Air Fryer Whole Chicken

This air fryer whole chicken is the crispiest, juiciest roast chicken you will ever make, all without using your oven!

Jump to:

• Air frying a whole chicken
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Top tips
• Serving suggestions
• Flavor variations
• Leftovers
• You might also like these recipes..
• Frequently asked questions
• Recipe

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Air frying a whole chicken

Cooking chicken in your air fryer is honestly such a game changer. If your air fryer is big enough to fit a whole chicken, there is no reason why you wouldn't want to try this recipe.

• It's faster than cooking a chicken in the oven (mainly due to the time it takes to preheat)
• The skin is perfectly crispy every time
• If you use a meat thermometer, you can ensure the most juicy, tender chicken
• You will have more space in your oven to make excellent sides like honey roasted potatoes or roasted broccoli and carrots
• You can use less oil or butter than you would need in the oven.
• Not having to use the oven means that your kitchen will stay cool - very important for those of us who don't have air conditioning in the summer heat

Ingredients

To make this roast chicken, you will need a whole chicken, cooking spray or olive oil spray, and your choice of seasoning or a spice rub.

You will also need an air fryer. It's important that your air fryer can fit the chicken, which means that this recipe is not suitable for the smallest air fryers.

Instructions

First, preheat your air fryer to 356 °F / 180 °C.

Spray the inside of the air fryer basket with the olive oil spray. Add the chicken with the breast side down (flipped upside down!). Sprinkle your seasoning on top, and spray the top of the chicken.

Air fry for 30-40 minutes, then flip the chicken around so it has the breast side up. Sprinkle your seasoning and spray oil on the top of the chicken.

Air fry until the chicken has cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken, but is typically 30-50 minutes.

Check with a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 °F / 74 °C before removing it from the air fryer. A meat thermometer is always the best way to ensure that chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Remove the chicken from the air fryer, and leave it to rest for about 10 minutes before carving it. This is key to retain all the juices in the meat.

Top tips

Here are my best tips to succeed with this amazing recipe:

• Using a good meat thermometer is key to make sure that the chicken is cooked perfectly. Buying a thermometer is one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I have never had dry chicken since!
• Leave the chicken to rest for a few minutes before carving it. This allows the juices to settle into the meat, and will keep it juicy and delicious.
• Make sure to spray the air fryer basket to prevent the chicken from sticking to it.

Serving suggestions

A whole air fried chicken can be served in so many ways. It's a really versatile way to cook chicken, and you can often use it in multiple meals.

You can serve it as a roast chicken dinner, with the typical side dishes like roasted vegetables and potatoes.

Alternatively, you can shred the meat and use it in soups, salads, sandwiches or casseroles. Shredded cooked chicken is a main ingredient in southern style chicken salad, dairy free chicken pot pie, and Chinese chicken and sweetcorn soup.

Flavor variations

You can make roast chicken with ANY seasoning you like! There's no need to stick to the plain salt and pepper combination when there are so many flavors out there. Here are some flavor profiles that I like to use. Pick your seasoning based on what you want to serve your chicken with.

• BBQ spice rub, or any other dry rub or seasoning mix
• Rosemary + lemon or any other herbs
• Garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper (my personal favorite!)
• Smoked paprika, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin
• Honey, garlic powder & soy sauce

Leftovers

Leftover air fryer whole chicken can be stored in airtight containers in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to shred or dice any leftover meat, and discard the chicken carcass.

The chicken meat can then be used for several purposes, either as a meal served with side dishes, or as an ingredient in other meals like salads or casseroles.

This recipe is excellent for meal prep, or make ahead meals, as you can use the chicken in multiple meals through the week.

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Frequently asked questions

Recipe