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.
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.
🧡 Loved this recipe? Check out these recipes for Air Fryer Tortilla Chips (Low Carb), Air Fryer Steak Fajitas, Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin, or Air Fryer Mexican Pizza (Taco Bell Copycat)
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
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.
Ingredients Needed
- 5 lb whole chicken - Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your whole chicken!
- Seasoning - Use your favorite seasoning to flavor the chicken. Some of my favorites are Dano's or blackened seasoning.
- Olive Oil or Cooking Spray - To help get the skin extra crispy!
- See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer
Step 1: Take the whole chicken out of the packaging and pat it dry.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Recipe Tip: The temp of the chicken must read 165. If it is not up to the temp by then cook for 10 minutes longer.
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.
Best Air Fryer Tips
The air fryer is so great for cooking simple basic food like air fryer steak, air fryer hard-boiled eggs, and air fryer bacon. Cook up some air fryer chicken breasts for the week and use it chicken quesadillas.
Some air fryers require preheating and some do not. Be sure to check your air fryer manual.
Overcrowding: Do not overcrowd the basket. Place items in a single layer in the air fryer basket or some food will not cook properly or all the way through.
What air fryer do I use? Cosori 4 Qt Air Fryer- This air fryer doesn't require any preheating and has several different functions for cooking chicken, meat, frozen foods, etc. There are 5 different functions.
Recipe FAQs
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.
Yes it can, pay attention to the weight and size of a chicken. Some whole chickens might not fit into the air fryer basket. Then just cook it per pound.
No you do not. The air circulates all around the chicken while it's cooking in the basket. No flipping is needed!
More Great Air Fryer Recipes to Try
If you tried this Air Fryer Whole Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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The Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Prep Time: 5min
- Cook Time: 60min
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Air Fry
- Cuisine: American
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.
Ingredients
- 1 5 lb whole chicken
- 2 tsp of seasoning (your choice)
- Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Take the chicken out of the packaging and pat it dry.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 338
- Sugar: 3g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 74g
Airfryerviews says
Great post about air fryer
Jenna says
I mix equal parts lemon pepper seasoning and seasoning salt together.
Theresa M Hermann says
I am wondering what you favorite homemade seasoning is. Would you share it with me, please/
Jenna says
Thank you!
Elizabeth says
I tried this in my Cosori Air Fryer tonight. I had a 5.48 chicken and it just fit. I sprayed it with olive oil then sprinkled it with paprika. I cooked it just like you said for 45 min and then turned it and cooked another 20 just to make sure. It was perfectly cooked and juicy! Less cleanup than usual for a whole chicken. I will be cooking my while chickens like this from now on! Thank you so much!
Jenna says
I've never tried the chefman air fryer before just power XL so it's hard to compare the two. I do love my Power XL air fryer though.
Charlie Trotter says
I use chefman air fryer. Now I want to by another air fryer. Which will be better chefman or power air fryer?
Lori Edgar says
What is your 'easy homemade seasoning'?
Kamaldeep says
Seeing this recipe, it was found out that the air fryer is not only for cooking unhealthy snacks but you can also make healthy chicken by this.
Nicole says
I was usually using my Oven for a whole chicken, but with air fryer is much better. The meat is soft and really delicious.