Air Fryer Whole Chicken
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)
Video
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.
I have been cooking for over 40 years and I can sincerely say this air fryer chicken is the best roasted chicken I ever made. And, that’s saying a lot! Wings got ripped off and eaten way before the 10 min. cool down. 🙂 Thank you for the recipe. Followed it exactly except for using fresh rosemary instead of dried. Happy to have found your site. Look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you so much! So happy to hear!
This is the best air fried whole chicken ever! So easy to make and juicy delicious. My whole family loved it!
So happy to hear!
Absolutely adore this air fryer recipe! Omg the chicken came out super juicy delicious and the skin is crisp. So much better than store- bought rotisserie. Thanks for another wonderful recipe! Chihyu!
So wonderful to hear. Thank you!
Any recipes for air fryer is always welcome and what’s the best way to rotisserie a whole chicken
Second time in one week that I made this chicken. Delicious. This was my first time using the rotisserie function on my new Nuwave Airfryer. Great combo of spices.
So happy to hear. We love air fried whole chicken, too!
First whole chicken in my new Nuwave Airfryer. After searching through many recipes this one caught my eye as it listed the pounds. Chicken came out incredibly moist and flavorful. My airfryer has an actual rotating rotisserie which seemed to get stuck because my chicken was so big so I was unsure if the chicken would be cooked correctly. However, it all came out terrific.
So happy to hear!
Delicious! I had to make myself stop eating it. Thanks for helping me experiment with my air fryer.
Thanks so much, Coral! We love making roasted whole chicken in air fryer. So juicy!
This looks so good! I’ve been wondering whether or not to get and Air Fryer, but this looks so amazing I definitely need one!
I had no idea a whole chicken can be Air Fried.
The chicken turned out amazing! Super juicy delicious. Next time, I’ll experiment with my own spice rub combo. Thanks for the great recipe!
I cannot get enough of my air fryer. It has become such a great tool in my kitchen. I love how I can make anything in it I like. This chicken recipe sounds so delicious. And I love the crispy layer.
So crispy and flavorful! This is the only way I’ll be cooking a whole chicken from now on.
Thanks, Jean! It’s our favorite way of making a whole roasted chicken in the summer!
This chicken is beautiful! I need to get an air fryer stat!
Now I need to get an air fryer just to make this. That’s a perfect chicken!
This is perfection! So juicy and tender – thanks for sharing this!
Just watched your video and WOAH I cannot wait to try this recipe! That chicken looks amazing and crispy! My air-fryer is about the same size as yours so I will go with your recommendations!
Thanks so much, Joni!
Delicious!! I’m new to the air fryer so I really appreciate having great basic recipes! Thank you!
Such a simple preparation with delectable results! Love it!
That skin looks so delicious and crispy! My family is going to love this!
WOW! Never expected air fryer to give such a stunning result on a whole chicken. Beautiful char marks.