Air Fryer Whole Chicken – Crispy and Juicy

You are going to love cooking this Air Fryer Whole Chicken! Tender, juicy roast chicken with the most crispy, flavorful skin every time. It is so easy to do in much less time and quicker clean-up than cooking it in the oven.

Perfectly cooked, seasoned whole chicken in 60 minutes!

I love cooking anything in my air fryer but this air fryer whole chicken is by far one of my favorite things I have made yet. The chicken comes out perfectly juicy and succulent with the most amazing flavorful, crispy skin. My family is obsessed with it!

It is such an easy air fryer dinner recipe that only requires a few simple ingredients and one hour to make it!

We love Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Chicken Breast they have both become regular meal staples that we make at least once a week.

Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Breast I cook for our weekend entertaining when the whole family gets together for a Sunday supper since everyone really loves it!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Quick and easy to make!
• Thanks to the air fryer you get perfectly cooked whole chicken every time in about 1 hour with no messy clean-up!
• Great for meal prep since you can easily make it, store it, and reheat it.
• Perfect as leftovers that you can use in a chicken salad, enchiladas, or even on pizza!
• It frees up the oven for making delicious side dishes like roasted squash, potatoes and carrots, and roasted broccoli.
• You can easily customize the seasoning with any dry rub you like or simply use just oil, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients you will need

• Whole Chicken – As always you want to use the highest quality chicken you can afford. Pasture-raised, organic chicken is best. Make sure to choose a whole chicken that will fit in your air fryer. I found that 3-5 pound chickens fit in most air fryers.
• Avocado oil -You will need to use a little bit of oil to allow the seasoning to stick to the chicken. Olive oil, avocado oil, or olive oil cooking spray will all work in this recipe.
• The seasoning – I chose to use garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper but you can use any spice blend you prefer.

How to make air fryer whole chicken

1. Prep the chicken. Use a clean paper towel to dry the chicken really well all over, including the inside cavity of the chicken. Make sure to remove the giblets if there are any inside the chicken before you cook it.
2. Season. In a small bowl, mix up the seasoning. Rub the oil all over the entire chicken, including the inside cavity. Then use your hands to rub the seasoning mixture all over it on both sides.
3. Cook. Place the chicken, breast side down into the air fryer basket. Close and cook at 360 degrees F for 50 minutes. Then carefully flip the chicken over and cook it for 10 more minutes. Per the recipe card below.
4. Let rest, carve, and serve. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the air fryer and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Then you can carve and serve it. Here is a great video on how to carve a whole chicken.

You will not believe how incredible this chicken is. It is going to blow your mind, it is so good! Juicy, tender and so flavorful every single time! The skin is wonderfully crispy and delicious!

Seasoning variations

• Use a simple seasoning blend like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper like I used in this recipe. 
• Add a little spice by using a cajun seasoning blend or a BBQ rub. 
• Make it a more traditional, rotisserie-style air fryer chicken using salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika (Similar to the Costco version). 
• Go with a delicious Italian-style seasoning by using basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. 
• Channel my BBQ Chicken Breast and rub your favorite BBQ sauce all over the chicken for the last 10 minutes of cooking. I like to season the chicken with just oil, salt, and pepper then add the BBQ sauce at the end so it doesn’t burn. 

Expert tip: No matter what type of seasoning blend you choose, always use sea salt (or kosher salt) and black pepper to give the bird a nice base flavor. If you are using a seasoning blend that already contains a good amount of salt then you probably do not need to add any more. 

Recipe Tips for the best juicy chicken

• Make sure your chicken fits in your air fryer. I have a 5.7-quart air fryer that can fit about a 5.5-pound whole chicken. Some of the smaller air fryers can only fit a 3-pound chicken, so make sure it fits before you start cooking. 
• Dry the whole chicken well before you season it and cook it. This will allow the seasoning to stick to the chicken better and give it so much flavor. 
• Do not skip flipping the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. This allows it to get crispy on all sides. I like to use kitchen gloves and grab the legs of the chicken and easily flip it, depending on the size of the chicken I am using. You can also use kitchen tongs to do this. 
• Make sure to cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. The chicken will continue cooking to 165 degrees F (per the FDA guidelines) while it rests. You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken to ensure you do not overcook or undercook it. 
• Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before you carve it to allow the juices to stay inside the chicken. This is absolutely necessary to also allow the chicken to reach 165 degrees F (carry-over cooking) without drying out. 
• Use the drippings left in the bottom of the air fryer to make a light gravy to serve with the chicken. There are not always enough drippings left in the air fryer basket to do this but you can add some chicken stock, butter, and flour to increase the amount of gravy you yield from cooking the chicken. You definitely do not want to waste all of the incredible flavors!

How long to cook a whole chicken in the air fryer?

This will depend on the size of the chicken you are using. Here are some cooking time guidelines. Remember to always cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. You can check this using a meat thermometer and inserting it into the thickest part of the chicken.

• Most air fryers can cook a whole chicken in about one hour.
• A whole chicken in the air fryer will take about 12 minutes per pound to cook. So a 5-pound chicken will take about 60 minutes to fully cook.
• A whole chicken that is 3-4 pounds will take about 45-50 minutes to fully cook.

What to serve with air fryer whole chicken

Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this homemade roasted chicken.

• Enjoy it as a healthy meal addition to this Lemon and Parmesan Roasted Asparagus.
• Serve it with some roasted broccoli or mixed roasted veggies.
• Pair it with some dairy free potato salad.
• Serve it with some butternut squash mac and cheese for a fun kid-friendly meal!

Storing and reheating

• To store: Cooked chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend carving it before you store it.
• To reheat: You can reheat the chicken in portions in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
• To freeze: easily freeze this cooked chicken after you have carved it, in a freezer-friendly container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before you reheat it as noted above.

FAQ’s

What if my chicken doesn’t fit in my air fryer?

Most air fryers can fit a 3-4 pound chicken. My air fryer is larger (5.7 quarts) and could fit a 5-pound chicken but most air fryers cannot. If the chicken is a tight fit and is sticking out over the top of the air fryer basket then stop! Lightly press on the breastbone to flatten the top of the chicken a bit to get it to fit better. This is important or the top of the chicken will burn and could harm your air fryer. To be safe, use a 3-3.5 pound chicken since that size can fit in most air fryers.

Do I need to rinse the chicken first?

Rinsing the chicken is not necessary and will likely spread more bacteria all over the chicken. I recommend drying it all over with a clean paper towel before you season it to allow the oil and seasoning to stick to the chicken better.

Do I need to tie the legs together?

This is up to you! I did not feel that it was necessary to tie the legs together and I have made this air fryer whole chicken many times.

Ways to use leftovers

Leftover chicken is great for salads (like this chicken salad), with pasta (like pasta salad), on pizza (like pesto chicken pizza, in a chicken sandwich, and so much more!

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

• Crispy Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
• Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Breast
• 15-Minute Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Breast
• Air Fryer Ground Chicken Meatballs
• 10-Minute Air Fryer Chicken and Vegetables
• Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
• Air Fryer BBQ Chicken

Other easy air fryer Recipes to try

• Juicy Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin
• Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Zucchini Patties With Sweet Potato
• Air Fryer Ham with Homemade Glaze

Did you make this air fryer whole chicken recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. You can also tag me on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood so I can see your creation.

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