Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Once you try air fryer whole chicken, you’ll never cook your chicken another way! The meat is moist and the skin is perfectly crispy, plus it’s so easy make. Cook it in under an hour and have dinner on the table in no time.

Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe
This air fryer whole chicken is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or your weekly meal prep. Air fryer cooking makes the perfect rotisserie-style roasted whole chicken! You won’t ever want store-bought rotisserie again once you taste how flavorful and juicy this chicken is.
It’s actually not to difficult to cook an entire chicken. I think people get intimidated to cook a whole chicken because of the disasters that can easily happen when cooking a whole turkey. But let me tell ya, the two things are not the same!
I find whole chicken is much easier to cook than turkey. It’s a smaller bird and doesn’t dry out as easily as turkey does. And trust me, with this easy air fryer recipe, you’re going to have juicy and tender meat every single time.
Don’t have an air fryer? Get my easy roasted Dutch oven chicken recipe! It’ll give you the same results with flavorful and juicy meat. Let’s get to cookin’ that whole bird!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This is one of my favorite ways to cook a ton of protein all at once:
- This whole roast chicken is so easy to make! Simply rub the chicken with the oh-so-savory homemade blend of herbs and spices, then toss it into the air fryer to cook. It only takes about an hour in total, depending on the size of your chicken.
- Air fryer chicken is cooked to juicy perfection every single time. There’s so much flavor, and the skin is extra crispy!
- Once your roasted chicken is ready, eat it as your main course at dinner, use it for your weekly meal prep, or use it in casseroles, soups, salads, and more!

Ingredients
Here’s the list of ingredients you need to grab to make this easy air fryer chicken recipe:
- whole chicken: Be sure to get a chicken on the smaller side. I find that chickens weighing from 3.5 to 3.75 lbs. tend to work best in a medium-sized air fryer.
- poultry seasoning: Homemade Poultry Seasoning is made with onion powder, garlic powder, ground coriander, dried rosemary, paprika, dried mustard, salt, peppers, and cayenne pepper (optional). If you’d prefer, you can substitute any blend of seasonings you enjoy or buy a store-bought blend (Aldi carries a great one!)!
- oil: Use a neutral oil like olive oil and avocado oil to make the skin of your chicken extra crispy in the air fryer.
- lemon: This is an optional ingredient to use, but the acidity of lemon is so nice in chicken. You can squeeze a little lemon juice over the chicken and then stuff the cavity with the leftover lemon peel.
- rosemary: Another optional ingredient, but fresh rosemary is a nice herb to use in this air fryer whole chicken recipe.
- onion: Chop up a yellow onion or white onion and stuff it into the cavity of the chicken to infuse loads of flavor into the chicken.
Substitutions and Variations
You can use a different seasoning blend if you want! Even simply using some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder would work. Or you could make lemon pepper whole chicken or other fun flavor combos like that!
Add extra flavor to this juicy chicken with fresh herbs or other bold flavors like freshly minced garlic cloves.
Don’t have an oil on hand? You can use melted butter in place of the oil! It doesn’t have as high of a smoke point though, so just keep that in mind during the cooking process.

How to Make Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Follow these few easy steps and you can easily cook a whole bird in no time. Here’s how to make rotisserie style chicken in the air fryer:
Remove the giblets from inside the chicken and then pat the chicken dry on the outside and inside the cavity with a few paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Drizzle the chicken with oil and all the seasonings. Use your hands to rub the oil and seasonings all over the chicken. To get crispy skin, rub the oil under the skin of the breasts.
Stuff the cavity with lemon, onion, and herbs. This adds more flavor to the bird as it cooks, but it will still be amazing if you skip it!
Truss the chicken before placing it into the air fryer. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly. Feel free to skip it if you’d like!

Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, turn it on and wait for about five minutes.
Once it’s preheated, spray the basket with a little oil, then carefully place the chicken breast side down inside the basket. This will allow the whole chicken to cook without over-crisping the skin.
After 50 minutes, open the basket and very carefully, flip the whole chicken breast-side up.
Close the air fryer basket and cook again for another 15-20 minutes. When it gets close to the end of cook time, open the basket and check the internal temperature of the chicken. Remember that the total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken!
To test the internal temperature of a whole chicken, insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the breast, without touching the bone. The internal temperature should be at least 165°F (74°C) to be safe.
Once the chicken is cooked, carefully remove the chicken. Make sure the chicken rests for a few minutes before slicing.

How to Store Leftover Chicken
Before storing this air fryer chicken, you need to carve it. Remove all of the meat from the bone — you can wait for the chicken to cool a bit if it’s too hot to handle. Then transfer the chicken to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days. Leftover chicken can also be frozen in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. For best taste, freeze for up to 4 months. Let it defrost on a plate overnight in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use it.
Uses for Leftover Chicken
If you have leftover chicken, use it to make fajita stuffed peppers, chicken & rice soup, apple-walnut chicken salad, pesto chicken salad, make your favorite casseroles or soups, or eat it exactly as it is!
Be sure to save the chicken bones to use in Instant Pot chicken broth later down the road. You could make a whole soup with homemade broth, leftover chicken, veggies, and seasonings!
What to Serve with Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Serve the chicken with your favorite side dishes! I love serving it with roasted broccoli, or you can keep using your air fryer to make sides like beets, green beans, carrots, or baby potatoes.
It’s also so yummy to use in hearty casseroles like this chicken broccoli casserole. Or even add it to recipes like Instant Pot chicken and rice soup!

Tips for Success
Check out these few tips to make the best air fryer whole chicken:
- Use the drippings from the bottom of the air fryer to make chicken gravy! Simply transfer the drippings to a small saucepan, then whisk in a little chicken broth and some seasonings like garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer until it’s thickened slightly. Pour over each serving for the juiciest chicken!
- Allow the chicken to rest before carving into it. This gives time for the juices to redistribute, making the chicken extra moist and tender.
- It’s really important to pat dry the outside of the chicken before adding the seasonings and oil. Excess moisture will keep the chicken skin from crisping up well.
FAQ
I recommend cooking smaller chickens in the air fryer, between 3.25 and 3.75 pounds, but the exact size will depend on your air fryer. Before you begin cooking, make sure your chicken will fit properly inside the air fryer with room for the air to circulate and the drawer to close completely. Some air fryers aren’t large enough to accommodate a whole chicken.
To get the crispiest chicken skin, pat the chicken skin with a few paper towels or napkins until it’s totally dry. Rub oil and seasonings all over the dried skin, and use your hands to work it underneath the breast skin too.
Trussing the chicken will give you more evenly cooked chicken, however it isn’t totally necessary. Feel free to skip it if you’d like.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- 10 Healthy Chicken Marinades
- Oven Roasted Butterflied Chicken
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.

Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken 3.5-3.75 lbs.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning see recipe below
- 1/2 lemon optional
- 1/2 onion optional
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme optional
Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). Mix together all the seasonings to make the poultry seasoning blend.
- Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. Pat the chicken dry on the outside and inside the cavity with a few paper towels. Drizzle the chicken with oil and all the seasonings, using your hands to rub and coat the entire chicken. Optional: Stuff the cavity with lemon, onion, and herbs, and truss the chicken.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil, then carefully place the chicken breast side down inside the basket. Cook for 50 minutes. Open the air fryer and very carefully, flip the chicken breast side up. Close the air fryer and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Near the end of cook time, open the basket and check to see if the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C).
- Cook for a few minutes longer if necessary, but once the chicken is fully cooked, carefully remove the chicken. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Be sure to choose a chicken that will fit inside your air fryer. The size of each air fryer is different, but there should be enough room left for the basket to close and for air to circulate around the bird.
- Make sure to remove the giblets inside the cavity before cooking.
- The exact cooking time will vary based on the size of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA.