Air Fryer Whole Chicken is an easy and delicious weeknight roast that's ready in less than an hour. If you are haven't yet tried air fryer whole chicken this is for you. If you love your favorite store-bought rotisserie, this is definitely for you. The meat is soft and juicy, the skin is crispy yet full of it's own juices and flavor and that's besides the natural pan juices you find in your air fryer. There are so many reasons to make this chicken recipe and all you need is a few ingredients and the least amount of prep time.
I must admit that I was sadly late on the air fryer train or the air fryer 'trend' so to speak. When I eventually joined the trend it was like the air fryer had just come out yesterday. I've been in shock about what this appliance is and what it can do, wow! I did post this Air Fryer Chicken Roast with vegetables and potatoes and was still in shock about how it could make an entire meal using less time, effort and ultimately so much healthier. It's counterpart Chicken Roast (oven baked) is just as delicious but just the fact that you don't have to put the oven or stove on, is enough for many of us, right?
The air fryer does not disappoint, with chicken so juicy and tender and chicken skin so crispy, it's quite simply, shocking. That's besides the fact that it cooks itself into this oblivious state of deliciousness without you hovering over the stove!
This chicken roast is perfect for the whole family because the spices are interchangeable and can be adjusted to your families taste. It's also healthier, quick and easy to prepare which makes it a winner dinner for any night of the week.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Time saving is number one for most of us
- Very few ingredients
- Hands off and dinner is done in an hour
Ingredients
You don't need many ingredients to makea juicy and flavorful roast chicken in the air fryer. Heres a short list of ingredients;
- Whole chicken
- olive oil
- butter unsalted
Instructions
The full recipe card can be found at the bottom of this post.
- Preheat the air fryer to 185 degrees Celsius. If your air fryer doesn't have a preheat setting, just let it run for 5 minutes.
- Pat the chicken dry with kitchen tissue paper.
- Place the chicken, breast side down on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle the chicken spice over the chicken. Add the salt and pepper over the chicken spice. Dab the spices and seasoning into the chicken with your hands. Lots of the spices will fall into the plate or board so lift the chicken and slide it into the spices on the board, collecting the spices. Use your hands to make sure that the entire chicken is covered in spices.
- Pour the oil over and gently dab it into the spices and seasonings but try not to 'rub it in, rather dab if you want the chicken to look better on the end result.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket breast side down and cook for 45 minutes on 185 degrees Celsius. Your air fryer will beep when you have 15 minutes left on the timer, that's my clue to turn the chicken over. (set your timer accordingly, for example: 30 minutes to cook then turn for the remaining 15 minutes).
- Turn the chicken back on the breast side down ( use an egg lifter as opposed to tongs that leaves it's mark on the skin) and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until brown and crispy. The internal temperature should be around 75 C. If you remove the Chicken and your instant read thermometer reads 80, don't stress, remember that it will drop as the chicken rests.
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- Remove the chicken from the air fryer basket and allow to rest on a carving board or plate to cool down and then loosely 'tent' with foil (you don't want to ruin the crispy skin!) to rest until serving. Use the juices from the chicken resting to pour over before serving and any juices left in the air fryer.
What To Serve With Your Chicken
There are many wonderful and delicious side dishes to serve with any roast chicken from potatoes to vegetables. Start with the inspiration below.
- No Mayo Creamy Chipotle Sauce Recipe10 Minutes
- Easy 5-Minute (Cilantro) Coriander Sauce Recipe10 Minutes
- Easy Roasted Eggplant (Aubergine) Pesto30 Minutes
- Pumpkin Fritters (Pampoenkoekies) South African Recipe30 Minutes
- Easy Air Fryer Roasted Pumpkin Recipe25 Minutes
- Baked Smashed Potatoes1 Hours 10 Minutes
Recommended Recipes
- Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Spicy Chicken Bites
- Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- Air Fryer Lamb Chops
- Roast Beef With Gravy (Air Fryer)
What To Serve With Your Chicken
Cook's Tips
- Cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer. I recommend that you check in on your chickens at 30 minutes.
- Depending on how big your air fryer is you might want to use a suitable sized chicken that fits.
- One of the highlights of using an air fryer is that you can open and close it any time to check on your food without concerns. For this reason, its advisable to have an instant read thermometer.
FAQ'S Air Fryer Whole Chicken
How to get whole chicken roast flavorful in the air fryer?
First check the point above (pat the chicken dry) and second, use the best aromatic spices and third, butter! Get the butter under the skin and melt it over the cooked chicken. Full recipe card below.
How long does a whole chicken cook for in the air fryer?
45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the chicken but for a regular size ⅕ to 1.8kg you will need to cook it for 45 minutes to an hour. Use an instant read thermometer to be sure, when it reads 75 degrees Celsius up to 80 degrees Celsius, it's safe to eat.
When do you turn/flip the chicken through cooking in an air fryer?
I've tried 30 minutes flip and 45 minutes flip and they both deliver delicious whole chicken roast, it really depends on what texture you want. Personally I find the 30 minutes turn does not give as crispy a chicken skin as leaving it to air fryer for 45 minutes straight. However, the 30 minutes flip is as tasty overall.
How do I make chicken taste good in the air fryer?
Dry the chicken before cooking, this is an important step because the skin crisps better and the spices hold on better. Spices and seasonings are as important for delicious tasting chicken.
Recommended Recipes
- Spicy Chicken Bites
- Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- Air Fryer Lamb Chops
- Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Roast Beef With Gravy (Air Fryer)
BEFORE YOU GO!
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg whole chicken the weight is more or less
- 2 tbsps chicken spice
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps. butter soft and unsalted
- 2 tbsps. butter unsalted and melted
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with kitchen tissue paper.
- Place the chicken, breast side down on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle the chicken spice over the chicken. Add the salt and pepper. Dab the spices and seasoning into the chicken with your hands. Lots of the spices will fall into the plate or board so lift the chicken and slide it into the spices on the board, collecting the spices. Use your hands to make sure that the entire chicken is covered in spices.
- Pour the olive oil over and gently dab it into the spices and seasonings but try not to 'rub it in, rather dab if you want the chicken to look more presentable on the end result.Use a teaspoon to slide the soft butter under the chicken skin. If you work from the breast and lift the skin it's easier to slide the butter under the skin.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket breast side down and cook for 45 minutes on 185 degrees Celsius. Your air fryer will beep when you have 15 minutes left on the timer, that's my clue to turn the chicken over. (set your timer accordingly, for example: 30 minutes to cook then turn for the remaining 15 minutes). When you turn the chicken over, pour a tablespoon of melted butter over and continue cooking.
- Turn the chicken back on the breast side down ( use an egg lifter as opposed to tongs that scrapes the spices off of on the skin) and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Pour the remaining melted butter over and garnish with fresh rosemary and thyme.Use the juices from the chicken resting to pour over before serving and any juices left in the air fryer.
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