This 45-Minute Air Fryer Roasted Chicken Is a Thing of Beauty
During my decade-long tenure as a food and kitchen tech editor, the air fryer has been my most-used kitchen appliance. My latest obsession is using an air fryer to roast a whole chicken. An air fryer can cut cooking time by 15 to 20% -- and the skin will come out super crispy and with the nonstick basket, cleanup is a breeze.
When it comes to lip-smacking meals, it's very hard to beat a well-roasted chicken. Add some root vegetables into the mix, slather on gravy and you get a proper Sunday dinner with leftover chicken you can eat for the rest of the week.
Air fryer chicken is one of the easiest and most satisfying recipes I've made lately.
David Watsky/CNET
To make a perfect roasted chicken in about 45 minutes, all you need is an air fryer (4 quarts or larger,) a chicken of your choice and some simple spices and pantry ingredients. I'm well versed in the joys of air fryer cooking, but air fryer chicken is perhaps the best cool-weather cooking discovery I've made while tinkering with these trendy convection cookers. Let me show you how it all works.
Can you really cook a whole chicken in an air fryer?
You sure can. The secret to great roasted chicken is high heat while not overcooking the bird for a crispy skin with moist, tender meat. An air fryer is the perfect vessel for this method since it envelops the food inside with hot quickly moving air and manages to crisp outer layers better than a full-size convection oven that features more widely dispersed heat. The smaller air fryer cooking chamber also means more consistent temps throughout a single session.
Air fryers are typically smaller than wall ovens, but many models are capable of handling a 3- or 4-pound chicken. I cooked a full 4-pound roaster and it fit comfortably inside my Dreo 6-quart ChefMaker smart air fryer oven.
Read more: Grill, Bye. Make Your Next Burger in an Air Fryer and Thank Me Later
What size air fryer do you need to cook a whole chicken?
I used a fancy smart air fryer but just about any 5-quart model will do.
David Watsky/CNET
This fancy souped-up air fryer has a steam feature and smart cooking programs, but I didn't need or use them. I cooked the chicken on basic air fryer mode at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 55 minutes, flipping the bird (ha!) after 25. You won't need a fancy air fryer, either. This $120 Instant air fryer will get the job done. As will this $80 Gourmia model.
There was minimal prep in this air fryer chicken recipe, which I adapted from a few found online and my go-to oven-roasted chicken recipe. I whisked together a quick marinade with olive oil, grain mustard, salt, pepper and some of my favorite Mediterranean seasoning blend. I stuffed the chicken with half of an orange, some green onion and a bunch of fresh parsley that was down to its final days in the fridge.
About 10 minutes before I pulled it from the air fryer.
David Watsky/CNET
What should you serve with roasted chicken
I served the chicken with rice made in my speedy and effortless rice cooker, but I could have just as easily dropped some potatoes or other root vegetables in with the chicken and had myself with a full dinner to feed four or five -- all cooked in the confines of one nonstick air fryer basket.
Air fryers cook fast so careful not to burn the skin
My only other note when making an air fryer bird is to keep a close eye on the chicken, especially toward the end. The heat from an air fryer is intense and could burn the skin if you have it cranked up too high or leave it in too long. If your skin seems to be getting brown faster than the chicken is coming to temp inside, pull back on the heat and continue monitoring.
You can always fire it up again once the meat is cooked to get a crispy skin before serving. You'll know the meat is cooked when a meat probe reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit when plunged into the thickest part of the breast.
You'll need at least a 5-quart air fryer to make a roasted chicken.
David Watsky/CNET
Ingredients for air fryer roast chicken
4-pound chicken, giblets removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grain mustard
Seasoning blend (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon or orange
Fresh herbs
Almost done...
David Watsky/CNET
How to make air fryer roast chicken
Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit Whisk olive oil, mustard, seasoning blend, salt and pepper together Rub mustard marinade over the entire chicken Place chicken in air fryer basket breast down on top of the wire rack and cook for 25 minutes Flip the bird breast up and cook for the another 20 minutes Remove when juices run clear or an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Pour juices from the air fryer basket over sliced chicken or use to make a gravy
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
6 minutes ago
- Washington Post
America's milestone birthdays offer a window into our journey
This essay is adapted from 'If We Are Brave' by Theodore R. Johnson. In a bicentennial day essay a half-century ago, Toni Morrison told a story of her grandparents at odds over progress in America. Her grandmother compared it to the slow-walk of trees, suggesting it often arrives gradually, like a canopy of oaks that climb the landscape generation after generation. Her grandfather saw things differently, believing that growth doesn't mean the nation's nature has changed, or that it ever will. The two elders were realists: Neither papered over the places where the country had fallen short. But for one of them, there were signs of promise; for the other, the project seemed hopeless.
Forbes
35 minutes ago
- Forbes
About Last Week: What Having A Meltdown Says About You As A Leader
When professional response, much like a frayed rope, is about to break. In a sea of quiet leadership mantras and emotionless, direct communications, there exists another leadership style. One that is hyper authentic, effective and, yes, professional. Leaders that deeply feel also have seats at the table and are often more connected, more open and far more collaborative than those at the table simply checking boxes. A shared purpose and sense of belonging are great ways to empower team members, engage in constructive competition, and push outcomes from 'meh' to 'WOW!' What might an occasional meltdown say about you? You are human It is okay to have moments. It is okay to lean into yourself. It is okay to free your mind and to release gaps in accountability, frustrating interactions and even misinterpreted slights. Choosing the silent path forward, 'might seem like a good way to avoid conflict and emotional pain, but it usually comes back to bite you in the end,' shares Crystal Raypole in Healthline. It doesn't do anyone any favors to suppress response. While the workplace does not need toddler-like tantrums at every turn, in positions of leadership it is critical to model realistic response and prove that no one is immune from frustration and those frustrations can absolutely overwhelm any human being. At times, we all could use help pushing through that noise. And sometimes pushing through requires noise. You care Emotions are integral in leadership. In fact, they can inspire others to drop set their masks aside and feel comfortable sharing their true selves. Not caring results in status quo, low-to-no creativity and mostly, as the Talking Heads famously mused, 'same as it ever was.' For optimum effectiveness, no matter the delivery tone, we want engaged, empathetic and authentic colleagues and leaders. You let it out If you don't allow yourself to let feelings come out, where do they go? The answers are endless, however it's rarely a good thing to lock down emotions and empower them to fester. Much like resentment, when not released, feelings grow exponentially. The last person you should allow to hold you back is you. Why many work to remain emotionless Is it better to offer your authentic self or a robotic shell to those in the workplace? When you fear the judgment of others, you cement your true self to a back burner, constantly needing to calculate each ensuing answer, conversation and opinion. Fearing judgment imprisons a leader to accept boundaries as a rule of self. Blindly sticking within bounds stifles creative thinking, innovation and improvement. "Some people may believe that showing negative emotions can lead to others seeing them as weak.' According to Medical News Today, 'people may hide feelings to avoid showing weakness or vulnerability to others. Some people may believe that showing negative emotions can lead to others seeing them as weak.' Having recently displayed a bit of an emotional meltdown (understatement of 2025), I asked the lucky recipient of my tirade, 'Does this make me come across as weak?' I simply had to ask. The response I received was, 'No! Quite the opposite!' He went on to detail how hiding feelings, especially when a boiling point has been reached, is unhealthy for all involved. It's safer to present a stoic persona in the office. But is it realistic? Is it effective? Is it modeling strong leadership? Are you really protecting yourself or are you trapping yourself in a pressure cooker? You can either choose when to blow or have it burst out when least expected. The impact of burying emotions Prioritizing archaic societal expectations over what is actually going on inside your mind and/or body can pack a punch. The negative impact from burying emotions takes a toll. Bottling up feelings leads to stress, anxiety and unrealistic expectations of self. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by a strong team, proving a human response is survivable speaks volumes. You get to have your moments. Bottling emotions can lead to chronic stress, which impacts the heart, body and mind. Dr. Colleen Mullen says, "The stress caused to the body can lead to increased diabetes and heart disease risks. Other effects can be memory difficulties." Much like a ticking time bomb, letting the emotions out in bite-size bursts is far more manageable than one dramatic explosion. It has been said that, 'authentic professional relationships are the heart of personal well-being, career growth, and fulfillment.' It is impossible to build authentic, reciprocal relationships without sharing your own true self. In a nutshell Displaying emotional histrionics is rarely a great path, but, on occasion, embracing those escalated feelings and sharing them certainly lightens the weight of those emotions. It's also an effective way to turn that societal frown upside down. Normalizing differences in how colleagues deal with stress, cope with helplessness and lean into releasing that weight drives true acceptance that successful leadership can look and feel different. Much like 'if you see something say something', find your outlets and, when overwhelmed, find those outlets and have support moving past the heavy thoughts and feelings. If your outlets are not comfortable working you through those moments, find other outlets. Through reciprocal support comes authenticity, fresh ideas and continuously improved outcomes.
Bloomberg
35 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Three Ways America's World Order Could Collapse
Nothing lasts forever: Every international order finds its end. Pax Romana stabilized the greater Mediterranean world, until decline set in. The British global order flourished in the 19th century but came apart amid two world wars in the 20th. Today, in an unruly world led by an erratic America, it's hard not to wonder if the US-led order is on its way out. Since 1945, that order has generated tremendous peace, prosperity and freedom. It can only be termed a smashing success. But stresses on that order — those imposed by its challengers, and those imposed by its creator — have been mounting. One way of gauging just how severe the risks have become is by considering the various ways an order might end.
