Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe

Air fryer butterfly chicken with lemon slices on top of it.

Preparing a whole chicken is one of the best ways to cook a flavorful and juicy chicken dinner. But did you know that you can cook a whole chicken in your air fryer? With this simple air fryer whole chicken recipe, you can whip up a delicious main course for dinner in just 30 minutes!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Air Fryer, American

Keyword: Air Fryer Whole Chicken Recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Marinade Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 483kcal

Equipment

Air Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 whole butterflied chicken 2.5-3l lbs.
2 lemons
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme

Instructions

Slice one of the lemons into whole slices. Add the slices to a large bowl, then combine them with the orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and thyme. Stir the ingredients together until they’re well combined.
Butterfly your whole chicken (See notes below on how to butterfly a chicken), then place it in the bowl with the seasoning mixture. Turn the chicken two to three times to coat all sides with the marinade. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Place the chicken in a pan that fits inside your air fryer basket, then pour the marinade over the top of the chicken, making sure not to overfill the pan.
Top the chicken with the lemon slices and place the basket inside the air fryer.
Cook the chicken at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Top the chicken with fresh lemon slices and parsley before serving. ***Note: Cooking times vary between the make & model of the air fryer and depending on the size of the chicken.

Notes

How Do You Butterfly a Chicken?

One simple way to cut down on the cook time of your whole chicken is to butterfly the chicken before cooking it. But if you’ve never used the spatchcock cooking method before, you may be wondering how to butterfly a chicken. Just follow these simple steps for preparing your chicken for cooking in the air fryer:

Place the chicken on a cutting board. Start by setting the whole chicken breast side down on your cutting board with the legs of the chicken facing you.
Remove the backbone. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone all the way up to the neck. As you’re cutting, hold the other side of the backbone steady with your other hand. After cutting one side, hold the cut side in place with your hand while cutting down the other side of the backbone with your shears. When the backbone is removed, set it aside.
Flatten the chicken. Pull both sides of the chicken apart and flip the bird over so the cut side is now on the cutting board. Lightly press the chicken flat with your hands.
Continue with the recipe. After cutting and flattening the chicken, follow the recipe as written to prepare it in your air fryer.

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