Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer

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This Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer provides all the easy steps for making juicy chicken with golden brown crispy skin flavored with smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and poultry seasoning.

Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe

We love cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer for a quick weeknight meal with great leftovers.

Simply season the chicken and air fry for just about an hour. It’s crazy delicious and you’ll find yourself doing it all the time!

The exterior of an air fried chicken is charred and crispy while the interior is succulent and divine.

When I say this recipe was pretty life changing for me, I absolutely mean it. I mean, I thought air fryer chicken would be good, but I wasn’t counting on it being fabulous.

Now I will be watching for whole chickens to go on sale so I can chuck them into my freezer. It also means I will no longer be purchasing rotisserie chickens at the grocer!

Whole chicken in the air fryer recipe ingredients

• Vegetable or canola oil: This is just for rubbing over the exterior and cavity of the chicken so the spice blend adheres well.
• Seasonings: smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper
• Whole chicken: I was surprised at how a nice, fat 5.5 lb. chicken slide right into my air fryer basket with ease!

How to make whole chicken in the air fryer

Unpackage the chicken. Remove the giblets and any organs that may be inside the cavity.

Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels.

Use your favorite kitchen shears to trim any excess skin or fat hanging around the chicken’s cavity opening.

In a small bowl, combine the seasonings with the salt and pepper; reserve.

Don’t be afraid to use the entire 2 teaspoons of kosher salt that this recipe calls for.

Salt is the secret for making really delicious and juicy air fryer roast chicken.

Place the oil into a small work bowl. Use your fingers, gently and liberally rub the oil all over the chicken skin.

Don’t forget to rub into the cavity of the chicken or under the skin too.

Discard any remaining oil in the bowl,

Rub the seasoning blend all over the exterior and interior of the chicken.

If possible, use your fingers to separate the chicken skin from the breast meat.

Rub seasoning blend directly over the breast meat.

Tuck the wings underneath the chicken.

You can cook the chicken now, or place it into the refrigerator to marinate. You can marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours later.

The more rest it gets, the more flavorful it will be.

Brush the air fryer basket with a bit of vegetable or canola oil.

If your chicken is on the larger side, remove the bottom rack in the air fryer basket. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F.

Once the air fryer is preheated, place the seasoned chicken breast-side-down into the air fryer basket.

Always cook the whole chicken breast-side-down in the air fryer basket first to protect the the white meat (the breast) from getting overcooked and dried out.

Once you flip the chicken over to be breast-side-up during the last part of the cooking time, the skin now on top will get nicely browned yet the chicken breast meat underneath will still be juicy and tender.

Air fry the chicken for 30 minutes.

Using two large meat forks placed on either side of the chicken.

Turn the chicken over so it is now breast-side up.

Air fry the chicken for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the skin is a deep golden brown in color.

The chicken is fully cooked and done when the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees F. at the center of the breast when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.

Please always check for doneness by using an instant-read meat thermometer.

For food safety reasons, it’s never a good idea to guess if a chicken is fully cooked, you want to know for sure.

I still use a basic dial-style instant-read meat thermometer for checking internal temperatures of poultry.

Carefully lift the chicken from the air fryer to a large cutting board and cover with foil.

Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes to allow redistribution of the juices back into the meat.

This will also help the protein fibers can relax and the chicken get more tender and juicy.

Carve the chicken as desired. Or once the chicken has cooled, use your fingers to pull the cooked meat from the bones.

This is easiest to do while the chicken is still warm, but you can do it later, too, once the chicken is has chilled in refrigeration.

Store the chicken meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to make extra cripsy chicken skin in the air fryer

For the crispiest skin, I like to season my chicken then place it into the fridge UNCOVERED for 24 hours.

This dries out the exterior of the chicken and makes the skin even more beautiful, browned, and sooo crispy as it cooks.

What to serve with air fryer chicken

Crispy roasted air fryer broccoli with parmesan will become your staple side dish that’s easy, takes about 10 minutes, and is tasty for the entire family. We love it along side air fryer chicken.

My guys enjoy macaroni and cheese with just about anything. While my air fryer is cooking the chicken, I can make mac and cheese in a skillet on my stove.

When I make air fryer chicken in the summertime, I often serve it with a big bowl of refreshing corn salad.

Should the chicken have their legs tied together

Be sure you don’t truss the chicken (tie the legs together).

This makes them kind of stick up more so in the back.

This will cause them to burn because they are too close to the top heating element of the air fryer.

More favorite air fryer recipes

Tilapia in the air fryer is super fast to prepare and perfectly seasoned with parmesan cheese, savory butter, and some simple spices you already have on hand.

Tender and juicy Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin cooks in less than 20 minutes and slices into savory pork tenderloin medallions with a big flavor!

Air fryer brussels sprouts have crispy caramelized brussels sprout exteriors with tender interiors flavored with maple syrup and bacon.

Air fryer steak bites are straight-forward and simple, always juicy and tender. So easy and fast to make!