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a roasted chicken on a serving platter along some roasted root veggies.
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4.80 from 15 votes

Air Fryer Whole Chicken

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.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer chicken, air fryer whole chicken, roast chicken
Servings: 4
Calories: 562kcal

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
US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. Store leftover roast chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  7. To freeze, make sure the chicken is cooled first. Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for 3-4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 700mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 961IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg