Making a whole chicken in the air fryer has never been easier! You’ll have juicy meat with extra crispy skin in just over an hour. Roasted chicken goes great with any side dish and also makes delicious meat to use for meal prep!
Air frying is the best way to get juicy chicken. You’ll never have to worry about it coming out dry, plus it cooks faster than the conventional oven which is always convenient. The first time I made air fryer Cornish hens, I knew I had to try a full size chicken because the flavor was amazing! It also just feels so much easier to toss the bird in the air fryer instead of pulling out a big roasting pan and pre-heating the oven.
If I want to make a whole Sunday meal and add carrots, onions, and potatoes to the pan, I will probably still use my tried and true Herb Roasted Chicken recipe, but for your average weeknight, air fryer whole chicken is where it’s at. I’m learning you can make just about anything in this nifty appliance. You can even make air fryer roast beef!!
This delicious chicken recipe goes great with Instant Pot corn on the cob and bang bang Brussels sprouts. The whole family loves these sides, but you can serve chicken with just about anything. I like using the pressure cooker alongside the air fryer because both are more convenient than having to watch stuff on the stove and in the oven.
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🍗 Ingredients:
- whole chicken – our chicken was 5 lbs. Just be sure that the chicken will fit in your air fryer before starting.
- Spices: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, smoked paprika.
- oil – we used olive oil but you can also use avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. This helps to crisp up the skin and to keep the seasonings on.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Garnish sliced chicken with a lemon slice and fresh parsley.
Substitutions and Variations
- Seasoning blend – if there’s another poultry rub you prefer you can use that instead. Italian seasoning would also be delicious. You can also make a Mexican style blend, or use a taco seasoning packet, or a ranch seasoning packet.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Remove the whole bird from the packaging and discard the neck and/or giblets (or use for another purpose). Rinse it off and pat chicken dry with paper towels.
Step 1: Combine the seasonings in a small bowl.
Step 2: Drizzle the oil over the entire chicken and rub into the skin.
Step 3: Sprinkle ⅓ of the seasoning on one side, and a third on the other side. Be sure to rub all over, and the inside the cavity. Set the remaining seasoning to the side.
Step 4: Place chicken breast-side down into the air fryer basket. Fold the wings behind the chicken. Air fry for 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: Folding the wings behind the chicken helps to keep them tender and juicy. They can float freely, but they will dry out more quickly and also might get caught in your air fryer when you’re opening and closing the door.
Step 5: Flip the chicken so the breast side is up. If desired, tie the legs with kitchen twine, then sprinkle the remaining seasoning on the breast and legs.
Step 6: Continue cooking for another 25-30 minutes until the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
SLICE: Remove the chicken from the basket, let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Slice on a cutting board and serve.
- Use a meat thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the thigh to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F before serving.
- Getting the chicken skin dry from the beginning is key for super crispy skin.
- Depending on the size of your chicken, the cooking time may vary.
- This rotisserie style chicken is great for meal prep (especially the breast meat of the chicken) and using in recipes that call for cooked chicken like soups, stews, and salads.
- Tying the legs together and tucking the wings keeps the chicken from drying out.
- If your chicken is larger and gets stuck as you are putting it in the air fryer, press down on the breast bone to help flatten it.
Fun Fact
The oldest chicken on record lived to be 22 years old! – The Happy Chicken Coop
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and in a freezer bag.
This depends on the size of you air fryer. The mid size to larger models can hold a 4-5 pound bird. Smaller air fryers can typically hold Cornish hens.
If you don’t typically eat these parts, it’s fine to discard them. Sometimes we cook them up for our pets. You can also use the giblets in stuffing – check out how we hack a box of Stovetop in this recipe for Thanksgiving stovetop stuffing. You can make a nice gravy with the neck – follow our turkey neck gravy recipe and sub in the chicken neck and/or giblets.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes
If you tried this Whole Chicken in Air Fryer or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Whole Chicken in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4- pound whole chicken
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the packaging. Remove the neck and/or giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and rub into the skin.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the seasoning on one side of the chicken and ⅓ of the seasoning on the other side, rubbing the seasoning all over the exterior of the chicken and inside the cavity. (Reserve the remaining seasoning.)
- Place the chicken in the air fryer, breast side down. Fold the wings behind the chicken. Close the air fryer drawer/door and cook at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Turn the chicken breast side up. Tie the legs with kitchen twine, if desired, and sprinkle the reserved seasoning over the breast and legs.
- Cook an additional 25-30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165°F.
- Leave the chicken to rest 5-10 minutes before carving.
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