Juicy on the inside, incredibly crispy on the outside, yes, you can make a Whole Roast Chicken In The Air Fryer! That’s right, this Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipe will be the ONLY Roast Chicken you will make over and over again! Incredibly easy, tender, juicy, loaded with flavor, perfect every single time! Plus, no mess and no splatters.
The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Forget the oven! This Air Fryer Chicken is perfect, you won’t miss your oven at all. Not only is this ideal for Sunday night supper, but it’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. With a flavor-packed herb and garlic compound butter, this juicy roasted chicken that can rival any rotisserie chicken, will become a staple in your home.
Roast chicken is a classic in my home and it makes an appearance on many Sunday night suppers. But besides my beer can chicken, this air fryer chicken has become my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. There are no rules when it comes to seasoning a chicken, so if you want to try something different from my compound butter, then by all means.
Air Fryer Whole Chicken Highlights
Air frying has really changed my life. The more I use it, the more I realize just how amazing this appliance is. It’s prefect for roasting a whole chicken in just one hour and you end up with crispy skin on the outside yet juicy on the inside chicken every single time.
As a matter of fact, the hardest thing of making this is making that compound butter, which is a must in my opinion. It flavors the chicken beautifully! Here are just a few reasons you should be making this roast chicken now.
✅ 10 MINUTE PREP TIME. That’s right, all you have to do is mix all the compound butter ingredients together then slather it all over the chicken including under the skin and inside the cavity. It’s so easy, even kids would have fun doing this.
✅ FASTER COOKING TIME, LESS MESS. Air fryers also speed up cooking time and because it’s a one-pot meal, the oils don’t splatter everywhere and leave a mess.
✅ SUPER CRISPY, EXTRA JUICY. The air fryer will give you extra crispy skin on the chicken, but will keep the flesh of this chicken tender and juicy. The compound butter helps to flavor the chicken and helps crisp up the chicken.
✅ DELICIOUS. Above all else, this chicken is delicious. The herb and garlic butter coats the whole roasted chicken beautifully, giving our bird rich and delicious flavors.
Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe Ingredients
This delicious roast chicken starts with a lemon garlic compound butter made with butter, garlic, lots of lemon zest and some Italian seasoning. For maximum flavor, rub some of this delicious compound butter, not only on top of the skin but under the skin of the chicken, and even some inside the cavity.
- CHICKEN – I use a whole chicken that’s about 3 to 4 pounds. You can find whole chickens pretty much at any grocery stores, local butcher or even at your local farm.
- BUTTER – Use unsalted butter that we need to make our compound butter. If you’re using salted butter, make sure the adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly.
- GARLIC – Fresh minced garlic is a must for use in the compound butter. You could also use garlic powder, about a teaspoon worth.
- SEASONING – Use Italian seasoning for some great taste. Feel free to play around with different spices and herbs, such as onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage, etc.
- LEMON ZEST – Zest from one lemon. Delicious in the compound butter.
- SALT AND PEPPER – Add salt and pepper to taste.
How To Roast A Chicken In The Air Fryer
As I mentioned before, there really is very little prep required to do, which is what makes this chicken so simple, because the air fryer does most of the work!
- PREP THE CHICKEN. One thing I always recommend when working with chicken or any meat is to pat it dry with paper towels. This ensures our spice rub will stick to the chicken. If you prefer, now is the time to cut the wing tips off the chicken.
- MAKE THE COMPOUND BUTTER. This herb and garlic butter is what’s going to give our bird TONS of amazing flavor. To make this incredible compound butter, simply mix the fresh butter with garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon zest, salt and pepper. You may think this is too much butter for your chicken, but trust me, the more of this butter the better your bird will taste. This chicken will be juicy with lots of yummy garlic and herb flavors.
- RUB THE BUTTER ON THE CHICKEN. First, you’ll want to loosen the skin using a spoon. Next, using your clean hands or even the spoon to gently rub the butter all over the chicken, under the skin and even some inside the cavity. This is a dirty job, it doesn’t need to be perfect.
- AIR FRY THE CHICKEN. You could spray the air fryer basket with some cooking spray but I haven’t and the chicken didn’t stick to the basket at all because of all the butter on it. Place the chicken inside the air fryer basket, with the chicken breast side down. This roast chicken will have crispy skin all around. Cook for 30 minutes at 360°F. Carefully flip the chicken so that it’s breast side up and cook for another 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165°F.
- REST BEFORE SERVING. Finally, remove the chicken from the air fryer basket onto a serving platter or a cutting board, wrap it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Air Fryer Whole Chicken FAQs
How Do I Know When the Chicken Is Done?
I know you’ve seen me say this so many times before, but I can’t stress it enough; get yourself an instant read meat thermometer! It will change your life. You can use it for not just meats but baked goods as well.
I like to take the temperature both at the thickest part of the breast, and at the thickest part where the drumstick and thigh meet the breast. Once the meat registers at 165°F, the chicken is all done.
Can I Put An Air Fryer On The Countertop?
Your air fryer should always be kept on a level, heat-resistant countertop and in order for the exhaust vent to operate properly, allow five inches of space behind the air fryer at all times.
Can I Make This Roast Chicken In A Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot?
Yes, absolutely! Check out my recipe with detailed instructions and step by step photos for Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken!
Expert Tips And Tricks
- PAT IT DRY. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This will help the compound butter stick to the chicken and help the skin crisp up.
- USE THE RIGHT BIRD SIZE FOR YOUR AIR FRYER. Make sure the chicken has enough room in the air fryer, since overcrowding the pot will restrict air flow. My air fryer is 7 quarts and I had about 3.5 pound chicken. There was plenty of room around it, so just make sure your air fryer is big enough to accommodate your bird.
- START WITH THE BREASTS DOWN. Cooking the chicken with the breasts down for the first 30 minutes, ensures that our chicken will be properly roasted and crispy all around.
- ALLOW CHICKEN TO REST AFTER COOKING. Always allow your chicken to rest after it’s been cooked. This allows the internal temperature to equalize and lock in the juices. Nobody wants a dry chicken!
- CHECK FOR DONENESS. When checking the temperature of the chicken for doneness, insert the thermometer through the largest part of the breast, not touching bone or fat. Once the meat registers at 165°F, the chicken is all done.
How To Serve Roast Chicken
Oh the possibilities! So many different sides that go beautifully with this chicken. I served this chicken as seen in the photos with roasted root vegetables which was really yummy. Here are a few more favorites of mine:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Baked Mac And Cheese
- Fast and Easy No Knead Bread
More Great Recipes To Try
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Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pound whole chicken
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest zest from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Make the compound butter: Mix the butter, garlic, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Season the chicken: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Carefully create pockets between the chicken's skin and meat with your hands. Spread the prepared butter under the skin. Make sure to get both breasts and legs. Use butchers twine to to tie the ends of the legs together, if preferred.
- Air fry the chicken: Spray the air fryer basket generously with cooking spray. Place the chicken inside the basket, breast side down. Cook for 30 minutes at 360°F. Carefully flip the chicken so that it's breast side up and cook for another 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165°F.
- Rest and serve: Remove the chicken from the air fryer basket and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Recipe Notes
- PAT IT DRY. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This will help the compound butter stick to the chicken and help the skin crisp up.
- USE THE RIGHT BIRD SIZE FOR YOUR AIR FRYER. Make sure the chicken has enough room in the air fryer, since overcrowding the pot will restrict air flow. My air fryer is 7 quarts and I had about 3.5 pound chicken. There was plenty of room around it, so just make sure your air fryer is big enough to accommodate your bird.
- START WITH THE BREASTS DOWN. Cooking the chicken with the breasts down for the first 30 minutes, ensures that our chicken will be properly roasted and crispy all around.
- ALLOW CHICKEN TO REST AFTER COOKING. Always allow your chicken to rest after it’s been cooked. This allows the internal temperature to equalize and lock in the juices. Nobody wants a dry chicken!
- CHECK FOR DONENESS. When checking the temperature of the chicken for doneness, insert the thermometer through the largest part of the breast, not touching bone or fat. Once the meat registers at 165°F, the chicken is all done.
- Store leftover roast chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- To freeze, make sure the chicken is cooled first. Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for 3-4 months.
Making this now – thank goodness for this recipe – it’s too hot to turn the oven on! Just flipped the bird, and OMG it’s looking amazing! Serving it with your lemon orzo and asparagus recipe (which is a HIT to!!!) (my grocer didn’t have asparagus, so I’m trying it with broccoli – it’s pretty tasty!) Thanks Jo!!
Oh, someone’s going to have a nice supper tonight! 🙂
I want to quarter length wise a couple of potatoes and quarter an onion on the bottom of the basket and put the chicken on top. Should the time and or temp. be changed because of the veggies or is this not a good idea? What do you think?
I actually haven’t tried it like this, but the only problem I see is maybe the onion getting too fried up. Usually you do this, to allow the chicken to cook underneath in the oven, which isn’t necessary for the air fryer. If you want to add the onion for flavor, you can put the quartered onion inside the chicken.
You must be psychic! I was just looking for a great recipe for this, and could not find one. This looks delicious. I just received my 7 qt. air fryer, but it’s humongous! Do you think you could have gone smaller in an air fryer to cook a 3.5-4.5 lb chicken? I was looking at a 5.8 qt.
Yeah it would fit for sure.
Thanks so much Joanna. Hard to tell from looking at these online. With all these appliances, I would have to turn my condo into one big kitchen. LOL
Oh, trust me, I know! LOL
this is a very nice recipe, with some great tips. Although I am going to use a underused old school rotisserie to prepare my Chicken ,, so I can add an additional two Table spoons of compound butter to the cavity of the bird. I like this idea do you ??
Yeah, I mentioned adding more of that butter in the cavity.