Learn how to roast a whole chicken in your Ninja air fryer. Delicious flavour combination of zesty lemon with herbaceous seasoning. A Juicy chicken dinner that's so easy to prepare and just a good as restaurant quality.

Overhead shot of the roasted chicken on a plate.

There's something irresistible about lemon flavoured chicken and cooking it in the air fryer, really take things up a notch.

What is it that drives the nation into a complete frenzy about using the air fryer for almost anything, because you can cook a plethora of things in it.

I've been through a ton of air fryers since they came on the scene, but my Ninja Foodi Flexdrawer is by far my favourite air fryer that I have owned.

The capacity is HUGE, the drawer is large with a divider so you have the option to cook two different things and take advantage of it's multi functions (air fry crisp, air fry, dehydrate, roast, bake).

I love cooking vegetables and meat in my air fryer and I have already christened it with a chicken dinner but this time I am sharing this recipe with you.

While I am slightly late on the roasting a whole chicken in your air fryer band wagon, better to be late than never at all.

This chicken recipe is everything you could have dreamed of, juicy, crispy, succulent chicken made in the air fryer.

Having a large capacity unit makes anything possible, I bet you didn't think you could roast a whole chicken in your air fryer? I thought it was impossible too!

But you can, I promise it's not one of those over complicated chicken recipes, instead it is relatively straight forward.

Ingredients you need

Whole chicken - I'm using a whole chicken, I used quite a large bird which I believe was around 4lbs/4.4kg. This should fit into your air fryer seemingly with no problems.
Olive oil/dairy butter - both are used (one for underneath the skin and the other for the outside, they help with crisping up the chicken.
Lemon pepper seasoning - I used my homemade lemon pepper seasoning to add some mild citrus flavour.
Rosemary& pink salt - for a herbaceous flavour and to enhance the taste.
Lemon juice - for more lemon flavour.
Cavity stuffing - onion, sprigs of rosemary and lemon (self explanatory).

Reasons to make this recipe

Perfect for those who have a large capacity air fryer and want to use it for a whole chicken recipe.
You have complete control over what ingredients are being added.
Lean amounts of protein which will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Moderate/low levels of carbohydrates.
You can freeze any leftovers or refrigerate them for the next day.
Purchasing a whole chicken is cheaper than buying wings, legs and thighs separate.
You don't have to depend on store bought chicken when you can make it yourself (bespoke) at home.

Recipe preparation

Let's briefly discuss how to prepare this chicken dinner. The first thing I do is wash and the chicken, if it's a whole chicken I singe the hairs and clean out the cavity too.

This is a cultural practice that I always adhere to no matter what recipe I'm making.

If you want the chicken to be extra juicy then adding an extra step to brine the chicken is highly recommended.

I used this brining technique when I made this turkey crown recipe using my slow cooker.

If you decide to opt for brining the chicken first you will have to add an additional day onto the recipe because it takes several hours to brine, but this an optional step to optimise the juiciness.

Have your seasoning to hand, for this recipe I'm using my homemade lemon pepper seasoning with added pink salt and rosemary.

You will want to mix the olive oil, lemon juice and melted butter in separate bowls then combine with the dry seasoning to form a loose paste.

Once I have done that I generously coat under the skin first with the melted butter mix, using a pastry brush then follow up with the olive oil mix coating the rest of the chicken.

Be generous with the seasoning, don't use it sparingly use it all to guarantee flavoursome chicken with a crispy exterior.

I also like to add some a few sprigs of rosemary, lemon halves and onion halves to the cavity before tying the legs together with some twine.

The size of the chicken I'm using is about 4lbs which fits perfectly into my Ninja, if you choose to deviate from this size then the cooking time will vary.

It takes about an hour to roast the chicken, I place the chicken into the huge drawer, breast side up and roast for 45 minutes, so that the top side is nice and juicy and seasoning doesn't rub off.

Then carefully flip the chicken over and cook for another 15 minutes.

The most important thing is that that internal temperature of the chicken should be 165F.

You can use an instant read thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the chicken and of course the exterior should be crispy and golden.

Any drippings that collect at the bottom of the drawer can be used to baste the chicken.

The steps

Steps 1-6 Mixing the dry and we ingredients together

Preheat the air fryer.
Combine the lemon pepper seasoning, rosemary and pink salt in one bowl and mix.
Place the melted butter in one bowl and the olive oil in another bowl.
Divide the lemon juice equally between both bowls.
Divide the dry seasoning into equal parts in the bowl with the melted butter and bowl with the olive oil and mix.
Place the cleaned chicken on a large flat surface like a chopping board or large plate works too, as it is easier to season the meat.

Steps 7-10 stuffing the cavity and coating the chicken with the seasoning

Use a large spoon (upside down) to open up underneath the skin.
Place the lemon, rosemary sprigs and onion inside the cavity of the chicken.
Use some twine to tie together the legs together (downwards).
Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter mix underneath the skin (you can tilt the chicken vertically to pour in excess butter mixture into the open pockets.

Generously coat the outside of the entire chicken with the olive oil mix.
Carefully transfer the chicken (breast side down) into the basket.
Turn the dial to "roast" , select, 180C/356F for 60 minutes, "megazone" .
Roast the chicken for 45 minutes then turn the chicken over (breast side up) and continue for a further 15 minutes (until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F/74C) and the juices run clear, use a thermometer, if needed to check this).
Once cooked, you can collect the drippings from underneath the basket and reserve to baste the chicken.
Serve accordingly.

Notes and tips

Use a thermometer if needed, insert into the thickest part of the chicken (the breast) to determine the readiness of the meat, it should be 165F/74C.
This is the link for my Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may want to adjust the size of your whole chicken, mine was around 4lb.
You can use another type of Ninja air fryer with the roasting ability, if you want to.
Make sure to mix the olive oil/lemon juice/dairy free butter together with the dry ingredients before coating the chicken.
Any leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months or stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
For added flavour, make sure to season underneath the skin, I use a large spoon, upside down to push it underneath the skin to open a pocket without tearing the skin which makes it easier to insert the pastry brush to season.
Save the carcass! You can make chicken stock with the bones, don't throw it away!
If you want to clean the chicken, the island way, then check out this link.

More chicken recipes to try

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