Tender, juicy chicken with a perfectly seasoned crispy skin made right in the air fryer! This Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe has quickly become our go to recipe for making the perfect roast chicken!
Nothing beats a freshly roasted chicken and nothing makes me feel more accomplished in the kitchen. While roasting chicken is simple, it just feels like a special meal, especially when done just right.
Our air fryer whole chicken turns out just right every time – crispy, crackly skin with a simple rotisserie seasoning, moist and juicy white meat, and tender dark meat!
Plus, making a whole chicken in the air fryer means that you don’t have to heat up your whole kitchen with the big oven and the chicken cooks quickly and evenly.
We often make chicken parts in the air fryer. See our air fryer chicken thighs, air fryer drumsticks, air fryer boneless chicken breasts, and air fryer frozen chicken wings. Figured it was high time we made a whole chicken in the air fryer.
This has definitely become a go to for us – ready in just an hour, tender and succulent, and so simple to mix up the seasonings to suit whatever we’re craving that day!
Ingredient Notes:
Whole chicken- You need to size this appropriately for your air fryer. We can fit a 4 pound chicken easily in our 5.8 quart air fryer and usually squeeze in a 5 pound chicken. You want the giblets removed, so buy it that way or remove them yourself. Here’s our air fryer recommendations.
Lemon & Onion -You’ll halve a lemon and onion and stuff them in the cavity of the chicken.
Seasonings- Smoked paprika, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper make for that classic rotisserie chicken flavor. Use any seasonings you like.
How to Make a Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer:
Stuff the chicken- Remove the giblets and neck. Place the lemon and onion into the cavity.
Season the chicken – Rub the outside of the chicken with oil. Mix all the seasonings into a small bowl together. Rub the seasoning over the chicken to coat.
Air fry the chicken- Place the chicken in your air fryer with the breast side down. Air fryer for 30 minutes at 360 degrees F. Carefully flip the chicken over and continue cooking until the internal temp of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees F. This should take another 30 minutes.
Carving the chicken– Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving, this will make it easier to carve and it will taste better. It’s a win-win.
Serving Suggestions:
Looking for the perfect meal? We’ve got you covered!
Serve up this roasted chicken in the air fryer with:
Leftover Chicken:
If you don’t polish off this air fryer whole chicken in one meal, it’s perfect for leftovers!
Repurpose your chicken into all kinds of meals, including:
FAQ:
The internal temperature of your chicken should be 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.
No, this is not recommended by most air fryer manufacturers. The chicken cooks perfectly directly in the air fryer basket.
We’re easily able to fit a 4-5 pound whole chicken in our 5.8 qt air fryer. The size of air fryer you need will depend on the size of chicken purchased.
More Air Fryer Dinners You Will Love!
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound whole chicken giblets removed
- 1 lemon halved
- ½ onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
Instructions
- Stuff the lemon halves and onion in the cavity of the chicken.
- Rub the chicken with oil.
- Add the seasoning to a small bowl and stir combine.
- Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken and rub to coat the chicken all over in the seasoning.
- Place the chicken breast side down in the air fryer. Air fry at 360 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Carefully flip the chicken over and continue air frying at 360 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees internally.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Penny M says
Absolutely Delicious!
Purchased an Air Fryer less than a year ago.
My husband usually does best wings, ribs and Fries.
I am now getting curious at what else to cook.
I signed up for your e mails and your recipes look absolutely delicious and are well informed and seem simple.
I tried a whole chicken and it was sooo delicious!
I stuffed it and I also added some Lemon Pepper for a spice!
Made a very tasty gravy with the drippings…
A absolutely delicious meal.
Thank you ! ♥️♥️🙏🙏♥️♥️
Penny M
Karly says
Hi Penny! So glad to hear you’re enjoying your air fryer! We find that most things that can go in the oven work well in the air fryer. Same for many deep fried items. It’s so versatile! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the chicken recipe. Have a great day!
Ron B. says
Top notch recipe! We love rotisserie chicken, so I decided to try this recipe. Followed the recipe exactly as it says and the chicken came out awesome! Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Can’t wait to try some of the other air fryer chicken recipes
Karly says
So glad you gave this one a try! Thanks, Ron!
Susan Carlson says
How can you balance a chicken breast side down?
Karly says
I’m not sure what you mean. We start off cooking it breast side down, which just means that you lay the chicken so that it’s laying on the breast and not on the back.
Cathy Neumans says
I have prepared this Airfryer whole chicken 3 times since receiving recipe, and it is consistently awesome. I get 3 to 3.5 lb chickens from Butcher Box but go by the recipe anyway for seasoning and use it all. The chicken has been juicy every time when allowed to rest for 10 minutes before cooking. I prepared one in digital pressure cooker and one in airfryer at the same time for comparison. The air fryer chicken by the above recipe won with rave remarks! It is now my go to whole chicken recipe! Thank you, Karly!
Karly says
Oh, wow! Love to hear that! Thanks, Cathy!