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!
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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, Air Fryer Orange Chicken, 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 Roast a Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer
- 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 meat 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.
Want to cook your vegetable side dishes in the air fryer too? Here's a great collection to choose from: 21 Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes.
And you can never go wrong with green beans, Carrots or cauliflower. Cooking for just 1 or 2 people? Try my Air Fryer Cornish Hens.
Recipe
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon 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.
Tristin
I adore cooking in my air fryer and just know I am going to love your recipe! The chicken is browned to perfection!! Trying it out this weekend.
Colleen
Hi Tristin! Enjoy. I know you will love it.
Veronika
This chicken looks amazing! I think I need to ask for an air fryer for Christmas 😉
Colleen
Definitely do ask for one, Veronika! Even better, just get one. You'll be so glad you did!
Jacqueline Debono
I love a roast chicken and am thrilled to discover it can be done so easily in an air fryer. Can't wait to try this!
Colleen
You will love it, Jacqueline!
Katie Youngs
Crispy skin is the best part of a whole chicken. It looks like doing it in the air fryer produces the crispiest skin ever! I love cooking whole chickens so I will definitely be trying this recipe out asap.
Colleen
I agree, Katie. Love that crispy skin. You will love this way of cooking a chicken.
Kay
I love this new way to cook a whole chicken in the air fryer. It frees space in my oven, to make roast potatoes and roasted vegetables to serve with the chicken!
Colleen
Hi Kay! So glad you love cooking chicken in the air fryer. Freeing up the oven is one thing that I love about it too!
Serena
This looks delish! I keep seeing more and more things being cooked in the air fryer, I think it's time I need to make the investment.
Colleen
Hi Serena, You won't regret it!
Amanda Dixon
We love our air fryer, and this was such a great way to cook a whole chicken. It was super flavorful, and the skin was perfectly crisp.
Colleen
Isn't it just the best appliance, Amanda? I'm super happy to hear that it turned out great for you! Thanks for letting me know.
Jere Cassidy
I rarely buy a whole chicken but cooking one in an AF is such a good idea and the results are a beautifully cooked chicken.
Colleen
Hi Jere! And the bonus is all those leftovers to make other recipes!
Oscar
I would have never of thought to roast a whole chicken in my air fryer. The skin turned out so crispy. Loved it. Thank you.
Colleen
Hi Oscar. I'm so happy that you loved it! The crispy skin is always the best part😋 .
Marta
I had to step up my air fryer game and this recipe did just that. The meat was moist and the skin was perfectly crispy. Thanks for sharing!
Andrea
Love that you used the air fryer to make this moist and crispy chicken.
Liz
I LOVE my air fryer but I had no clue it was possible to fry a whole chicken in there! This is such a great idea! Thanks for the recipe!
Angela
Oh my! I had no idea that you could do a whole chicken in the air fryer! What a great post. Thanks so much for sharing.
Colleen
You're so welcome, Angela!
Tara
Such a fun way to prepare a whole chicken! I can see why it is your new favorite technique. It comes together so easily!
Colleen
Hi Tara, It really is so easy!
Biana
I love that you can make a whole chicken in the air fryer. Skin looks so crispy and delicious!
Colleen
It's a perfect way to roast a chicken Biana!