Sometimes I just want a juicy, golden rotisserie-style chicken without turning on the oven or heading to the store. This air fryer rotisserie chicken hits the spot every time. It's tender on the inside, full of savory flavor, and the skin gets perfectly crisp in the air fryer. If you've never cooked a whole chicken in your air fryer, this is your sign. It's easier than you think and great for meal prep too.
One bite of this delicious air fryer rotisserie chicken recipe, and you will never buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store again. It takes me only 10 minutes to prep the chicken with a homemade seasoning mix. What you get is a delicious rotisserie-style chicken every single time. It's the perfect easy dinner for the entire family, and leftovers go great in Italian Pastina Soup!
If you are looking for an oven-baked chicken, you will love my Dutch Oven Whole Chicken and Potatoes. It's equally as easy and flavorful and cooked to juicy and tender perfection.
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🥘Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
How to Prep the Chicken
Before getting started, bring the whole chicken to room temperature. I recommend removing the whole chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before planning to air fry. Once the chicken has come up to room temperature, remove the giblets from inside the cavity and remove any excess fat, skin, and leftover feathers. Lastly, pat the chicken dry with paper towels (this is essential to getting the skin nice and crispy).
🔪Instructions
Step 1: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the extra virgin olive oil, juice from ¼ of the lemon, salt, black pepper, fresh minced garlic cloves, smoked paprika, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary.
Step 2: If your air fryer has a rotisserie spit, skewer the chicken firmly onto the spit. Truss the chicken with kitchen twine to tie the legs and wings close to the body of the chicken. This is going to help keep the lemon wedges inside the chicken cavity as well as help it cook through evenly.
Step 3: Massage the seasoning all over the entire chicken, including inside the cavity, then place the remaining lemon wedges inside the cavity.
Step 4: In my specific air fryer model, air frying the whole rotisserie chicken takes about 50-60 minutes.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- I always recommend using a meat thermometer to check if your chicken is done cooking. You will know that the chicken is ready once the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F. Make sure to push the thermometer through the thickest part of the thigh to determine doneness.
- Stick to a 3.5-4 lb whole chicken to ensure it fits comfortably in your air fryer basket. Anything larger may overcrowd the space, leading to uneven cooking and less crispy skin.
- Crispy skin starts with a dry surface-pat the chicken dry with paper towels before seasoning. Brushing or rubbing the skin with olive oil helps the seasonings stick and promotes browning. If the skin isn't quite crispy enough at the end, increase the air fryer temperature to 375°F for the last 5 minutes.
- The spice rub is where the flavor comes alive. Paprika adds a warm color and hint of smokiness, garlic and onion powders build savory depth, and thyme brings a subtle herby finish. For more flavor, rub some of the seasoning under the skin or marinate the chicken overnight. You can also swap in spice blends like Cajun, lemon-pepper, or Italian seasoning for variety.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. This keeps the juices locked in and ensures moist, flavorful meat.
- If you don't have a rotisserie function on your air fryer, just place the chicken in the basket breast side down and then flip halfway through.
Serving Suggestions & How to Use Leftovers
This air fryer rotisserie chicken is perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner or Sunday meal prep. I love serving it with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a fresh cucumber salad. It also pairs well with rice, couscous, or a simple pasta side. The leftovers are incredibly versatile. I often make this for meal prep at the beginning of the week. Shred the meat for buffalo chicken tacos, toss it into broccoli cheddar soup, salads, or grain bowls, or make quick chicken salad wraps for lunch the next day. It's a meal that keeps on giving!
🥣Storage & Reheating
Allow the chicken to cool, then store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I recommend reheating any leftover rotisserie chicken in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Avoid reheating for too long, as this can dry out the chicken.
If you have leftover rotisserie-style chicken, toss it into this Chicken Cobb Salad with Crispy Bacon for an easy lunch.
More Air Fryer Recipes To Try
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Recipe
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Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken
See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pound whole chicken
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to warm up to room temperature. Press the rotisserie function on your air fryer or preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Remove the giblets from inside the cavity and remove any excess fat, skin and leftover feathers. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Add the olive oil, juice from ¼ of the lemon, spices and herbs to a small bowl. Season the chicken with the spices all over, under the skin and inside the cavity. Add some lemon wedges inside the cavity.
- Next, tie up the chicken with kitchen twine. Skewer the chicken firmly onto the spit of the skewer of your air fryer if you have the rotisserie spit.
- If you don't have the rotisserie spit, place the chicken breast side down in the air fryer. Cook for 30 minutes, flip and then cook for another 20-30 minutes.
- If you have the rotisserie spit, air fry for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F until the temperature of the chicken breast reaches 165 degrees F.
- Let cool, slice and enjoy.
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Sarah's Tips
- I do not recommend substituting the fresh herbs with dried - the flavor will not be as fresh.
- Similar to the herbs, I recommend fresh garlic. It will make a huge difference in flavor. However, garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
Abbey says
Literally just finished eating… AMAZING! My first time making a whole rotisserie chicken and it was delicious and juicy. Will definitely be making again.
Brooke Limrick says
What temperature are you air frying at?
Sarah Hill says
Hi Brooke, 350 degrees F. I just added the temperature, so sorry about that!