Juicy and Flavourful: The Easiest Air Fryer Roast Chicken Recipe You’ll Ever Make!

This Air Fryer Roast Chicken has become one of my FAVOURITE GO-TO dishes! If you’re looking for an effortless, healthy way to make delicious roast chicken, then this is IT. Using just an air fryer, and very minimal ingredients, this is a quick recipe that is perfect perfect for busy weeknights… or when you want an easy dish that will impress guests! I served this to guests before and, no one even realised I had this cooking in the air fryer because I was actively hosting. In this recipe, we’ll show you how to make a juicy and flavourful roast chicken that’s sure to please your taste buds.

Why you will LOVE this Air Fryer Roast Chicken recipe?

There are several reasons why people will love this Air Fryer Roast Chicken recipe:

It’s JUICY AND MOIST: This recipe involves brining the chicken beforehand for a juicy and moist chicken!
It’s EASY to make: With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or when you’re short on time.
It’s HEALTHIER: Air frying allows you to cook your chicken with little to no oil, which means you can enjoy a delicious and crispy roast chicken without the added fat and calories of traditional roasting methods.
It’s SO FLAVOURFUL: The combination of olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper creates a delicious and savory flavor that will leave you wanting more.
It’s VERSATILE: You can easily customise this recipe by using different herbs and spices.
It’s perfect for meal prep: This recipe yields a whole chicken, which means you can enjoy leftovers throughout the week or use it as a base for other dishes.

Why Brine the Chicken first?

I wholeheartedly believe the secret to good Air Fryer Roast Chicken is to brine it! Brining chicken before cooking is a process of soaking the chicken in a saltwater solution to improve the taste and texture of the meat. There are several benefits of brining chicken before cooking:

Moisture retention: Brining allows the chicken to absorb moisture, which helps to keep the meat tender and juicy during cooking. This is especially important for lean cuts of chicken that can become dry and tough when cooked.
Enhanced flavour: There’s nothing worse than tasteless chicken. The salt in the brine is going to enhance the flavour of the chicken by penetrating the meat and seasoning it from the inside out. Brining also provides an opportunity to add additional flavours by including herbs, spices, and other aromatics in the brine.
Even cooking: Brining can help to promote even cooking of the chicken by increasing the moisture content throughout the meat. This can help to prevent dry spots and ensure that the chicken cooks evenly.
Reduced cooking time: Since brined chicken retains more moisture, it tends to cook faster than non-brined chicken. This can help to reduce the cooking time and ensure that the chicken is cooked through without becoming overcooked and dry.

How to Brine Chicken?

Brining a chicken is as easy as preparing the brine solution, and soaking the chicken in for a period of time.

What you need:

Whole Chicken: Griller chickens that are cleaned and ready to be cooked.
Salt: I recommend using natural salts such as kosher salt or himalayan pink salt, and not table salt. These are bigger particles of salt that will minimise any oversalting of the chicken.
Water: The general ratio of salt to water is 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon of salt.
A food-safe container or pot big enough to fit the chicken
A lid or heavy plate to keep chicken submerged.

Instructions:

In a large pot or container, combine the water and salt. Stir until the salt dissolves. You can use warm water to properly dissolve the salt, but make sure the brine solution is completely cool before adding the chicken in. Adjust the amount of water and salt required according to the size of your container, as opposed to the size of the chicken.
Rinse the chicken with cold water and place it in the brine, breast side down.
Make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the brine. You can use a heavy plate or lid to weigh it down.
Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, or up to 24 hours. It is not recommended to marinade longer than this, as it might over salt the chicken.
After brining, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cold water to remove any excess salt.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

If you want to get fancier, you can add other elements to your brine such as thyme, garlic and black peppercorns. Heat the ingredients together with the brine solution to infuse the flavours, and let it cool down completely (important!) before brining the chicken.

How to Make Air Fryer Roast Chicken

1. Make the Brine and Brine Chicken

Make a simple brine in your brining container or pot by dissolving salt in water. Then give chicken a rinse and fully submerge in the brine. Cover with a lid or a plate to ensure chicken stays submerged. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, or overnight. Do not leave it in for longer to prevent over-salting.

2. Prepare Chicken

Once chicken has brined, take it out of the refrigerator. Remove chicken from brine and give a rinse under water to remove any excess salt. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.

3. Season Chicken

Preheat the Air Fryer at 200°C/400°F for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients together for your seasoning and keep it to one side. You can even just do a salt and pepper coating and it can work!

Spray or brush chicken with oil. Alternatively you can also add oil to the seasoning powder mix to create a paste. I prefer the spray or brush method because I can use just the right amount of oil needed to make the seasoning stick.

Add seasoning and coat chicken liberally on both sides.

4. Air Fry Chicken

Place coated chicken on the rack, chicken breast side down. Air fry for 40 to 45 minutes, at 180°C/350°F for 40 to 45 minutes. The timing may depend on air fryer and your chicken size, but this is a good indication to start from. The chicken used in this recipe is rather small at 1kg, but it’s the perfect size for my air fryer. I use the Kyvol Epichef Air Fryer. This is a similar air fryer that I recommend!

At the halfway mark, flip the chicken over for an even cook.

5. Remove Chicken from Air Fryer and LET REST

Check that chicken is cooked through, by poking a meat thermometer at the thickest part and check that the internal temperature is 73°C/165°F.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, before serving. This is essential to retain as much moisture in the chicken post-air fry! Option to cover the chicken with aluminium foil, so moisture does not escape and chicken stays moist – but I find this step unnecessary as long as you do not air fry for too long.

Carve and serve.

Seasoning Spice Combos to Try for Air Fryer Roast Chicken

There are many spice mix combinations that can be used to flavour roast chicken. Here are a few ideas:

‘Ayam Goreng’ Spice Mix: Combine salt, pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garlic powder and onion powder.
Smoky Paprika: Combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
Five-Spice: Combine salt and pepper, garlic powder and Chinese five-spice powder.
Curry: Combine curry powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and chilli powder.
Spicy Cajun: Combine cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.

With these spice mix combinations, you can either by rubbing the mixture directly onto the chicken or by sprinkling it over the chicken after coating it with oil or butter. I highly recommend experimenting with different combinations to find your favourite flavours! No spices at home? Just salt and pepper it!

What to Serve Air Fryer Roast Chicken With?

There are so many sides that you can serve this Air Fryer Roast Chicken with! These are some ideas:

Roasted vegetables: Make this a full air fryer-only meal by roasting your vegetables in the air fryer! While your chicken rests, toss in your veggies and let them roast. My roast vegetables of choice are broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and bell peppers. Cut to bite-sized pieces, toss them in some olive oil and salt and pepper, and air fry at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes.
Rice: How about a side of easy Garlic Butter Shrimp Fried Rice?
Pasta: While chicken is air frying, whip up easy pasta dishes to go with the chicken! Try this rice cooker mac & cheese, one-pot spaghetti and meatballs, shrimp rose pasta, or one-pan cheeseburger pasta.

If you’re up for it, serve it with some spicy, tangy Nam Jim Jaew dipping sauce!

Have leftovers? I like to peel any leftover meat and use that as my protein for sandwiches, salad toppings or my go-to: in fried rice and fried noodles. Save the roast chicken bones and carcass too; you can make a mean chicken stock out of them.

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