What You Need
You will, of course, need an air fryer. I have a 6 quart basket style air fryer and roasted a 4 pound chicken. This is the air fryer that I have and I love it: Gourmia 6 Quart Digital Air Fryer.
Here are the Ingredients:
- Chicken: A 4-5 pound whole chicken. If you have a smaller or larger chicken, you will need to reduce or increase the cooking time accordingly.
- Oil: I use regular (not extra virgin) olive oil, but you can also use avocado, peanut, or grapeseed oil.
- Seasoning: For simplicity, I used Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and some paprika for colour. You can season with anything you like. Sometimes I use Montreal Chicken seasoning, which is a delicious and unique blend. You can also make your own blend with sage, thyme, garlic, rosemary and oregano, or get creative and try Cajun Seasoning or even Garam Masala.
How To Do It
- Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and pat the chicken dry.
- Rub the chicken with oil
- Combine the seasonings in a small bowl, and rub the mixture all over the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast side down in the air fryer basket. Cook 30 minutes.
- Flip the chicken to breast side up
- Cook another 30 minutes
- Let the chicken rest before carving
Tips For Perfect Chicken
- Don't forget to remove the package of giblets and the neck from the chicken cavity before seasoning and cooking.
- Be sure to pat the chicken dry so that the oil and seasoning can adhere.
- Cook the chicken breast side down for the first 30 minutes. This prevents the breast meat from drying out and ensures even cooking.
- Whole chickens usually come with the legs tied together. Leave them that way, and if yours doesn't tie them together with kitchen twine.
- Let the cooked chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to get redistributed throughout the meat.
- The time and temperature for this recipe works for my 6 quart basket style air fryer. Yours may be different, especially if it' a larger or smaller capacity. Check instructions for your particular machine to be sure.
- After the cooked chicken has been removed from the bones, you can use the carcass to make Chicken Stock. Freeze the carcass to make stock later.
FAQ's
The only safe way to tell if a whole chicken is cooked through is using a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The temperature should read 165°.
I used a 4 pound chicken which took 1 hour to cook. This means you should count on 10-15 minutes per pound.
Yes, you can! To freeze, slice the chicken from the bones, and allow it to cool completely before packing into air-tight containers or freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. I love this appliance for freezing even longer and zero freezer burn.
A lot of cooks say that they never preheat the air fryer, and many manufacturer's instructions also say there's no need. However, I find that food comes out much crisper and cooks faster and more evenly if I preheat. You can read about that and other air fryer tips here: Common Air Fryer Mistakes.
Serving Suggestions
An air fryer whole chicken is delicious with almost everything. We love a chicken dinner that includes mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or au gratin potatoes in the winter, and potato salad or pasta salad in the summer. And you can never go wrong with green beans, Carrots or cauliflower.
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound whole chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°
- Remove the giblets and neck from the cavity if present.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towel
- Rub olive oil over the entire chicken
- Combine Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper in a small bowl
- Rub the seasoning blend over the entire chicken
- Carefully lower the chicken breast side down into the preheated air fryer basket. Set the timer for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, use tongs to flip the chicken breast side up. Resume cooking for 30 minutes.
- Check the temperature using a meat thermometer. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165° If not, continue to cook checking the temperature every 10 minutes.
- Allow the cooked chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Don't forget to remove the package of giblets and the neck from the chicken cavity before seasoning and cooking.
- Be sure to pat the chicken dry so that the oil and seasoning can adhere.
- Cook the chicken breast side down for the first 30 minutes. This prevents the breast meat from drying out and ensures even cooking.
- Whole chickens usually come with the legs tied together. Leave them that way, and if yours doesn't tie them together with kitchen twine.
- Let the cooked chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to get redistributed throughout the meat.
- The time and temperature for this recipe works for my 6 quart basket style air fryer. Yours may be different, especially if it' a larger or smaller capacity. Check instructions for your particular machine to be sure.
- After the cooked chicken has been removed from the bones, you can use the carcass to make Chicken Stock. Freeze the carcass to make stock later.
- To cook the chicken in the oven, follow all the same steps but cook at 350° for 1.5 hours, flipping halfway through.
Wow! This chicken looks perfectly crispy on the outside. Now I really have to get an airfryer and follow your tips! I wouldn't have thought of preheating the airfryer without your tip.
Vijitha, I do love the air fryer more than I ever thought I would. I highly recommend getting one!
I really wanted an air fryer before but this has convinced me. I love that you can roast a chicken and not heat up the house!
Hi Terri, you won't regret it!
Once you know how to cook in air fryer there is no turning back! that chicken is delicious
You have that right, Sadia! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
great tip on preheating the air-fryer ! I find it always helps too rather than starting from cold!
Thanks Nancy, I agree!
Sometimes it seems I'll never settle on an air fryer brand. One thing I know for sure is I want to be able to do a whole chicken in it because this looks amazing! I bet it's a lot nicer to use an air fryer to make a chicken during a heat wave too.
Hi Bernice! I do like the air fryer that I have, which was a gift, so no decisions on the brand were made, haha. My only complaint would be that it's just a little bit smaller than I would like. And yes, with the heat, it's even been too hot to use the BBQ, so the air fryer has been working hard!
I was in the fence as to whether to buy an air fryer and now I will! Roast chicken is so versatile and I love have one on hand for quick meals. This will be the perfect recipe! Thanks!!
You will love it Amy!
Making chicken in an air fryer is truly one of the best ways to cook it. So healthy and delicious at the same time!
This looks so flavorful and delicious. I keep wavering on if I should buy an air fryer, but this may have convinced me. I had no idea you could cook a whole chicken in an air fryer. Thanks for this!
You're very welcome! I'm glad you are convinced!
Well this looks SO delicious! I never thought of air frying a whole chicken...this is awesome and I cannot wait to give it a try!
Hi Tammy, you won't believe how easy and delicious a chicken is in the air fryer!