Whole Chicken in the Air Fryer

Step 1

Mix the salt, pepper and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2

Set your airy fryer basket next to your work space for easy access, and cover your work space in parchment paper for easy clean-up.

Step 3

Remove the chicken from the package and lay it out on your work space. (Do not wash your chicken! See post step-by-step for why and linked reference from the CDC.)

Step 4

Dry the chicken with a paper towel as thoroughly as possible. (Less liquid means crispier skin!)

Step 5

Drizzle all over with the oil and then spread the oil over the entire bird with your hands.

Step 6

Sprinkle the spice mixture everywhere. Make sure to get under the wings and in the thigh creases! (If there’s extra, just pour it into the bird’s cavity to provide maximum flavor.)

Step 7

Rub the spices into the bird, distributing evenly and making sure the spices cover every inch.

Step 8

Place the chicken into the air fryer basket breast side down. (This picture in the post step-by-step is showing breast side up, but you want to start breast side down!)

Step 9

I was working with a 5lb chicken here, so I set my Air Fryer to 360 degrees for 30 minutes, then flipped it and cooked for another 35 minutes to reach the correct temperature. For a smaller chicken, say 3.5 lbs, I’d start with 25 minutes per side and then check the temperature. You want to make sure the thickest part of the bird registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit/75 degrees Celsius. (Check the post step-by-step for a link on how to do this!)

Step 10

After the chicken has finished cooking, you want to remove the basket from the air fryer, cover loosely with foil, and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute so they all don’t run out of the meat when you cut it.

Step 11

Enjoy now, or cool and store in the fridge for later!