Air Fryer Whole Chicken From Frozen
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Air fryer whole chicken from frozen is an easy way to get delicious juicy chicken with crispy skin. This recipe is so easy and the results come out perfect every time. Made with a simple chicken spice rub – this is one of our favorite ways to eat chicken as a family.
This recipe uses a really simple, yet delicious spice rub that adds the perfect amount of flavor. After you try this recipe once, you’ll never want to cook your whole chicken any other way. Learn just how easy it is to make this recipe in your air fryer below.
Can You Put A Whole Chicken In Air Fryer From Frozen?
Yes! Isn’t that wonderful? Air fryers are incredible for this reason – you can cook any kind of chicken from frozen and still create the most incredible crispy and juicy results. We use this same method for air fryer salt and pepper wings, and chicken drumsticks. This is one of the only methods of cooking chicken that my daughter will actually eat. She loves the crispy skin (who doesn’t) and juicy tender chicken that results from cooking in the air fryer.
When you cook from frozen, there’s a small extra step. You’ll want to add your frozen chicken to the air fryer and cook on the lowest temperature for 10-15 minutes. This will help speed up the defrosting process – it’s kind of like hitting “defrost” in the microwave. The lowest temperature my air fryer will go to is 300°F. Some air fryers will go lower than that. If possible, I recommend 200°F and defrosting the chicken for 10-15 minutes. Once that step is done you can season your chicken and cook at a higher temperature.
How Long Should You Cook A Whole Chicken In Air Fryer?
COOKING A FROZEN WHOLE CHICKEN: If your chicken is completely frozen, you will have to defrost the chicken first. This process will take 10-15 minutes using a lower temperature of 200-300°F depending on how low your air fryer can go. After the defrost step, it will take 50-60 minutes for the chicken to cook at 350°F.
COOKING A THAWED WHOLE CHICKEN: If your chicken is thawed, it will take 50-60 minutes at 350°F for the chicken to fully cook.
Air Fryer Chicken Ingredients
- WHOLE CHICKEN – If your chicken is frozen, you’ll have to thaw it first in the air fryer. After that, make sure to remove any giblets before fully cooking the chicken.
- SPICES – To make the spice rub you’ll need salt, ground pepper, paprika, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried basil and chili powder.
- COOKING OIL – I used avocado oil for this recipe which has a high smoke point and can be used in cooking. You can also use coconut oil, or any cooking oil you have already at home.
Air Fryers
Guys, I LOVE my air fryer. I have the Ninja Foodi Deluxe – it’s an all-in-one that allows me to use it as an air fryer, instant pot, sear, slow cook, steam, and bake food. The options are truly endless with this tool and it is absolutely our favorite way to cook our chicken, no matter what cut it is.
If you haven’t purchased an air fryer yet, I highly recommend checking out the Ninja Foodi Deluxe. I love that it replaces multiple tools which saves space, saves time and saves added clean up in my kitchen.
How To Cook Air Fryer Whole Roasted Chicken (From Frozen):
You can get the crispiest results from cooking a whole roasted chicken in the air fryer. Everything including prep time and cook time will take an hour.
- DEFROST THE CHICKEN: Add the frozen chicken to the air fryer and cook on the lowest temperature that your air fryer will allow. Mine cooks at 300°F. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove the chicken and discard of any giblets inside.
- SEASON THE CHICKEN: In a large bowl, mix together the spice rub: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Drizzle cooking oil over the whole chicken then sprinkle on the spice mix. Use your hands to rub the spice into the skin until it’s fully coated.
- COOK THE CHICKEN: Add the whole chicken back to the air fryer with breast side facing down. Cook for 20 minutes, then flip the chicken over. With breast side facing up, cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Tips For Perfect Crispy Air Fryer Chicken:
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before adding the cooking oil and spice rub. This will remove any excess moisture.
- Always flip the chicken halfway through cooking to get an even crispiness. Start with breast side down.
- Check the chicken in the last couple of minutes to make sure it’s not overcooking. Every air fryer is different so it might take a little bit of practice getting used to your temperature and how it works.
- According to the USDA recommended cooking temperatures, the safest internal temperature for cooking all types of poultry products is 165°F (74°C). This is the interior temperature that the chicken will read at once removed from the heat source. You can use a food thermometer, which will be poked into the thickest part of the chicken breast to read the temperature. Once it reaches that temperature, it’s cooked.
Easy Air Fryer Recipes:
Now that you know this recipe, make sure to check out my other easy air fryer recipes!
- Air Fryer Green Beans – one of the easiest ways to cook your beans, and an easy side dish.
- Air Fryer Salmon – you can cook your salmon in an air fryer too! This recipe uses a honey mustard marinade.
- Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes – These are delicious. Honest truth: I will eat a whole bowl of these myself. Easily.
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts – These are so crunchy and remind me of kale chips. I just love them and will actually eat them as a snack! (I know that sounds a little crazy but they’re really good).
- Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks – These are crispy and one of the easiest ways to cook chicken.
- Air Fryer Crispy Potato Chips – Crunchy, traditional-style potato chips. Crisp on the outside and a little soft on the inside. My daughter loves these.
- Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings – These taste just like wings from the pub. They’re a big hit with my family.
How To Air Fry A Whole Chicken From Frozen
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil - or coconut oil, grapeseed oil etc.
Chicken Spice Rub:
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp chili powder
Instructions
- In as small bowl, combine salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried basil and chili powder. Set aside.
- Lightly coat the inside of the air fryer tray or basket with non stick cooking spray.
- Place whole frozen chicken in the air fryer and cook at 300°F for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from air fryer and discard the giblets (if any). Place on a plate and pat the chicken dry with paper towel.
- Drizzle 2 Tbsp of cooking oil over the chicken. Sprinkle the spice mix over the entire chicken on both sides. Use your hands to rub it in to all of the skin.
- Turn the air fryer temperature up to 350°F. Place the whole chicken back into the air fryer breast side down. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Flip the chicken so that it is breast side up. Cook an additional 30 minutes.
- Check the chicken temperature. The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 165°F as an internal temperature when poked with a meat thermometer. If needed, cook an additonal 10 minutes then check with thermometer again.
- Let chicken cool then remove and add to a cutting board to slice up and serve. Serve with your favorite side dish or my air fryer brussels sprouts.
