A super easy recipe for a delicious, guilt free family dinner. It's just a quick season, then drop it in the basket for wonderful Air Fryer Whole Chicken. Plus, scroll down for a bonus chicken salad recipe!
👍 Recipe Features
- Ridiculously easy: A super simple spice rub, then just drop the chicken in the air fryer and let it work it's magic. A couple of quick steps is all that it takes to plate a wonderful and delicious dinner.
- Juicy meat, crispy skin: Simply put, the air fryer gives you meat that's amazingly juicy with a perfectly crispy and flavorful skin. No dry or unseasoned meat to be found here.
- Versatile! I opt for a garlic and lemon pepper rub here, but there's a number of different flavor combinations you can use. I'll walk through them in our variations section below.
🍗 Ingredients
(see recipe card for measurements)
- Whole chicken: See the next section for a guide on just how big of a bird you should buy.
- Garlic, Salt and Lemon Pepper: A simple spice blend for a bright flavor profile.
- Olive oil: We use 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for the whole bird. That's far less oil then you would need to in a conventional deep fryer.
🐔 Chicken Size Guide
The size of chicken you can use depends on the size of your air fryer. You want to make sure two things can still happen when your bird is in the air fryer:
- You can open and close the air fryer without getting it stuck on anything.
- There's enough room around it for air to circulate freely.
To help assist, here's a quick guide on what to use:
| Air Fryer Size | Chicken Size | Servings |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 Quarts | Cannot fit a whole chicken. Break the chicken into smaller parts. | n/a |
| 5 Quarts | 3-4 pound chicken | 3-4 |
| 6 Quarts | 4-5 pound chicken | 4-5 |
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
Preheat air fryer to 350°. Set whole chicken on a large baking sheet and pour olive oil over. Spread olive oil all over chicken. Next, in a small bowl, mix together kosher salt, lemon pepper and garlic powder. Rub spice mixture all over chicken, making sure to cover the entire surface of the bird.
Quick tip: As much as I love fresh herbs, you want to use dried herbs to season your chicken for the air fryer (affiliate). Fresh herbs will burn and be rendered flavorless.
Also, I use food service gloves (affiliate) when oiling and seasoning the chicken. This helps keep my hands clean while I work with raw chicken.
Step 2
Truss the chicken, then place it in your air fryer basket with the breast side down. Close the air fryer and cook for 30 minutes. Flip chicken over and increase temperature to 400°. Cook for 10-15 more minutes, until skin is crisp and the meat is cooked through. Cooking time may vary based on the size of the bird.
Chicken is done when the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear (not red/pink) between the breast and the legs.
Step 3
Remove the chicken from the air fryer and allow 10-15 minutes to rest. This allows the meat to relax and reabsorb it's juices, making sure you get the juiciest cut of meat. If you cut it too fast, the juices will spill out everywhere!
When ready, carve the chicken into sections. The chicken will still be plenty warm, so serve it immediately after carving.
Optional Pan Sauce
While the chicken is resting, a great way to add flavor is to make a pan sauce. Heat a large saute pan (affiliate) over medium-high heat. When chicken is resting, pour the chicken drippings from the bottom of the air fryer into the pan. Add about a cup of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until reduced by half.
At this point, remove the pan from the heat. Dip one tablespoon of cold butter in flour to coat it, then drop it in the pan. Stir together, off the heat until butter is melted. Reduce heat to medium-low and return pan to the burner. Cook about a minute more, until sauce is just thick enough to stick to the back side of a spoon.
When serving, spoon the sauce over the chicken and enjoy!
💭 Top Tip
For the best results, dry brine your chicken beforehand. To do this, make sure the chicken is thawed completely and remove from packaging. Discard any gizzards or items stuffed inside.
Pat the chicken very dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken on a wire rack and place the rack above a large baking sheet (affiliate). Set everything in an open space in your refrigerator. For the best results, let the chicken sit in the open air for 2-3 days. However, as little as 4 hours can make a difference.
Dry brining your chicken allows the skin to cool and dry out as much as possible. This primes the skin for maximum crispiness and really gives you the best tasting chicken.
🍽 Equipment
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Buy Now →🥡 Leftovers
The chicken keeps well in the fridge for about 3-5 days. You can easily reheat the chicken in the microwave. A lot of people like to save it and serve it on top of salads, or use in in tacos. but my favorite use for leftover air fryer whole chicken? ...
Easy chicken salad!
Here's how to make it.
- Remove all the meat from carcass of the chicken. Make sure to check the underside of the bird as well, getting the "oysters" that are tucked on the underside of the chicken. Discard the skin and place all the chicken in a food processor (affiliate).
- To the processor, add a stick of coarsely chopped celery, one green onion and about 6 leaves of fresh basil.
- Pulse the processor until everything is chopped into small chunks, about 10 times. I like my chicken salad to retain a little texture, so large chunks works best for me.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add about 2 Tbsp of mayonnaise, a teaspoon each of of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne. You want the chicken to be just wet enough that it sticks in a ball easily. If needed, add another tablespoon of mayo until your desired wetness is made.
- Mix everything together well. Cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together.
- There are many ways to serve the chicken salad. My favorite way to eat it? A simple sandwich on honey wheat bread, thick slices of tomato and sriracha sauce drizzled over the chicken.
👨🏻🍳 Variations
There are many great ways to season your air fryer whole chicken. These are of few of my favorites that I love to rotate through:
- Savory Herbs: Mix together 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp onion powder, 1 Tbsp black pepper and 1 Tbsp dried thyme. Rub the chicken first with 2 Tbsp olive oil and then rub all surfaces with the spice mixture.
- Mojo: Inject the chicken with mojo seasoning in each breast. Season skin with salt and pepper and enjoy.
- Cajun ranch: Mix together 2 Tbsp of cajun seasoning and 2 Tbsp of ranch seasoning. Rub the chicken first with 2 Tbsp olive oil and then rub all surfaces with the spice mixture.
🥗 Side Dishes
I love serving air fryer whole chicken with a green veggie to keep things light. Something like crispy balsamic brussels sprouts or make some air fryer green beans while the chicken is resting. I always love a good bread on the side, like these homemade everything dinner rolls.
🥙 Related Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Sous Vide Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Chicken and Yellow Rice
- How To Make Instant Pot Chicken A La King
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Juicy chicken with crispy skin, made easy in the air fryer!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 4 lb whole chicken (see note for best size)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Begin preheating your air fryer to 350°.
- In a small bowl, mix together kosher salt, lemon pepper and garlic powder.
- On a large baking sheet, rub whole chicken with olive oil. Then, sprinkle all surfaces with spice blend. Truss the chicken using butcher's twine.
- Place seasoned chicken in preheated air fryer, breast side down. Cook for 30 minutes. Open air fryer (affiliate) and flip chicken over. Increase heat to 400° and cook another 10-15 minutes. Chicken is done when meat is cooked through and juices run clear.
- Let chicken rest 10-15 minutes before carving. Carve chicken into sections and serve warm.
Optional Pan Sauce
- Heat a large saute pan (affiliate) over medium-high heat. When chicken is resting, pour the chicken drippings from the bottom of the air fryer (affiliate) into the pan. Add about a cup of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until reduced by half.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Dip one tablespoon of cold butter in flour to coat it, then drop it in the pan. Stir together, off the heat until butter is melted.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and return pan to the burner. Cook about a minute more, until sauce is just thick enough to stick to the back side of a spoon.
Notes
For the best results, dry brine your chicken beforehand. To do this, make sure the chicken is thawed completely and remove from packaging. Discard any gizzards or items stuffed inside.
Pat the chicken very dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken on a wire rack and place the rack above a large baking sheet (affiliate). Set everything in an open space in your refrigerator. For the best results, let the chicken sit in the open air for 2-3 days. However, as little as 4 hours can make a difference.
Dry brining your chicken allows the skin to cool and dry out as much as possible. This primes the skin for maximum crispiness and really gives you the best tasting chicken.
See the chicken size guide in our post for a guide on selecting the right size bird for your air fryer (affiliate).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Roasted Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken, Air Fryer Whole Chicken