Air Fryer Whole Chicken

This Air Fryer whole chicken is so juicy and tender, with golden crispy skin! This is the easiest way to roast a whole chicken in the air fryer and get a rotisserie-style chicken quickly with little effort!

I recently bought myself a massive air fryer! The old one was too small and just didn’t do the job anymore. I got a 5.8QT air fryer, it’s a powerful machine with a big capacity and I’m in love with it! Seriously, I use it every single day!

And that means, that I finally can fit a whole chicken in the air fryer and never have to buy rotisserie chicken again! This air fryer can roast the chicken so beautifully, you won’t believe it. Please give this recipe a try and you can thank me later.

So it’s true that you can roast a whole chicken in your air fryer, but there are so many recipes on the internet and you have to find the right one. But you’ve come to the right place because here’s a true and tested recipe for you!

This recipe guarantees that your chicken is perfectly roasted in the air fryer, it will turn out juicy, tender, and flavorful, and the crust will be absolutely perfect.

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer?

If you have time, I recommend brining your chicken. Brining in a salt solution makes your chicken really juicy, tender, and seasons the meat very well. This step is not a must, but strongly I recommend that you do it for better results! I have an easy chicken brine recipe if you want to give it a try.

Prepare the marinade. There are many different marinades to choose from, but here’s my favorite. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, ginger, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients until well combined, and that’s your marinade ready.

To prep the chicken:

1. Check the chicken and remove any pin feathers. Using kitchen towels, pat the chicken dry.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F/180°C, for 5 minutes.
3. Brush the marinade all over the chicken and make sure that the chicken is well coated.
4. Transfer the chicken to the Air Fryer. Make sure that your chicken fits into the air fryer before you start, if not, then you can always cut up the chicken into pieces (but you’ll have to cut down the air frying time). I have an excellent tutorial on How to Cut up a Whole Chicken if you want to try that.
5. Cook at 350°F/180°C for 30 minutes. Then flip the chicken over, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

How to Check If the Chicken Is Cooked Through Properly

Here are the best ways to chicken if the chicken is cooked through and safe to eat:

• Using a kitchen thermometer (recommended method): Use a meat thermometer to check if your chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast must reach at least 165°F/74°C.
• Slice the chicken between the breast and the leg and look at the juices, if they’re running clear then it means that the chicken is cooked through. If they have a slight pink tinge to them, you need to cook the chicken for longer. So put it back in, and cook for 10 more minutes then take it out and check again.
• Also, look at the meat and check if it feels firm. When it’s cooked, it will be firm. If it’s still undercooked, then it will feel rubbery and jiggly.

The air fryer will be really hot as you check the chicken, so make sure that you’re wearing oven mitts. It’s very easy to burn your hands as the air fryer and the chicken will be extremely hot.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure that the chicken is completely covered with the marinade before cooking to get more flavor.
• If your chicken is smaller/bigger than the one in this recipe, the cooking time will be a little different. 
• Start cooking with the chicken breast side up, then after 30 minutes of cooking flip the chicken and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Make sure that you check the doneness of the chicken before removing it from the air fryer. You don’t want to undercook or overcook the meat.
• Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving. Learn How to properly carve a whole chicken using my tutorial!
• Use the leftovers for other recipes such as this Instant Pot chicken noodle soup, Rasta pasta, Caesar pasta salad, or meal prep for the week!

What to Serve This Whole Chicken With?

• Crispy air fryer chicken breast (my most popular Air fryer recipe!)
• Crispy air fryer fish
• Air Fryer chicken fajitas
• Crunchy air fryer hot dogs
• Air fryer asparagus with mushrooms
• Air fryer salmon
• Air fryer baked potato

You can also cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, check out my Instant Pot whole chicken recipe, and you can even use the chicken juices/broth to make flavorful rice afterward!