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This simple air fryer roast chicken recipe is juicy and moist and has the most delicious crispy skin! You need very few ingredients, and it’s much faster than roasting in the oven.
Try my Air Fryer Mushrooms or Air Fryer Bacon next.
Why you’ll love it
If you’ve never tried it, you totally can make wonderfully tender whole chicken in the air fryer. It’s significantly quicker than using a conventional oven, and the circulated heat makes for a lot of irresistible crispy skin. And it won’t heat up your kitchen either!
My recipe is simple homecooked goodness and has a delicate lemon flavor. You don’t need a lot of ingredients to let the chicken shine. This air fryer chicken recipe is so easy and yields such tasty results that you may skip buying rotisserie chicken at the store altogether!
What you’ll need
- Chicken – for a good-quality whole chicken, head to your local butcher or try organic. We get ours from Whole Foods.
- Lemon – to infuse a little brightness
- Butter – it enhances flavor, keeps the chicken moist, and helps to crisp up the golden skin
- Salt & pepper – to bring out the flavor. Be generous!
Helpful tips
- You can definitely get a larger chicken than 3.5-4 lbs., but be sure that it’ll actually fit in your air fryer!
- If you’re dealing with a 5+ lb. chicken, I would increase the initial cook time and leave the last part of cooking time the same (or only add an extra 5-10 minutes and check often) so you don’t overcook/burn the breast.
How to make air fryer roast chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Pierce half a lemon and place in the cavity. Breast-side up, rub the chicken with half of the butter. Season generously with salt & pepper. Turn it over, butter it up underneath, and season with more salt & pepper. Preheat the air fryer.
Add the chicken breast-side down to the basket, and cook for half an hour. Flip it over, and continue cooking until it’s crispy and golden and reaches 160F in the middle. Let it rest before carving it so the juices redistribute and it comes up to 165F.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is my air fryer model that comfortably fits a whole chicken, disposable nitrile gloves for comfortably handling it, and an instant read thermometer.
- I store my butter in this butter dish with handy measurement markings on it.
- Sea salt and pepper are best when freshly ground from salt and pepper mills.
Substitutions and variations
- You can add a little poultry seasoning, garlic salt, or whatever your favorite dried herbs are/whatever you have on hand. Italian seasoning is a good one, and there’s tons of tasty chicken rubs out there!
- Try my Easy Air Fryer Chicken Breast or Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs instead if you don’t need to roast a whole bird.
- Don’t have an air fryer? Make my Simple Roast Chicken.
What to serve with air fryer chicken
- You can drizzle the drippings on Garlic Mashed Potatoes or veggies if you like.
- I can’t resist serving it sliced with my Stick of Butter Rice or Brown Gravy.
- It’s great literally anywhere that calls for cooked chicken! Eat it cold in a salad like my bright Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken, or throw it in my Chicken Penne Casserole or Marry Me Chicken Soup.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover chicken for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- You can freeze the meat for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Reheat it back in the air fryer at 350F for a few minutes until warmed through/the skin crisps up again.
Enjoyed this air fryer roasted chicken recipe? Please leave a star rating and comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any S&L recipe.
Simple Air Fryer Roast Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3.5 pounds, giblets removed
- 1/2 lemon
- 1.5 tablespoons butter softened
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dry your chicken with paper towels. Pierce the lemon half with a knife a few times, and place it in the chicken's cavity.
- Starting breast side up, using your fingers, rub the chicken with half of the butter, and then generously season with salt & pepper. Turn the chicken over and butter the underside, and then season it with salt & pepper.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350F.
- Place the chicken in the basket of your air fryer breast-side down. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over so it's breast-side up, and cook for another 25 minutes or until it's golden and an instant read thermometer indicates it's at least 160F.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving so it can come up to a safe temperature of 165F, and the juices will redistribute so it's more tender and juicy.
Notes
- I have a 6 qt. air fryer, which can fit a chicken that’s up to about 4 pounds (might need to squish it down a bit!).
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