This air fryer whole chicken is so unbelievably tender and juicy with a perfectly seasoned crispy skin. It’s one of the easiest recipes you can make in your air fryer and it cooks to perfection in about 1 hour. This recipe rivals any store bought rotisserie chicken and is an excellent family meal.
Making Air Fryer Whole Chicken
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as taking a bite of food that you’ve made from scratch, and you have instant gratification – that immediate “OMG this is SO good!” moment. That’s how we feel when me make this air fryer whole chicken. Our air fryer has been responsible for so many amazing meals and the hits just keep coming. In fact, this one might move to the top of that hit list.
While we’re using an appliance called an air fryer, we’re not exactly “frying” the chicken. What we’re really making is a roast chicken. But with the air fryer capabilities, we get a chicken that’s super juicy on the inside with a nice, crispy skin on the outside. That’s the beauty of using this method instead of roasting in the oven.
We make the simplest rub from ordinary pantry spices and the chicken gets air fried for about 1 hour (depending on size). That’s it! And then get ready for that first bite. The only way to describe it is… wow!
Pickin’ a Chicken
The ideal chicken for a standard 6qt air fryer will be a 3.5lb – 4lb whole chicken. Please keep in mind that there are many varieties of air fryers out there. If you have a larger air fryer appliance, you may be able to use a larger chicken.
Ingredients
Chicken can be seasoned any number of ways. For this recipe, we go with some classic chicken seasonings, in just the perfect amounts to achieve the most savory results. All the flavors blend together wonderfully.
You’ll love that you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry. The rub consists of all dried ingredients including: rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, salt, pepper.

Easy Preparation
Once we’ve unpackaged our chicken, remove any gizzards that are packed into the cavity. Then pat the whole bird dry with paper towels. This step is important. Next, use some olive oil and gently coat the entire chicken. Now it’s time to apply our seasoning rub. You will have the perfect amount of seasoning for the whole chicken. You can also use your fingers and run them under the skin of the breast meat and apply some seasoning directly to the meat.

Air Fry at 350°(F) for 1 Hour
Our chicken will cook on the air fry setting for about 1 hour. If the chicken is over 4 lbs, you’ll want to add maybe 5-10 minutes. The chicken will go into the air fryer breast side down for the first 40 minutes. This is important. Then we flip the chicken to breast side up for the remaining 20+ minutes. This assures that the breast side will have crispy skin when done. Your chicken is cooked to perfection when an instant read thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 165°(F).

Let Rest for 5-10 Minutes
After the cooking time is complete, remove the chicken from the air fryer to a large plate or platter and let rest for 5-10 minutes. I like to cover it with a piece of aluminum foil. This resting time is important. Then, you’re ready to dig in!

Time to Serve!
Now that our whole chicken has had an opportunity to rest after cooking, it’s time to dig in. Just like a store-bought rotisserie chicken, dig right in any enjoy the pieces you love the most. Make sure to use a sharp knife. It will make carving and cutting SO much easier.
The sky is really the limit with side-dish possibilities. Naturally, mashed potatoes are excellent with any kind of roasted poultry. Check out our Best Damn Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
If you want to stay on a healthy route, make a batch of Instant Pot Brown Rice. The flavor is amazing and it pairs excellent with chicken.
Fresh veggies can easily accompany any meal. Our Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini and Peppers is quick, easy, and can me made 10 minutes!
PrintRecipe

Best Damn Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
Cooked to absolute perfection, this air fryer whole chicken has the most savory seasoning, is tender and juicy on the inside, with a golden crispy skin on the outside.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken, 3.5 – 4lbs.
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp sage
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp basil
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer at 350°(F) for 5 minutes. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Mix all seasonings in a small bowl.
- Coat chicken with olive oil and rub seasoning mix all over chicken.
- Place chicken in air fryer breast side down, use air fry setting at 350°(F) for 40 minutes. Turn chicken breast side up and continue to air fry at 350°(F) for an additional 20 minutes. Internal temp should be 165°(F) with an instant read thermometer.
- Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American

Carole says
This whole air fryer is the best, I have tried several & always come back to this one every time!
Ale Swan says
So good! Just a stellar stellar chicken recipe.
Karen K. says
This is fantastic – moist and flavorful. And so easy to make. It’s going to be my go to whole chicken recipe from now on.
Linda A says
I tried this recipe and it came out so juicy and delicious. Even the breasts were tender and juicy. However, I did dry brine it for 24 hours before I air-fried it. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again. All of the recipes I have tried on Recipe Teacher have proven to be excellent. I am so glad that I found this site. Jason you do a superb job in creating the tastiest dishes. The first recipe I tried was the air-fried pork chops. My pork chops came out looking just like the picture on your recipe. d
Patty Feather says
I’ll never buy store made rotisserie chicken again! This recipe is THE BEST! I’ve made it several times and it always comes out perfectly.
Tim Conde says
Had this recently at a friends house. Was the star of a perfect meal. My airfryer has two narrower cooking chambers rather than one large one. Very handy when cooking two separate items but will not hold one whole chicken. So do you cut a bird in half to cook or just use several loose pieces? And what adjustments would be needed to keep it crispy outside and moist inside? Keep up the good work.
Danielle Cervantes says
Hi there! I’m wanting to ask if all the herbs are dried? Are any ground? Thank you!
RecipeTeacher says
All dried. But… load with fresh herbs if you like! There’s no wrong way to do that.
Danielle Cervantes says
Thank you for your response!
Amanda says
I have made this recipe several times over the last month. The chicken has the best flavor! Crispy in the outside and juicy on the inside. I have a rosemary plant in my backyard so I love to find recipes to use it. I have even used this recipe for chicken pieces in the air fryer with modified cook time. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Georgia A Elder says
The chicken was moist and delicious. Great recipe!
Lee Brundage says
Perfect Sunday chicken!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Lee!! 🙂