Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
This crispy, succulent air fryer rotisserie chicken is a delicious alternative to the grocery store version. A whole chicken is rubbed with a flavorful seasoning blend and roasted to perfection in just over one hour! This easy air fryer recipe is a simple way to enjoy rotisserie-style chicken at home, and it’s perfect for meal prep and leftovers.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Air Fryer
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Some might say nothing beats the convenience of a grocery store rotisserie chicken. I hereby challenge that statement with this air fryer rotisserie chicken: Grab your air fryers, we ride at dawn!
All joking aside, this air fryer chicken recipe is an easy and reliable way to make moist, juicy homemade rotisserie chicken. All you need is a whole chicken, and I use a 5-ingredient rotisserie seasoning rub made from pantry spices. The skin crisps up beautifully in just over an hour, and the meat comes out tender and flavorful.
I’ve become a big fan of making rotisserie chicken this way. It’s great for dinner, leaves plenty of leftovers, and the bones can even be used for homemade chicken stock. Plus, a whole roasted bird always looks impressive at the table when entertaining.
The Easiest Rotisserie Chicken Recipe Ever
- Slow-roasted flavor. Air frying does the work of searing the outside of the chicken, creating perfectly crispy skin while the inside stays tender and so juicy. It tastes like it’s slow-roasted in a rotisserie oven, only this version is ready in a fraction of the time.
- Use the whole chicken. Waste not, want not, as the saying goes. This is a favorite meal prep chicken recipe that makes loads of meals from a single roast chicken. I serve it with vegetables, fries, or mashed potatoes for dinner. Then, I use the leftovers for chicken salad sandwiches, soups, tacos, salads, and more.
- Better than store-bought. One taste of this crispy, juicy air fryer rotisserie chicken, and you’ll never buy it from the store again!
What You’ll Need
Chicken recipes don’t get simpler than a perfectly seasoned, perfectly roasted rotisserie chicken in the air fryer! Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Olive Oil – It’s always worth investing in a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Seasoning – I use a blend of paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- Whole Chicken – One 4- to 5-pound chicken fits perfectly in most air fryers.
How to Make Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
Roasting a whole chicken in the air fryer takes a little over an hour from start to finish, but the prep time is very minimal. The air fryer does most of the work! Here are the steps.
- Make the seasoning rub. While your air fryer preheats (some models don’t require it), combine your herbs and spices in a bowl with olive oil.
- Prepare the chicken. Next, remove any giblets from the chicken cavity, and pat the inside and outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel. Give the whole chicken a good rub over with your seasoned oil, inside and out. I even like to tuck a bit of the oil rub in between the chicken skin and meat layers for extra crispiness and flavor.
- Cook. Place your prepped chicken inside the air fryer, breast side down. Flip the chicken about halfway through the cooking time. The exact cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer and the size of your chicken. Begin checking it after the first hour, and leave it in a bit longer as needed. Let your chicken rest a little, and then carve and serve!
🍴 In the Cupcakes & Kale Chips Kitchen…
- The Cosori XL 5.8 Qt air fryer has a regular spot on my countertop because I use it several times a week. It has a nice, large, and deep basket. I can fit lots of veggies, potatoes, and yes, even this whole chicken!
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Chicken
- Don’t forget the giblets. Some whole chickens come with them, some don’t, but it’s always a good idea to check and remove any innards from the chicken cavity before you get started. Plus, you can save the neck, gizzard, and heart to flavor chicken stock for gravy.
- Dry the chicken thoroughly. An important step; don’t skip it! Drying the chicken with a paper towel ensures the oil rub goes on evenly. If the chicken is wet, the seasoning won’t stick.
- Check the temperature. Your rotisserie chicken is done cooking when the internal temperature reaches a safe-to-eat 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that your chicken hits this temperature at the thickest part of the thigh. If you don’t have a thermometer, check that the juices run clear before taking your chicken out of the air fryer.
- Rest the chicken. Be sure to leave about 10 minutes for resting after the chicken is finished cooking. This lets all the juices redistribute for the most juicy, flavorful chicken.
- Save the bones! Like the giblets, instead of tossing the chicken carcass away, boil it into homemade chicken broth. It’s great to freeze and use for chicken soups and stews, or any recipes that call for stock.
Flavorful Variations
The beauty of making rotisserie chicken at home is that you can adapt the traditional chicken seasoning any way you’d like. Here are just some ideas for an easy chicken dinner.
- Lemon and herb: Combine lemon juice and zest with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a few pinches of your favorite fresh or dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano). You might also love this slow cooker lemon herb chicken.
- Barbecue chicken: Try a variation of air fryer BBQ chicken, swapping out the oil rub for store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce.
- Orange Saffron chicken: Use savory and citrusy Orange Saffron seasoning.
- Tandoori chicken: Borrow my Indian-inspired tandoori chicken seasoning.
- Balsamic: Season your chicken with zesty rosemary and balsamic vinegar.
- Cajun chicken: Swap the spices with Cajun seasoning or homemade blackened seasoning.
- Stuff the chicken: Like stuffing a Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing a whole chicken is a great way to amp up the flavors. Fill the cavity with lemon halves, thyme sprigs, and onion quarters. Or go full holiday dinner-style with savory gluten-free stuffing!
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover chicken airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. Cooked rotisserie chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months! I love to air fry a whole chicken and then portion it out for easy meals, or freeze the whole cooked chicken for another occasion. Seal the chicken in a freezer-safe bag or container to freeze, and thaw the chicken overnight in the fridge before reheating and serving.
- Reheat. Reheat your chicken in the microwave, oven, or air fryer, or use the leftovers in tons of easy meals such as sandwiches, soups, stews, etc. See the next section for even more ideas!
Make It a Meal
Juicy air fryer chicken is an easy dinner served with roasted vegetables and French fries or baked sweet potato fries on a busy weeknight. Or make it a meal with any of these serving suggestions.
- Keep it classic: You can’t go wrong with air fryer roasted carrots or ratatouille cooked while you carve the chicken, plus some roasted potatoes.
- Sunday roast chicken dinner: Make Instant Pot mashed potatoes, slather it all with gravy, and add a side of roasted broccoli.
- BBQ dinner: Whip up some quick, crunchy coleslaw, and serve with gluten-free cornbread or baked mac and cheese. Give your chicken a drizzle of smoky bourbon BBQ sauce.
Ways to Use Leftover Rotisserie Chicken
A whole chicken goes a long way in our household. I love to shred my rotisserie chicken leftovers to combine with salsa for an easy shortcut to salsa chicken. It’s also the perfect ingredient to throw into chicken tacos, chicken burrito bowls, and air fryer chicken taquitos.
Pile chicken leftovers onto sandwiches, over greens, or into gluten-free pita or wraps. Or try one of these other easy leftover chicken recipes.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 4-5 pound whole chicken
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F.
- In a small bowl, combine the oil, salt, paprika, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir it together until combined.
- Remove the giblets from the chicken, if present and dry the inside and outside with a paper towel. Rub the seasoned oil all over the outside and inside of the chicken, pouring a little in between the skin and the meat, if desired.
- Spray the air fryer with cooking spray and place the prepared chicken into the air fryer basket breast side down. Cook at 360°F for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken breast side up, and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Check temperature, cook for an additional 10-20 minutes, if needed. Let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.
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Can this recipe be used for 6 skinless bone-in chicken breasts in the airfryer?
You can definitely use the spice rub, but the cooking time will be different. You can try 370°F for 25-30 minutes, being sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
can this be done in the oven??
Sure, you can use this seasoning and roast it like in this recipe – https://cupcakesandkalechips.com/rosemary-balsamic-roast-chicken/