Cooking Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer
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Making a whole chicken in an air fryer will forever change the way you cook chicken! This air fryer whole chicken recipe will help you put dinner on the table for the whole family in about an hour. The meat comes out moist and the skin is perfectly crispy!
Air fryer cooking makes a perfect rotisserie style whole chicken!
It’s actually not too difficult to cook a whole chicken. After hearing about the disasters of cooking turkey, some people are intimidated to cook a whole bird. But honestly, the two things are not the same!
I find cooking a whole chicken much easier than a turkey. It’s a smaller bird, and it doesn’t dry out as easily as turkey does.
This is also one of my favorite ways to cook a ton of protein all at once, and I love that it’s so simple: I just rub the chicken with poultry seasoning, then let the air fryer do the work.
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Why This Recipe is a Family Favorite
This recipe is a family favorite for good reason. It’s so easy to make! Simply rub the chicken with poultry seasoning, then toss it into the air fryer to cook. There’s so much flavor from a blend of everyday pantry spices.
It’s also a super versatile recipe. Eat the air fried chicken as your main course at dinner, use it for your weekly meal prep, or use it in casseroles, soups, salads, and more!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this recipe! I’ve made this countless times, so I can save you from a failed attempt.
- Pat the chicken dry. Use paper towels on the outside before adding the seasoning and oil. Excess moisture will keep the skin from crisping up well.
- Use a meat thermometer. Insert it into the deepest part of the breast, without touching the bone. Every chicken and every air fryer is a little different, so a thermometer is the only sure way to know when it’s done.
- Let it rest before carving. Resting gives the juices time to redistribute, which makes the meat extra tender.
- Check the cavity for giblets. They’re tucked inside the bird, so it’s easy to miss them. Take them out before the chicken goes into the basket.
Don’t have an air fryer? Make my easy roasted Dutch oven chicken recipe! It’ll give you the same flavorful meal of juicy meat.
Ingredients
You’ll want to add these ingredients to your grocery shopping list:
Start with a whole fryer chicken on the smaller side. I find that chickens weighing 3.5 to 3.75 lbs. tend to work best in a medium-sized air fryer.
My homemade blend of poultry seasoning is made with onion powder, garlic powder, ground coriander, dried rosemary, paprika, and a few other pantry spices, with cayenne pepper as an optional addition. The full blend is in the recipe card below.
For the oil, use olive oil or avocado oil to help the skin get extra crispy. Lemon, rosemary, and onion are all optional, but they add loads of flavor. The acidity of lemon is so nice in chicken. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the chicken, then stuff the cavity with the leftover lemon peel.
Substitutions and Variations
Don’t have oil on hand? You can use melted butter in its place. It doesn’t have as high of a smoke point, so just keep that in mind during the cooking process.
You can also use a different seasoning blend if you want. Another favorite is my air fryer dry rub, or you could make lemon pepper chicken or other fun flavor combos like that.
To add even more flavor, try more fresh herbs or a few whole garlic cloves tucked into the cavity.
How to Make Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer
For the full instructions, see the recipe card! ⬇️
Jump to Recipe
- Prep the bird. Take the giblets out of the chicken, then pat it dry with paper towels, inside and out. If you’re using the lemon, onion, and herbs, stuff them into the cavity now. Then truss the chicken .
- Mix the seasoning. Turn your air fryer on to preheat. While it heats, stir together the spices for the poultry seasoning in a small bowl.
- Coat with oil. Drizzle the oil over the chicken, then use your hands to rub it all over the outside. Don’t be shy about getting into every spot.
- Add the seasoning. Sprinkle the poultry seasoning all over the chicken.
👉 Important: Per the USDA, poultry is safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). To accurately take the internal temperature, insert the probe into the thickest part of the meat, without touching the bone.
- Air fry the chicken. Give the air fryer basket a spray with oil, then carefully place the chicken inside, breast side down. When the first round is up, open the basket and very carefully flip the chicken breast side up and let it finish cooking. Near the end of the cook time, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If it hasn’t reached the temperature listed in the recipe card, air fry it for a few more minutes.
- Rest and serve. Once it’s done, carefully lift the chicken out of the air fryer and let it rest on a carving board. You want the juices inside to have a chance to redistribute before you slice into the bird and dig in!
Meal Prep Ideas
One thing I love about making a whole chicken in an air fryer is having cooked chicken ready for other meals later in the week. You can serve it as is with sides, or use the leftover chicken to make practically anything!
I cook a whole chicken at the beginning of the week, then shred it up to make Buffalo Ranch Chicken Casserole or Crockpot Chicken Stew. It can also be sliced or diced to make Apple Chicken Salad, or a Fall Harvest Salad.
Use the drippings to make chicken gravy
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.
Storage Instructions
Before storing the leftovers, you need to carve the meat from the bones. Be sure to wait for the chicken to cool a bit, because it's most likely too hot to handle. Then, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. It should keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftover chicken may also be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag. For best flavor, freeze for no longer than 4 months. Let it defrost on a plate overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
To reheat, warm individual pieces in the air fryer instead of the whole chicken so they don't dry out.
Air Fryer Whole Chicken FAQs
I recommend cooking smaller chickens in the air fryer, 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, the drawer to close completely, and some space between the chicken and the heating element. Some air fryers, especially toaster oven styles, aren't large enough to accommodate a whole chicken.
For the crispiest chicken skin, rub oil and seasonings all over the skin, and use your hands to work it underneath the breast skin too. You can also leave the chicken uncovered in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking to dry out the skin even more.
Trussing isn't totally necessary, so feel free to skip it if you'd like.
It's best to thaw the chicken completely in the refrigerator first. A frozen chicken can cook unevenly, with the outside finishing before the inside has thawed.
After you make this recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment to let me know how it went!
Cooking Whole Chicken in an Air Fryer
Video
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3.5-3.75 lbs.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning see recipe below
- ½ lemon optional
- ½ onion optional
- 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme optional
Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (182°C). Mix together all the seasonings (1 tablespoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon ground mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper) to make the poultry seasoning blend.
- Remove the giblets from inside the 1 whole chicken. Pat the chicken dry on the outside and inside the cavity with a few paper towels. Drizzle the chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning, using your hands to rub and coat the entire chicken. Optional: Stuff the cavity with ½ lemon, ½ onion, and 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary or thyme, 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.
Equipment
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 from inside the cavity before air frying the bird.
- 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. Leftovers can also be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 4 months.
- After removing the bones and skin, a 3.5 pound whole chicken will yield about 2 pounds of meat.
- Save the drippings for gravy! Pour them into a small saucepan and whisk in a little chicken broth, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, then spoon it over each serving.
Nutrition
2026 Update: This recipe is still a favorite of ours! It's been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and include extra cooking tips. We hope you love it as much as we do!
