This recipe for flavorful Air Fryer Whole Chicken gives you perfectly cooked juicy chicken with crispy skin every single time. Learn how easy it is to make whole chicken in air fryer that’s ready to serve in under an hour!
You’ll also love Air Fryer Fried Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Breast and Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
Suitable for Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Paleo and Keto dieters. Weight Watchers points included.
So here is a confession. I am addicted to chicken recipes. This makes friends and family super happy since they get to eat chicken in this, that and every which way.
The latest way being this really delicious go to juicy and succulent Air Fryer Whole Chicken with a super crispy skin to boot.
*****Please click here to grab the Beginners easy air fryer recipes ebook!!!*****
Just Like Rotisserie Chicken
It’s perfect store quality chicken that is juicy off the bone meat with crispy skin. If your family is like mine, they’ll be tearing the bird up and you’ll wonder if there will be enough for leftovers.
And they will love it just as much as this Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast, and straight from the freezer Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breast, and a fantastic hack of Reheated Fried Chicken In Air Fryer.
And making whole chicken in the air fryer is a great juicy chicken main course dinner for weeknights, make ahead, meal planning to eat all week.
If you love cooking a whole chicken, you’ll also love this Air Fryer Cornish Hen as a great lunch or weeknight dinner option.
Make Air Fryer Whole Chicken and you’ll get chicken salad sandwiches for lunch, chicken tacos for dinner and still have enough to make a chicken noodle soup.
If you’ve always wanted to make rotisserie style chicken at home you need to get an air fryer.
I still loooooooooove roasting chicken but THIS Air Fryer Roasted Chicken recipe has me forgetting all about my oven. #sorrynotsorry.
Why Make This Recipe
- Air Fried Whole Chicken requires 3 ingredients and minimal prep work.
- Flavour with seasonings you have in your pantry.
- It is easy to customise with various herbs and spices as you like.
- The skin is crispier than when cooked in the oven. #bigwin
- Healthier and affordable meal loved by the whole family.
- It is great for make ahead eating, meal prep and freezer friendly.
- Dietary – it is suitable for low carb, keto and gluten free diets
Ingredient Notes
- A whole chicken – Grab a whole chicken for this, keeping in mind the size of the bird in relation to the air fryer basket.
- Cooking spray – You can use cooking spray or olive oil to help get crispy skin.
- A dry rub – choose your favorite homemade dry rub or store bought dry rub.
- Salt – adding salt helps crisp up the skin, but watch out if your rub has enough salt in it already.
Ready to learn how to make a whole chicken in Air Fryer? Gather your ingredients and let me show you how……
How to Make Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Preheat the air fryer to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.
- Remove any giblets, wash and pat the chicken dry well. Coat entire chicken in dry rub and sprinkle with salt, if desired.
- Spray air fryer with cooking spray or olive oil, place the chicken in breast-side down in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 30 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and air fry for an additional 15-30 minutes, depending on the size.
- Let the tender and juicy Air Fryer Roast Chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
Important Note: use a Meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken has reached at least is 165F / 76C before serving.
How To Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken
No air fryer? No worries! Check out my Instant Pot Whole Chicken post for all the information needed to make whole chicken Instant Pot style.
Make This In The Slow Cooker
Want to get a jump on dinner? Then check out my Crockpot Whole Chicken recipe to learn how easy it is to make delicious whole chicken n the slow cooker.
Recipe Tips For Success
- Make sure your chicken is dry prior to adding the dry rub. Patting the washed chicken with paper towels will help keep the rub from slipping off.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to break the backbone to fit. When shopping, make sure you buy a whole chicken that will fit inside your air fryer basket.
- Place the chicken breast side down to make it easier to close the air fryer basket and also to keep the breast meat moist and juicy.
- Do check the cavities for giblets. If there are any, then please remove them first before cooking.
Plus……..
- Bigger chickens may sometime touch the top of the air fryer when in the basket. If this is the case, then crack the breast bone to fix this. Alternatively on bigger chicken you normally have a higher and lower side. I have propped up the chicken on the lower side with a very small air fryer safe container, which brings down the height of the higher side.
- Do flip the bird during cooking so that it crisps up on all sides.
- Use the drippings at the bottom of the Air Fryer basket to make a gravy.
- Make sure the entire chicken is coated in the dry rub. Feel free to use a little more than you think to really flavour up your meat.
- For the best results, let roast chicken rest for 15 minutes before you start carving, so the juices redistribute.
- Use an air fryer with a large basket ( 5.8qt) to have enough space for a 4lb chicken. you will need smaller chickens for smaller baskets
- Air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model, so it is important to always check your food for doneness.
Recipe Variations
- Vary the seasoning – You can season air fryer whole chicken in many different ways. Some delicious seasoning variations include: Onion powder, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, Smoked paprika, Italian seasoning and Poultry Seasoning Recipe.
- Add heat – add heat with red pepper flakes, cayenne, and more. Bear in mind that your dry rub might already have some heat.
Prep Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – This recipe is so easy to make. Season the chicken ahead of time and just keep in the refrigerator until needed!
- Store – Store cooked meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze – Follow the handy tips for how to freeze this;
- Transfer into these convenient Ziploc freezer bags.
- Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
- Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer up to 3 months.
- To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future.
- To Thaw – Remove the frozen chicken from the freezer the night before needed and let thaw in the fridge.
FAQs
Wondering how long to cook a whole chicken in air fryer? Cooking time can be anytime between 45-60 mins depending on the size of the chicken.
Mine took 45 minutes and was 3.5 pounds (1.5kg). When cooking this for the first time, I recommend aiming for 45 minutes and then checking the internal temperature.
The temperature for cooking the air fryer rotisserie chicken in this recipe is 350F /180C.
The most important thing is to make sure that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F / 76C. Use a Meat thermometer for this.
Why You Should Try The Air Fryer
Folks, if you have an air fryer it can do way more than just make frozen French fries crispy.
Yeap, you can make all kinds of delicious food in the air fryer and sometimes even quicker than it would take in an oven or convection oven.
For some recipes, the air fryer can cut the cooking time in half. #airfryerforthewin
Plus, very little oil is needed when cooking in your air fryer. We’re talking anywhere from just a light spray to a tablespoon. How is this possible?
The air fryer uses a powerful fan to ‘fry’ your food. You’re eliminating the need for excess fat and calories when using an air fryer but not compromising on texture and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Great with potatoes like Air Fryer Baked Potatoes this delish Air Fryer Potato Wedges or creamy Red Potato Salad or leftover Baked Potatoes On The Grill.
- Sides and salads – Air Fryer Green beans, easy Smothered Green Beans and with this refreshing Asian Cucumber Salad and crispy Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts for xmas or these Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes.
- Sauces – best ever 5 minute Yum Yum Sauce, creamy 5 minute Pesto Aioli and easy peasy Ginger Sauce.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Chicken is such a well loved family treat that it is great to have a whole host of chicken recipes to hand for every occasion and is great for meal prep too.
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts.
- The Best Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
- Air Fryer Thai Curry Chicken Kabobs.
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Leg Drumsticks.
- Air Fryer Cornish Hen.
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas.
- Easy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
- Air Fryer Fried Chicken.
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breast
- Reheated Fried Chicken In Air Fryer.
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast.
- Or check out all these delicious Air Fryer Chicken Recipes.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 7 Blue Plan Smartpoints in one serving.
Thank you for reading my Whole Chicken Air Fryer recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Originally published Oct 2018.
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pound (1.5kg) whole chicken one chicken
- 1 tablespoon dry rub
- salt optional
- calorie controlled cooking spray or olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350F / 180C.
- Wash and pat the chicken dry. Cover entire chicken with dry rub, and sprinkle with salt if desired.
- Spray air fryer with cooking spray.
- Place chicken breast-side down and cook for 30 minutes.
- Then flip and cook for an additonal 15-30 minsutes, depending on the size of your bird.
- When internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165F / 76C, remove from air fryer and allow to rest before slicing.
Video
Recommended Products
Notes
- Make sure your chicken is dry prior to adding the dry rub. Patting the washed chicken with paper towels will help keep the rub from slipping off.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to break the backbone to fit. When shopping, make sure you buy a whole chicken that will fit inside your air fryer.
- Start with the whole chicken breast side down to make it easier to close the air fryer.
- Make sure the entire chicken is coated in the dry rub.
- For the best results, let chicken rest for 15 minutes before you start carving.
- Air fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model, so it is important to always check your food for doneness.
- Storage – keep cooked chicken in an airtight container inside the fridge for 4 days.
- There are 7 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.
OMG please don’t wash chicken before you cook it!! It’s such an outdated practice that’s been shown to increase the spread of bacteria, any nasties will be killed during cooking.
The fastest way to roast a chicken is to cook it about ¾ way through in a microwave and then finish in an air fryer. That way, you have the crispy skin that you can’t achieve by microwaving alone. The advantage to microwaving is that the microwaves surround and penetrate the chicken, speeding up cooking a lot. Reaching 165°F is no problem in a microwave since water boils at 212°F, and microwaving works directly on water molecules. And there’s no risk of drying out the chicken in the microwave since it’s a wet cooking method. Simply microwave the chicken, then pat dry with paper towels. Then air fry until the skin is crispy. The result is crispy moist roasted chicken in 45-50 minutes or even less. If you want to speed things up even more, butterfly the chicken before you microwave.
All the recommendations in this article are very good for those who are looking for a practical and effective solution, thank you for sharing all these tips with all of us. It is difficult to get such accurate information. Since other places I have visited in the past do not offer useful information like this website. I also recommend a 100% natural system that helped me to have a flat and beautiful belly in a few days: https://smoothie-diet.ml
One correction: NEVER use cooking spray on a nonstick surface, which includes most air fryer baskets. Cooking spray contains lecithin, the protein in eggs which make them so hard to scrub off pans. The lecithin bakes into the Nonstick surface which eventually builds up and ruins it. Read the instructions on your nonstick cookware and you’d see that they say to never use cooking sprays.
What is dry rub
A dry rub is just a collection of dry herbs and spices. You can make your own combination or you can buy pre-made mixes, e.g. poultry seasoning, Italian mix, etc.
Hi! I have just gotten a new gas oven with a built-in air fryer. Are there any adjustments needed for this?
The air fryer mode in gas ovens is mostly just a gimmick and can’t do true air frying. Treat it as more of a convection oven than a real air fryer. The reason is that in a gas oven, the heat comes from below, far from the fan. In a true air fryer, the fan blows directly on the heating coils, blasting super hot air through the oven (like a hair dryer). You obviously can’t go that in a gas oven because the fan would extinguish the gas flames. Secondly, the fan is nowhere near powerful enough to blow powerful air throughout such a large space. In other words, you can’t air fry in a normal gas oven. Look for convection oven recipes instead.
I have an electric air fryer oven. How does that changes things?
Hi Bintu, I am so happy that I stumbled onto your blog by happy accident. I see that you have a basket air fryer, but I am wondering if you have tested this recipe on a rotisserie in an air fryer oven? Same time and temp?
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Hi Donna, I have to agree I can’t wait to get my next inbox email to see what Bintu has done next. I use the PowerXL 1550W 6-qt 12-in-1 Grill Air Fryer and it works like a perfect for all that I have tried in it.
I love how you get such a crispy, golden skin on your air fryer bird. I would have thought it would get too dark, but it looks just perfect. Need to try this one.
Bintu, this is a GORGEOUS chicken! You’re right – definitely the kind of recipe that will make you forget all about the regular ol’ oven! But I love that you also have links to making whole chicken in the Instant Pot and the slow cooker. Something for everyone, even people who don’t have an air fryer! Plus loads of tips and serving ideas – so much really useful information. Great post, as always!
You can always get an air fryer lid for your pressure cooker or slow cooker. They cost about $30-$60. Search for “air fryer lid” on the web or Amazon. You simply replace your normal lid with the air fryer lid whenever you want to air fry. I often cook my food about ¾ done with a pressure cooker and then finish with the air fryer lid for a crispy exterior. That speeds up cooking greatly. In fact, I also often cook the chicken ¾ done in my microwave, finishing it with an air fryer. That really speeds things up, giving me a crispy roast chicken in about 45-50 mins.
This looks so yummy! We are a chicken loving family! We are going to love this! Can’t wait!