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Home » Air Fryer Recipes » Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Last Updated on November 18, 2021 by Bintu. 3 Comments

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A WHOLE COOKED CHICKEN IN AN AIR FRYER
CLOSE UP OF A WHOLE COOKED CHICKEN IN AN INSTANT POT
WHOLE COOKED CHICKEN ON A PLATE

Yes, you really can cook a whole chicken in air fryer! This no-fail recipe is faster than the traditional oven method, and gives you a perfectly cooked chicken every time! 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.

close up view of air fryer whole chicken inside the air fryer basket

This Golden Crispy Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe really is a breeze to prepare. It requires less than 5 minutes of prep and yields perfectly crispy skin on the outside and juicy meat on the inside every single time.

This crispy Roast Chicken is a great recipe for effortlessly serving up Sunday lunches, weeknight dinners and preparing leftover chicken recipes the whole family will love. Use the tips and trick I share in the post further below to help you get your meat perfect.

What is great also about this easy recipe is that like my oven Roasted Chicken, and easy Dutch Oven Chicken, you can use left over Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken to make lunch box sandwiches, hearty pasta dishes, fried rice and more. One recipe, many, many, meals.

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.

the finished air fryer whole chicken served on a white plate

Why Make This Recipe

  • Easy – it is super simple to prepare with only 4 ingredients and minimal prep time.
  • Budget friendly – made with affordable ingredients you probably already own.
  • Fail-proof – you get chicken cooked to absolute perfection every single time.
  • Meal prep – great for weekly meal prep.
  • Dietary – suitable for gluten free, low carb, keto, and dairy free diets.
air fryer cheat sheet

Ingredient Notes

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 entire chicken with the giblets removes.
  • Seasoning – For ease I used a chicken seasoning spice blend dry rub. You can use any blend that you like or even some individual seasonings like smoked paprika, garlic powder and Italian Seasoning.
  • Salt – this is optional and depends on your seasoning. If your seasoning already has salt on then you will need to adjust the salt.
  • Oil – You need a little bit of olive oil or low calorie cooking spray to spray. all over the chicken and to help get crispy skin.
top down view of the cooked white chicken in air fryer

How to Make Whole Chicken In Air Fryer

Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Preheat the Air Fryer to 350F / 180C.
  2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place on a plate and rub the seasoning all over the chicken including in the cavity.
  3. Spray air fryer with cooking spray and place chicken breast side down into the air fryer basket and cook for 30 minutes on one side.
  4. Then turn the bird 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. Make sure
  5. Allow the Air Fried Whole Chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.
image collage showing the steps for making air fryer chicken

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

Tips For Success And Variations

These tips will help cook the perfect rotisserie style chicken

  • Adding it in breast side down at the start helps 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 on.
  • Let roasted chicken rest for a few minutes before carving so the juices redistribute and you end up with juicy chicken.
  • Season your Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken seasoning to your taste with herbs like Old bay seasoning, creole seasoning, cajun seasoning, Greek seasoning, thyme, oregano, onion powder and more.
  • Add red pepper flakes or chipotle etc for some heat.

Budget Friendly Tips

  • If you have the freezer space, buy chicken when it is on sale and freeze it for later.
  • Save the chicken carcass and use to to make some homemade chicken broth or stock.
  • Pick off all the leftover chicken meat of the carcass and use it to make salad, sandwiches, pasta dishes, fried rice and more.

Storage And Reheating

  • Prep ahead – Season the chicken and refrigerate for up to a day.
  • Refrigerate – let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze – Let cool and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat – preheat the air fryer to 350F / 180C and reheat chicken parts for about 5-6 minutes until warmed through.

How To Meal Prep With Leftovers

This whole chicken is great for meal prep. Cook once and eat for the whole week.

  • Add leftover chicken to pasta or rice for a comforting meal.
  • Left over chicken adds flavour and protein to creamy soups.
  • Use it to make sandwiches, wraps or pitta for lunch.
  • Sprinkle leftover chicken pieces on top of nachos or make a coronation chicken with it.
  • Amp up your breakfast by adding some to your breakfast hash, breakfast casserole or omelette.
  • Make a salad with extra crunchy veggies – you can vary the dressing like ranch, balsamic, ceaser or an Asian dressing for variety.
  • Freeze some in the right portion sizes so you can easily grab what you need from the freezer.
the finished whole chicken in air fryer basket

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 at least 165F / 74C.

FAQs

How Long To Cook Whole Chicken In Air Fryer

Cooking time will depend on the size of the whole chicken can be anytime up to 70 minutes.

Smaller chicken will take a shorter time to air fry than bigger birds. The first time you cook this, start checking at about 45 minutes cook time and then check every 5 minutes until chicken reaches the right internal temperature using an instant read thermometer.

Can You Make This With Frozen Chicken?

You certainly can cook an Air Fryer Frozen Whole Chicken but the cook time will be different.

Cook it on low at the start to help thawing before air frying at a higher temperature. I suggest about 200 degrees F (90 degrees C) for about 25 minutes before increasing the temperature to 350F / 180C and air frying as the original recipe.

You can season it whilst frozen but the seasoning and olive oil will not stick as well as if this was fresh..

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

You may like to serve this these crispy Garlic Parmesan Fries or Dump and Start Instant Pot Garlic Butter Potatoes.

Tools Needed

  • An Air Fryer.
  • Best ever sea salt.
  • A selection of spices.
  • Meat thermometer.

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Get The Easy Whole Chicken Air Fryer Recipe

top down view of the cooked white chicken in air fryer

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate Save RecipeSaved!
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Western
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 121kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious

Equipment

cosori air fryer
Air Fryer Cosori
spray bottle
Spray Bottle
measuring cups and spoons
Cups And Spoons

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb (680g) whole chicken
  • 2 tablespoons dry rub of your choice
  • no-calorie cooking spray or olive oil just a spritz

Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 350F / 180C.
  • Place the dry chicken on a plate and rub the seasoning all over the chicken, including in the cavity.
  • Spray air fryer with cooking spray before adding the chicken breast side down into the air fryer basket and cook for 30 minutes on one side.
  • Then turn the bird around and cook for another 15-30 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of the chicken.
  • Allow chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Video

Notes

Tips For Success And Variations

  • Adding it in breast side down at the start helps keep the breast 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 on.
  • Season your Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken seasoning to your taste with herbs like Old bay seasoning, creole seasoning, Greek seasoning, Thyme, Oregano and more.
  • Add red pepper flakes or chipotle etc for some heat.

Budget Friendly Tips

  • If you have the freezer space, buy chicken when it is on sale and freeze it for later.
  • Save the chicken carcass and use t to make some homemade chicken broth or stock.
  • Pick off all the leftover chicken meat of the carcass and use it to make salad, sandwiches, pasta dishes, fried rice and more.

Weight Watchers Points

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

Nutrition

Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
« Slow Cooker Chicken Spaghetti
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken »

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. don

    March 15, 2021 at 11:10 pm

    5 stars
    good recipes

    Reply
  2. Miranda

    November 19, 2022 at 3:36 pm

    Turned out perfectly when using a 1.3kg chicken!

    Reply
  3. Kerry

    February 10, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    5 stars
    Us Brits like our roasts and have done this before in my Cosori and it came out perfect,what better on a chilly day with Maris Piper roast spuds,honey glazed parsnips,swede/carrot mash,runner beans,broccoli,Yorkshire puddings and swimming in oxo,garlic Bisto gravy,not forgetting Paxo sage &onion stuffing,hurry up Sunday, keep the recipes coming Bintu,TTFN.

    Reply

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