What readers are saying about this recipe
I’ve made this twice now… both times amazing!! First time I used a whole chicken… the second time I used just a half a chicken… and the last 10 min or so I threw some diced potatoes in with it! Yum!!
Meg
How to cook a whole chicken in the air fryer
The air fryer makes getting a perfectly cooked, crispy skin rotisserie like chicken pretty easy!
Here’s how you do it:
- Check the size – First and foremost, check the size of your air fryer. You’ll need at least a 6 quart fryer to fit a whole chicken. Our 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer will fit a whole chicken up to 6 lbs. Check your air fryer size and make sure your whole chicken will fit.
- Pat dry – Remove any excess moisture from the chicken by patting it dry with a paper towel.
- Oil it – After patting dry, rub the chicken with cooking oil. This helps the seasoning rub to stick to the skin and also helps to get that perfectly crispy skin.
- Season it – Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken, making sure to get it over the wings, drumsticks and all the the crevices.
- Cook it – Let the air fryer do its thing! Details on cooking times for different sizes of chicken are below.
Want more seasoning ideas? Check out these 10 Easy DIY Spice Blends.
How long to air fry a whole chicken
Depending on the size of the chicken, it will take about 1 hour to get a perfectly roasted chicken.
Here are the approximate cooking times by size:
- 4 lb chicken: 20 minutes at 400° + 25 minutes at 350° = 45 minutes total
- 5 lb chicken: 20 minutes at 400° + 35 minutes at 350° = 55 minutes total
- 6 lb chicken: 25 minutes at 400° + 35 minutes at 350° = 60 minutes total
Roasting the chicken at 400° for the first 20 minutes helps it to cook a little faster without burning the skin. Be sure to turn the air fryer down to 350° when you flip the chicken to get that perfectly crispy air fried chicken skin on top.
Each air fryer is a little different, so these times are approximate. Watch the chicken carefully at the end of the cooking time and use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature.
Related: Check out all of our Air Fryer recipes here.
What to serve with this perfectly cooked chicken
We like making a whole chicken almost once a week because you can eat it with just about any healthy side dish for a complete meal!
Here are some perfect pairings for this juicy chicken, you can make them while the chicken is cooking 🙂
- Easy Pan Fried Plantains
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Low Carb Baked Jicama Fries
- Brown Butter Mushrooms
- Crispy Oven Roasted Spanish Potatoes
Don’t forget to save the chicken carcass to make some easy crockpot bone broth!
Your turn to air fry some chicken
Plan on making a whole chicken for dinner this week! We know you’ll love how it turns out perfectly crispy in the air fryer.
If you make this recipe, take a pic to share on Instagram and tag us @realsimplegood so we can check it out! We love to seeing you make our recipes and sharing them.
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Air Fryer Whole Roast Chicken (Crispy Outside, Juicy Inside!)
Ingredients
- 1 4-5lb Whole chicken
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
For the seasoning rub:
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Equipment
Instructions
- Make sure your whole chicken will fit into the air fryer you have. We use a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer and it fits a chicken around 5-6 lbs. Your air fryer may be different, so check the size of the basket and the size of the chicken first.
- Make the seasoning rub by combining all of the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl or jar.
- Make sure your chicken is completely thawed and everything is removed from the cavity. Pat the chicken down with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Drizzle oil over the chicken and rub it all over the skin with your hands.
- Rub the seasoning rub all over the chicken. Try to coat it as evenly as possible and get the seasoning over every piece of the chicken.
- Preheat air fryer (if yours preheats) to 400° Fahrenheit and set it to cook for 20 minutes. (See notes below for cooking times for different chicken sizes)
- Place the chicken in your air fryer basket breast side down and cook for 20 minutes.
- After the 20 minutes is up, carefully flip the chicken using tongs. Set the air fryer to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Cook for another 30-40 minutes at 350°, until the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit. Every air fryer cooks differently and each chicken is a different size, so check the chicken 20 minutes after flipping it and continue cooking and checking it as needed until it is up to temperature.
- Once the internal temperature reaches 165° Fahrenheit, remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board to rest. Allow the chicken to sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- 4 lb chicken: 20 minutes at 400° + 25 minutes at 350° = 45 minutes total
- 5 lb chicken: 20 minutes at 400° + 35 minutes at 350° = 55 minutes total
- 6 lb chicken: 25 minutes at 400° + 35 minutes at 350° = 60 minutes total
I didn’t use chili powder or pepper but added lemon pepper and it was delicious!
Sounds amazing!
Absolutely scrumptious. First time using the Air Fryer. Great success. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome, glad you had success with the air fryer!
It’s great enjoyed it . This is my second time, it’s the go to when it comes to this chicken! We found it to be great and we don’t go to the store to buy one.
Perfect, this is a good one!
I made 2 for Christmas Eve with 2 different recipes and by far this is the best one. Making it again today absolutely delish.
As is.. PHENOMENAL!
Glad it enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review! Make sure to check out our entire library of air fryer recipes! 🙂
Trying this recipe tonight
Absolutely delicious and very juicy. Love it and I’ve made it twice.
This whole chicken in the air fryer was such an easy and delicious meal. I did use a rub that I already had but I followed the directions exactly. I have shared this on IG and will be adding this to my regular rotation.
Glad you enjoyed it Michelle! Thanks for the review, we appreciate it 🙂
Can i use olive oil instead of avocado?
Yes, olive oil is fine.
I put the chicken in the wrong side up at the beginning ugh! Hopefully it will still run out ok!
Wow this is the first time for me cooking in air fryer and I have to say it’s just as you say Crispy on the outside and Juicy on the inside. Thank you so much it was sumptuous.
Walter
UK
Best recipe I’ve ever tried so far 😘😬👌
What a great compliment! So happy to hear you enjoyed it 😊
My just under 4 pound chicken barely fits in my air fryer. I’m cooking it right now and it smells delicious!
It came out crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I had to adjust my timing and it came out delicious. Will definitely use this again.
Happy to hear that, thanks for coming back to leave a review 🙂
I have a Vortex Pro, but it has a rotating basket. What do I do different to make this?
Honestly, I’m not sure how the rotating basket might affect the cooking time for this. I’d still follow the same basic instructions, just check the chicken frequently towards the last 15-20 minutes to pull it out when it’s 165°
I recently obtained an air fryer as a job-related incentive gift, and I came across your recipe and wanted to try it. Let’s just say I’m very glad I did. The chicken was so juicy and the skin crispy and delicious. Thank you for the easy instructions and recipe!
You’re very welcome! This is one of our favorite ways to cook a whole chicken, glad you enjoyed it too 🙂
Hello!. I have an air fryer function in my oven and a 7.5 pound chicken. How long would I cook it? This is the first time using the air fryer function of my new oven so it is a bit of an experiment! Thanks!
Hello – Try 30 minutes at 400 and then 35-40 at 350. Please watch it carefully at the end and use a meat thermometer to verify the internal temp. Enjoy!
Soooooooo delish! Thank you!
Happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to leave a review! 🙂
I’ve made this twice now… both times amazing!! First time I used a whole chicken… the second time I used just a half a chicken… and the last 10 min or so I threw some diced potatoes in with it! Yum!!
Adding in the diced potatoes sounds great!
I’ve used this recipe before on a 6 pounder and it’s very delicious? But this time, I have a 3 lb chicken. Do I follow the 4lb chicken cooking time, or is there another cooking time that i should use?
Hi Jackie – for a 3lb chicken you should do 20 minutes at 400° and then 15-20 minutes at 350°. Check it carefully at the end and pull it as soon as it reaches 165° internal temp. Glad you enjoy the recipe!
want to air fry a roasting chicken in my galance air fryer but where do all the juices go and what do i put the chicken in to air fry it?
We just sat our chicken in the air fryer basket and the juices drip to the bottom. If you have a “roaster” type air fryer they usually have a drip tray.
I was wondering, did you use roast cycle or air fryer?
Use either, those are just predefined time and temp settings. Just follow the time and temperature noted in the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi I was wondering how long for an 8lb chicken?
It will be about 25 minutes at 400° + 45 minutes at 350°. I always advise checking it towards the end of the cooking time with an instant read thermometer.
This was my first “Erica/Justin” cook, and clearly won’t be my last. Other than using a bit less salt for my 4 pound chicken I followed this recipe to the letter. The results were stunning, and all I can tell you is that for the first time I realized that my air fryer is no toy. I’ve cooked MANY whole chickens over decades, and making in an air fryer trumped any version to date. (remember when that word had nothing to do with politics?)….the point is that I’ve never known from such crispy skin but leaving the meat so tender and moist. A fantabulous recipe/technique.
Thank you so much Jeff. We truly appreciate you taking the time to send us an email and hop over to leave this review 🙂
Turned out perfect! My only complaint was that while cooking at 400 degrees my kitchen got pretty smokey. Once I turned it down it was fine and perfectly cooked with crispy skin.
Thanks for letting us know, glad the recipe turned out for you!
Gonna try it tomorrow. Sounds good. I need to get a oven thermometer to see just how hot my fryer gets. Tryed baked potato at 400 and it seemed to take a long time, over an HR. It was a good size spud.
Hope you enjoy this Victor. Your air fryer is probably fine, a large potato could easily take about an hour to cook.