Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Yes, you really can cook a whole chicken in an air fryer! This foolproof recipe is faster than the traditional oven method. It gives you a perfectly cooked rotisserie-style chicken at home! This recipe is great for weekly meal prep.

Suitable for gluten free, dairy free, low carb, keto, paleo, and Whole30 diets. Weight Watchers points included.

Air Fryer Chicken

When I first got married, I avoided making roast chicken. It scared me, but it is the easiest meal to prepare and make, and now even easier with the introduction of Air Fryers. Leftovers are a must for meal prep for the week.

This is one meal that I can confidently place on the table and even my fussiest will devour it. It requires less than 5 minutes of prep and is not reserved for Sunday lunches as it’s done in under 1 hour.

And if you enjoy this, you’ll want to check out my crispy air fryer chicken breast dinner. Plus, if you want the chicken juicy then brine the chicken before cooking.

Why Make This Recipe

• Easy to make – It’s super simple to prepare with only 4 ingredients and minimal prep time. And no oven to clean.
• Fail-proof – The air fryer uses convection cooking, so you get even cooking and browning and less oil.
• Perfect for Meal prep – Great for weekly meal prep and tastes like a store-bought rotisserie chicken, might I say even better.

What’s Needed

This perfectly juicy easy chicken recipe requires only 4 regular pantry and refrigerator staples. The best kind of recipes right?

• Chicken – This uses a whole chicken with the giblets removed and no stuffing. Just make sure it fits, I speak from experience!
• Seasoning – I’ve used a chicken seasoning spice blend dry rub. You can use any blend like Old Bay seasoning, creole seasoning, or Greek seasoning that you like. Individual seasonings like smoked paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning are tasty too. Add red pepper flakes or chipotle if you like a bit of spice.
• Salt – If your seasoning already has salt in it then you will need to adjust the salt or leave it out.
• Oil – You need a little bit of olive oil or low-calorie cooking spray to spray all over the chicken to help get a crispy skin.

How to Make This

This takes 5 minutes to prep and then the air fryer does the rest. Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Preheat the Air Fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then place on a plate and rub the seasoning all over the chicken including in the cavity.
3. Spray the air fryer with cooking spray, place the chicken breast side down into the air fryer basket, and cook for 30 minutes on one side.
4. Then turn the chicken around and cook for another 15-30 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of the chicken but it is about an hour.
5. Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Air Fryer temperatures will vary depending on the type and model, so use the cooking time as a guide only and adjust as needed.

Bintu’s Tips And Variations

These tips will help cook the perfect rotisserie-style chicken like your local store.

• Placing the chicken breast side down in the air fryer basket at the start helps to keep the breast meat juicy. If you can, tie the legs together to keep them juicy too.
• Make sure the chicken is dry before you add the seasoning so that the rub sticks to it and spritz the chicken with a spray bottle of oil so you get crispy skin.
• Let the roasted chicken rest for a few minutes before carving so the juices redistribute and you end up with a juicy chicken.
• Save the chicken carcass and use it to make some homemade chicken broth or stock.
• You can use leftovers to make lunch box sandwiches, hearty pasta dishes, fried rice, and more.
• If you have the freezer space, buy chicken when it is on sale and freeze it for later.

Storage

• Prep ahead – Season the chicken and refrigerate for up to a day.
• Refrigerate – Let it cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freeze – Let it cool and freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze some in the right portion sizes so you can easily grab what you need from the freezer.
• Reheat – Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C and reheat chicken parts for about 5-6 minutes until warmed through.

How To Meal Prep With Leftovers

This chicken is great for meal prep. Cook once and eat for the entire week. Here are some ideas to get you going:

• Add leftover chicken to pasta or rice for a quick meal.
• Leftover chicken adds flavor and protein to creamy chicken noodle soup.
• Use it to make chicken salad sandwiches, wraps, or pita for lunch.
• Sprinkle leftover chicken pieces on top and make chicken nachos or coronation chicken.
• Amp up your breakfast by adding some to your breakfast hash, breakfast casserole, or omelet.
• Make a salad with extra crunchy veggies. Change up the dressing to ranch, balsamic, Caeser, or an Asian dressing for variety.

Chicken Safety Tips

Always check the internal temperature of your chicken using an instant meat thermometer. The meat is done and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C.

FAQs

Weight Watchers Points

If you use a no-calorie cooking spray, there are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving!

More Air Fryer Recipes

If you like this and want more easy recipe, then you’ve got to try my easy Air Fryer Chicken and Potatoes dinner or super crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast and Air Fryer Fried Chicken.

Plus for leftovers, you can Reheat Chicken Wings In Air Fryer or Reheat Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer.

And if you prefer you can make an Instant Pot Whole Chicken instead.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this with these crispy Garlic Parmesan Fries or Dump and Start Instant Pot Garlic Butter Potatoes.

Subscribe to my Newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty recipes!

Get The Easy Whole Chicken Air Fryer Recipe