This easy Air Fryer Whole Chicken is a go-to dinner that the whole family will love! It's practically effortless to quickly season this roaster and have it fully cooked to tender, juicy perfection and on the table in about an hour!
The Perfect Juicy Roasted Chicken is Made in an Air Fryer!
Growing up, every Sunday my mom made a whole chicken with all of the trimmings for dinner. The whole house smelled like juicy and delicious chicken and my favorite part was the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth skin.
It’s a meal that I love to create for my family, but I don’t have all day on Sundays to spend in the kitchen. And this is reason number 101 that I love my air fryer!
Whole chicken roasted in the air fryer cooks in half the time and is equally as succulent and moist with that golden and crispy skin! All you need is a little seasoning for a perfect chicken dinner and this recipe is almost effortless.
You don’t have to have this air fryer chicken once a week as my family did – but I’ll bet no one will complain if you do! This super easy, moist, tender, and scrumptious whole chicken recipe gives new meaning to the phrase, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”.
🥘 Ingredients
In addition to your air fryer, there are only a few things that you'll need for this perfectly tasty air fried chicken!
- Whole Chicken – Try to find one that is at around 3.5 lbs but that will still fit into your air fryer basket.
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil has the best flavor, but you can use your preferred cooking oil.
- Salt & Pepper – To taste. These base spices add so much flavor!
- Garlic Powder – The flavor is a bit more intense than fresh garlic and rubbing it into the chicken skin really infuses the flavor throughout your chicken.
- Onion Powder - Dried onion flakes can also be substituted.
- Paprika – This spice is a great visual garnish on the chicken, but also gives a wonderful peppery flavor.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
This air fryer chicken is beyond easy to make! Use pantry-staple spices to coat the whole chicken then plop it into your air fryer basket and set the timer and get a perfect roast chicken!
- If the chicken has been frozen, be sure to thaw completely in the refrigerator (about 12 hours). If the giblets and the neck are in the body cavity, remove them and then trim any fat from the body. Pat the chicken until dry with paper towels.
- Rub the whole chicken with olive oil, followed by the mixture of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and paprika. Rub the seasonings in until every inch is covered.
- Place the chicken in the basket of the air fryer with the breast side facing downward. Set the fryer at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and cook for 30 minutes. This method of cooking creates the best presentation on the table, but you can also start with the breast side up and this makes the breast meat incredibly tender and extra juicy.
- Next, remove the basket and flip the chicken over. Replace the chicken and basket and cook for about 25-30 minutes more.
- Check the internal temperature using a digital meat thermometer and once the chicken is 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), it’s done. * I prefer to cook any bone-in chicken to 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
- Remove the basket from the air fryer and let the chicken rest in it, or on a clean surface for 10 minutes. FYI – there will be a LOT of juice running off the chicken while it rests, so its best to put it on a curved cutting board or leave it in the basket. Carve and serve!
At my house, we almost always serve whole roasted chicken with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. The drippings and the juice from the bird can also be used to make an aromatic and tasty gravy!
🥡 Storing & Reheating
If there are leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If stored properly, frozen chicken will last up to 6 months but is best used within the first 4 months.
You can also use the extra meat to make a killer chef salad for lunches! Or use the leftover chicken in my chicken spaghetti with rotel or chicken noodle soup!
📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 ½ lb whole chicken (thawed, if frozen)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- ½ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Make sure that your chicken is completely thawed if using a frozen chicken. Remove the neck and giblets from the body cavity if they are present. Remove the tail and trim any fat or excess skin if desired. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Rub the entire chicken with the olive oil, then sprinkle the chicken with seasoning and rub that in as well.
- Place the chicken into your air fryer basket with the breast facing downward. Cook at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
- Remove the basket and flip the chicken so that the breast is facing upward. Return the basket and chicken to your air fryer and continue cooking for 25-30 minutes. The chicken is done when it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Remove the cooked chicken from your air fryer and allow it to rest in the basket, on a serving tray, or on the cutting board for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
If there are leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If stored properly, frozen chicken will last up to 6 months but is best used within the first 4 months.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Clancy says
After discovering your roasted split-chicken breast recipe, which was is a Keeper, I began reading ALL your recipes. I have a general question regarding this one and your other recipes about using paprika. You use it quite a bit, mostly your chicken recipes. My question is do you use regular/sweet paprika or smoked paprika? Both have different tastes with the smoked giving a smoky taste. I sure would like to know your preference. Thanks in advance.
I do love paprika, especially for seasoning meat in general. Not only does it add great flavor, but it can also save your meaty main from looking bland too! For seasoning meat, I would happily use smoked over regular or sweet paprika. When seasoning meats that I intend to smoke, I always opt for regular paprika. (Just about every spice blend that I make homemade + my BBQ sauces also have paprika in them) The preferred use of paprika actually started after using it to add a great caramelized color to pan-seared steaks a long, long time ago now 🙂