Air Fryer Whole Chicken
by Air Fryer Whole Chicken slathered with a garlic-herb dry spice rub then air fried to golden crispy. The chicken is super juicy inside and the skin is shattering crisp outside. Just like your favorite rotisserie chicken perfectly air fried. For just 10 minutes of active effort? Yes please!
The best rotisserie chicken is …
Juicy moist inside and with golden crispy outer skins! This air fryer rotisserie chicken is THE Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe you’ll make over and over again!
I was intimidated to use Air Fryer although I got the model for free in exchange for a cookbook review. I let it sit in the basement for an entire winter until this summer, I finally decided to give it a try.
I have to say that I felt in love after the first time use because it didn’t heat up my kitchen and there was no frying mess over the kitchen counter. However, it still takes some trial-and-error to nail down the exact cooking time whenever I try a new ingredient or cook with different quantity.
How to make the best air fryer whole chicken?
- The size of your air fryer matters. For a 5 quart air fryer, I recommend a 3 lbs whole chicken to make the best air fried rotisserie chicken. For a 6 quart fryer, 4 to 4.5 lbs bird should give the fryer enough room for air circulation.
- Use dry spice rub. Fresh herbs get burnt easily in an air fryer so use your favorite dry spice rub combo. My basic spice rub combo is – salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.
- Breast side down first. Roast the whole chicken breast side down first then flip it to breast side up. This way the chicken will be roasted evenly and all-around golden delicious.
- Use a meat thermometer. Different brands of air fryers come with various default cook time settings. Use a thermometer to test the roasted chicken temperature and it should read at least 165F at the thickest part of the bird without touching the bones.
To truss or not to truss a chicken?
In my opinion, this is up-to-you, especially if there’s no stuffing in the cavity. I’ve made this Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe numerous times for our weeknight meals without trussing the chicken. For the photo purpose, I learned the technique from Jacques Pépin so that my whole roasted chicken will be extra gorgeous in front of the camera.
Can you stack chicken in an air fryer?
Ideally no. There should be room for air circulation inside of an air fryer so that each chicken piece can get cooked through and browned evenly.
Is air fried chicken healthy?
It is healthier because you use much less oil in air fried chicken recipes. The first thing I realize is that there’s no need to add any oil if you cook proteins that come with fat – chicken thighs, steak, pork chops…etc. Vegetables such as squash, potatoes, asparagus, green beans contain less fat so they need to be lightly oiled first before air fried.
Complete the Roasted Air Fryer Whole Chicken with –
- Asian Coleslaw with creamy toasted sesame dressing
- Triple Green Kale Salad
- Roasted cauliflower with lemon tahini cream sauce
- Instant Pot Creamy Sweet Potato Mash
- More salad recipes here
- More side dishes here
More Whole Chicken Recipes
- Citrus roasted orange whole chicken
- Herb roasted spatchcock chicken
- Dutch oven roasted whole red curry chicken
More Flavorful Healthy Air Fryer Recipes
- Air fried lemon chicken bites
- Thai chicken wings
- Thai chicken satay
- Chinese cod recipe with ginger scallion sauce
- Air fryer salmon recipe with teriyaki sauce
- Baked or Air Fry Sesame Chicken
- Vietnamese air fryer chicken wings
- Air Fryer Eggs 7 ways!
- Browse my paleo air fryer recipes
See how I put a healthy and balanced family meal together with an Air Fryer
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Ingredients
For a 5 qt. Air fryer:
- 3 lbs whole chicken
- 1.5 tsp coarse salt
- ¼ tsp each black pepper, sweet paprika
- ½ tsp each garlic, onion powder,
- ½ tsp each dry rosemary, dry thyme (or 1 tsp Italian seasoning)
For a 6 qt. Air fryer:
- 4 lbs whole chicken
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp each black pepper, sweet paprika
- ½ tsp each garlic, onion powder,
- ½ tsp each dry rosemary, dry thyme (or 1 tsp Italian seasoning)
Equipment
- 5 or 6 quart Air Fryer
Instructions
- Remove the giblets inside the whole chicken cavity. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.
- Combine dry spice seasonings from salt to thyme in a bowl.
- Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the meat to create small pockets. Be careful not to tear the skin. Stuff the dry spice mixture under the skin and use your hands to gently spread the spices as even as you can. Make sure to season the outer interior and the back of the bird.
- Place the whole chicken breast side down in the air fryer. Roast at 360F for 30 minutes.
- Flip the chicken (now breast side up and roast at the same temperature for 20 minutes (3 lbs. chicken) or 25 minutes (4 lbs. chicken).
- Test the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should reach at least 165F at the thickest part without touching the bones. If not, send it back and roast for 5 additional minutes then test the temperature again.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. The bottom of the air fryer basket will catch all the chicken juice. Serve the juice on the side if you like.
This looks amazing and I will try it in my brand new never used airfryer! Would I have to do anything different if I use stuffing in the bird?
Hey Joanne, I would assume you will need longer time and different temperature to get the stuffing inside of the bird cooked. Maybe search for a recipe with stuffing inside?
Wow! This was AH-mazing! I’ve had the insta pot/air fryer for 6 months now & have only used the pressure cooker feature so far…no more! This chicken was fantastic! My picky eaters…AKA children…gobbled this up! I had a 4.5 lb chicken and doubled the spice blend (we like a lot of seasoning) & did a combo of thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning & a bit of dried parsley. Also added a bit of cayenne because we love spice. This was so juicy & cooked perfectly! Thank you for the recipe….definitely going in the rotation!!
Thank you so much for sharing with us! Instant pot air fryer sounds awesome!
Perfect chicken, perfect instructions. My picky toddlers gobbled this up. It was picture perfect.
Thanks, Jane! My husband LOVES this dish, too! He said “it’s so much better than store bought rotisserie! “
We have a toaster oven with a convection setting that I’m told is equivalent to an air fryer but this model does not have the basket.
Any instructions on how to do the whole chicken?
Thks
HI Max, thanks! Does your toaster oven comes with a rotating fork? If so, it should work! You might need to adjust the temperature and time to make sure the chicken is cooked perfectly. As always, please use a meat thermometer to test the temperature. If it’s under, you can always send it back to cook longer. 🙂
My air fryer is a rotisserie style with a spit rod that rotates (Pampered Chef AF). Will that be okay for this or does it need to be face down?
Hey Tina, if yours rotates I think it should be fine as long as it cooks all sides 🙂
Wow. Wow. Wow.
I made this tonight after my fiancé started Whole30 this month and I was searching for new recipes.
I followed the recipe exactly (used Italian seasoning as recommended). It came out delicious, crispy and so moist!
Thank you, Luis. So happy to hear!