This Air Fryer Whole Chicken w/ BBQ Rub is the AMAZING! You are going to love how easy it is – because it is in the Air Fryer, after all! Break out the BBQ rubs and let’s make some chicken in less than an hour!
Whether you choose to use a rub or not, this Air Fryer Whole Chicken is the most tender and juicy poultry you can make and is completely hands off.
You don’t need it to be 80 degrees outside and sunny to have an incredible BBQ chicken that will satisfy the entire family. This Air Fryer version can be made with just a simple rub.
Add on a nice, rich BBQ sauce afterward and you’ll have an amazing meal, so get those napkins ready.
🐔 Why This Recipe Works
Rotisserie Style Chicken for a fraction of the price – Who doesn’t love a good rotisserie chicken and now you get a version at home.
Affordable and delicious – Grab whole chickens on sale and you can keep the family fed on a budget.
Juicy and loaded with flavor – You know if you are using the Air Fryer, it is going to turn out to be juicy.
No grill or oven required – Enjoy crispy poultry without firing up the grill.
Use leftovers for meal prepping or for meals – Use leftovers to meal prep lunches for the week. Add some veggies or a salad for a great lunch. This chicken is perfect for meal prepped lunches with mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or mashed rutabagas.
🍗 Ingredients
The ingredients for recipe are beyond easy. You barely need anything, and the Air Fryer does all the work for you. Let’s take a look at what you will need:
Whole Chicken – Start with a 3 – 3 ½ pound chicken. Your air fryer might be able to handle more, so start at this size and work from there for the next one.
BBQ Rub – Pick your favorite BBQ dry rub. If it doesn’t stick to the skin, spray it lightly with the olive oil spray.
Olive Oil Spray – Olive Oil spray will give the skin a bit of moisture to keep the seasonings on the food and will allow it to cook properly. If you don’t add oil, the seasonings may not stay put. It will also help the skin to crisp up.
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
Air Fryer | Any version will work with this recipe. We have made this in our Instant Vortex 7 in 1 (which heats higher) and in our Ninja basket and it turns out fantastic in both. The Vortex has a heat source at the top that is pretty powerful so always remember to check early when using that machine.
If using Ninja, Cosori, GoWise or Nuwave, proceed as the recipe recommends. We always suggest checking recipes the first time you cook them as they all vary a little bit.
🍽️ Instructions
I love flexible recipes like this! If you don’t love the taste of BBQ rubs, pull out the good ol’ Mrs. Dash or Old Bay Seasoning. Definitely use what you love and this will turn out to be a family favorite.
It will cook the exact same way, but it changes up the flavor. Doing it like this allows you to put the whole chicken on your weekly dinner rotation.
Step One: Rinse off and dry the chicken with paper towels. This will help the seasonings stick.
Step Two: Spray the whole chicken lightly with the spray olive oil, then apply three tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub.
Step Three – BASKET STYLE: Heat up the BASKET STYLE Air Fryer to 360 degrees. Place the chicken inside (breast side down) and cook for 45-50 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for an additional 10 minutes. USE AIR FRYER MODE
Note: It took our Instant Vortex Plus 45 minutes to cook our 3.75 lb chicken. Larger ones will take more time.
Step Three – TRAY STYLE: Heat up the TRAY STYLE Air Fryer to 360 degrees. Once it reaches temperature and beeps (note that is different than the basket version!) then put the chicken in breast side down and cook for 45-50 minutes, turning half way when the beeper beeps. USE AIR FRYER MODE
This is a five minute prep and then completely hands off the rest of the time so it ranks very high up there for a repeat meal.
I get a lot done while dinner is cooking and I don’t have to pay attention to it.
Tip: Always use the cook times on Air Fryers as a guide. Each one cooks slightly different. Rely on meat thermometers to know exactly when the dinner is done. For chicken, it should be 165 degrees and try not to have the meat thermometer touch the bone as it will give an inaccurate reading.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, according to the USDA in a sealed container.
Reheat quickly in the microwave for about one minute. Don’t over cook it as it will dry out.
🧊 Freezer Friendly
Freeze this chicken in freezer safe containers like Rubbermaid, or break it up and put it into a gallon Ziploc freezer safe bag. This can be kept for up to three months. Use the Freezer Tips and Tricks Printable for everything you need to know to safely freeze food.
🐔 Meal Prep Option
I love to cook up a couple of these at a time when they go on sale and meal prep them for meals when we are busy or flat out don’t want to cook. These meal prep options can help you save money and eat healthier. We usually cook, tear apart the chicken and place in freezer grade bags so we can just defrost and move along with the meal.
Meal Prep Lunches: I love making this chicken for my husband’s lunches (his favorite containers) so I tend to freeze the leftovers with veggies and stack them in the freezer so he has healthy and affordable lunches at work. Trust me, he has never complained as this recipe stays juicy even through freezing.
Stretching a Whole Chicken: When cooking on a budget, whipping up a whole bird like this can stretch into many meals if you know how to do it correctly. We like to cook like this and add it to bags of frozen rice and veggies. Then the smaller portions of protein aren’t noticed.
🍽️ Expert Tips
- Change up the spices to fit your needs. Virtually anything will work.
- Always start with breast side down as it will keep the juices flowing towards the white breast meat which keeps this bird so juicy and tender.
- The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your bird and your air fryer. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure it is fully cooked.
- Snag our {FREE} Air Fryer Cooking Times Cheat Sheet.
- Do not touch the bone when doing internal temperature check or it gives a false reading.
- This is a great way to cook up a whole chicken and then shred and freeze for meals down the line like we did in the Air Fryer Meal Prep Chicken.
🍳 Recipe FAQs
Depending on the size of your whole chicken, it will take 45 minutes to 60 minutes to fully cook at 360 degrees. I cooked a three pound one that only needed just under 40 minutes. The 5.96 lb one needed just over an hour in my Ninja basket for two reasons – it was much larger and it was harder to get the air to circulate given it took up almost 100% of the basket.
If that becomes a problem, take it out of the basket and cut it in half and put it back in and it helps a lot.
Absolutely! Just make sure that it fits. Depending on the brand of air fryer you have, you might find some whole chickens are too large to fit. A 3-4 pound bird is a great place to start.
I recommend cooking your chicken at 360 degrees. It gives the skin an optimal crispy texture while the meat is perfectly juicy and flavorful.
I’ve cooked them from 350-390 degrees. Higher temperatures overcook the outside before the inside is done. This is also caused by the bird being too big. I have settled on a happy 360 degrees and have done 375 with no problem as well.
Air fryers are so popular because it helps to cut out fat by 70-80% compared to deep frying.
If they aren’t tied, they can get caught in the fryer when sliding in and out.
How to Serve
Besides eating this straight off of the platter after it comes out of the fryer (because you will want to, it is that delish!!) incorporate it into other family favorites.
Using in Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Instant Pot Cauliflower Fried Rice (add chicken)
Broccoli Rice Casserole (add chicken)
Side Dishes
Oven Roasted Honey Gold Potatoes
Related Recipes
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Air Fryer Whole BBQ Chicken
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken whole (3-4 pounds)
- 3 tbsp BBQ Rub your choice
- Olive Oil Spray
Instructions
- Heat the Air Fryer to 360 degrees.
- Rinse and dry the whole chicken. Remove the giblets. Spray the chicken with the olive oil spray and rub the BBQ rub on the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the Air Fryer breast side down for 45-60 minutes, depending on how large your chicken is.
- Turn the chicken over half way. When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, remove and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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