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    Home » Air Fryer Recipes

    The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken

    Published: Jan 23, 2023 by Jenna · This post may contain affiliate links · 26 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Air fryer whole chicken is gluten-free, paleo, keto, low carb, and also Weight Watcher friendly! You can make a whole chicken and save leftovers for meals throughout the week. 

    Do you wish you could have a chicken that tastes like it came right out of the rotisserie? Try this method for cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer. After you try this method for cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer you will not buy any premade storebought ones anymore. I used my homemade seasoning to coat the chicken and sprayed it with some olive oil cooking spray. Instead of deep frying your chicken in oil and fat, it is much healthier to air fry your whole chicken instead.

    I recently just upgraded my air fryer to a Power XL 5.3 QT. My old air fryer was having issues in the back where the air vents out. Do not leave your air fryer near a wall or anything because one day it overheated and the back venting area started to melt. Plus the timer on it no longer worked. No way would this almost 5 lb whole chicken have been able to fit in that. If you are on a hunt for an air fryer and have never bought one before do get one with a larger basket size like mine is. Mine is 5.3 quarts and holds way more. This Power XL air fryer is by far my favorite air fryer because of the digital temperature and time sets you can enter.

    Not Every Air Fryer Cooks the Same!!

    I have only tested this air fryer whole chicken recipe in my Power XL air fryer. Some air fryers do not go up to certain temps and the degree listed below is in Fahrenheit. I get many questions if I've made this in such and such air fryer before and the answer to that is no. I do not have enough room in my house to buy all the different brands of air fryers there are out there but not everyone has the same air fryer. If you make this recipe, please let me know what type of air fryer you have when you leave a comment so that others reading this post might have.

    How long does a whole chicken take to cook?

    My 5-pound chicken was done in an hour. A whole chicken weighing 6.5 pounds takes 75 minutes. If you have any chicken that is more than 6.5 pounds please make sure to check if that will fit in your air fryer basket first. If your bird is bigger than your air fryer basket you might want to consider baking it in the oven instead. 🙂 For every chicken that is higher than 6.5 pounds add on 15 minutes.

    Air Fryer Whole Chicken

    How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer

    1. Take the whole chicken out of the packaging and pat it dry.
    2. Season it with your favorite seasoning. I used my easy homemade seasoning. Sprinkle that stuff over the whole chicken. Then spray it with some Olive Oil Cooking Spray.
    3. Set the whole chicken in the basket and set your timer to 45 minutes and your temperature to 350. After the 45 minutes is up, take the bird and flip it over and cook for another 15 minutes.
    4. The temp of the chicken must read 165. If it is not up to the temp by then cook for 10 minutes longer.
    5. If your air fryer requires you to preheat it, then please do that. Mine doesn't require any preheating.

    More Great Recipes to Try:

    • Air Fryer Onion Rings
    • Grinder Salad Sandwich - Tiktok Recipe 
    • Zero Point Cabbage Soup 
    • Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
    • French Fries in the Air Fryer
    • Air Fryer Pickle Chips

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    Print

    The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken


    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

    • Author: Jenna
    • Prep Time: 5min
    • Cook Time: 60min
    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 6 to 8 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Air fryer whole chicken is gluten-free, paleo, keto, low carb, and also Weight Watcher friendly! You can make a whole chicken and save leftovers for meals throughout the week. 


    Scale

    Ingredients

    • 1 5 lb whole chicken
    • 2 tsp of seasoning (your choice)
    • Olive Oil Cooking Spray

    Instructions

    1. Take the chicken out of the packaging and pat it dry.
    2. Season it with your favorite seasoning. If you are gluten-free look for seasoning without any gluten in it.  I used my easy homemade seasoning. Sprinkle that stuff over the whole chicken. Then spray it with some Olive Oil Cooking Spray.
    3. Set the whole chicken in the basket and set your timer to 45 minutes and your temperature to 350. After the 45 minutes is up, take the bird and flip it over and cook for another 15 minutes.
    4. The temp of the chicken must read 165. If it is not up to the temp by then cook for 10 minutes longer.

    Notes

    4 oz of chicken is 7 smart points

    • Category: Chicken
    • Method: Air Fry
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @recipediariesww on Instagram

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenna says

      November 25, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      Thank you, Barbara!

    2. Barbara says

      November 25, 2021 at 4:01 pm

      Have been cooking a whole chicken in the air fryer for years but at a higher temp and not as long. Sometimes not cooked through, sometimes too dry. This recipe was awesome. My 5.8 lb chicken came out perfect. I did cook it for 20 minutes when flipped at the same 350 degrees. It came out perfect. It looked beautiful and was juicy. Will ALWAYS use this recipe in the future.

      ★★★★★

    3. William Baker says

      July 03, 2021 at 6:53 am

      I will try this recipe this weekend.

    4. Jenna says

      December 13, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      I have not tried this in an instant pot air fryer before. Hope it goes well for you.

    5. Teyana says

      December 13, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      I’m going to try this on my instant pot air fryer lid tonight. Any recommendations?

    6. Tino says

      August 17, 2020 at 10:46 pm

      I have use fryer but not Power XL 5.3 QT. I think air fryer is good for us to live. I think will buy one Power XL 5.3 QT to try and experience.
      Thanks to your article

      ★★★★★

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    Hey, I'm Jenna! I'm a graphic designer, photographer, and home cook from From Fargo ND. My air fryer is my favorite kitchen appliance to cook with. I created this blog to share recipe tips and tricks with everyone, enjoy!

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