Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken is a super easy method for making a delicious rotisserie-style chicken at home. A delicious spice rub makes this the best air fryer chicken ever!
“Comes out perfect every time!”
Recipe Overview
The Ninja Foodi is one of the most popular air fryers, and one of our favorites. It’s large size allows you to cook more food and larger meals for the whole family. Plus, this machine is both an air fryer and a pressure cooker in one, making it super useful.
This recipe for a whole chicken in the Ninja Foodi only uses the air frying function of the machine, so it’s very straightforward.
Easily cook a whole chicken in your Ninja Foodi. Serve it for dinner, or use it for soups, casseroles, sandwiches, or meal prep.
Be sure to check out all of our Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Recipes!
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken – Choose a 3 to 5 pound chicken. Make sure the chicken is fully thawed and that you’ve removed anything that may be in the cavity, like the little bag of giblets.
- Olive Oil – This acts as a glue to stick all of the herbs and spices to the chicken and helps to brown the skin.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright acidity.
- Dried Parsley – Parsley is one of my favorite herbs to use with chicken. It’s light and fresh.
- Dried Basil – Lots of herby flavor comes from a bit of dried basil. Feel free to use Italian Seasoning or another dried herb like Thyme or Rosemary instead.
- Red Pepper Flakes – This dry rub ingredient brings a little bit of heat to the party.
- Salt – Chicken needs to be seasoned. I like to use sea salt in dry rubs like this one.
- Pepper – Freshly ground pepper is a must.
- Garlic Powder – I love garlic on just about anything. With chicken, it’s a warm and savory seasoning.
- Onion Powder – The flavor of roasted onions, without the hassle of cooking any.
Steps to Make
- Rub the chicken with olive oil and lemon juice, making sure that the entire chicken is covered.
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients to create a spice mix. Then sprinkle half of the spice mix over the top of your chicken. Flip it over and sprinkle the rest on the bottom of the chicken. Press gently to make sure the seasonings stick well.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer, breast side up and air fry for 30 minutes at 350°F/177°C.
- Half way through cooking time, carefully flip the chicken over and continue cooking, until the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked to 165°.
How to serve
Create a delicious homemade dinner with this chicken, some dressed up Air Fryer Baked Potatoes and a side of steamed veggies.
Shred this chicken and use the meat to make Air Fryer Burritos or Air Fryer Quesadillas.
Add leftover chicken to a garden salad, topped with Air Fryer Croutons.
FAQs
You can fit up to a five pound whole chicken in a 6.5 quart Ninja Foodi. The larger Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL model should fit up to a six pound chicken.
Your experience may vary, but just be certain that you can fit the entire chicken in the crisper basket, and no part of the chicken is touching the heating element.
I was just barely able to fit a five pound chicken in my 5.6 quart Foodi Pro. If the Foodi won’t close with the chicken in the basket, you can try placing it on the trivet that comes with your machine. Doing this will give you a little more space to work with.
Putting the chicken directly on the bottom of the pot can cause it to stick, so be sure to use the trivet.
You might also consider skipping the whole chicken and making Ninja Foodi Chicken Thighs or Foodi Chicken Breasts instead.
Store leftover air fryer chicken in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Because chicken is just so versatile, almost any seasonings will work! Try Lemon Pepper seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or any specialty spice rub that you have.
Of course you can! See my Air Fryer Whole Chicken post for all of the details. Remember that all air fryers cook a bit differently, so be sure to check your food often and adjust where needed.
More air fryer recipes
Need dinner ready fast? Air Fryer Steak Bites cook up perfectly in under 10 minutes.
Air Fryer Meatloaf is always a crowd-pleaser with a side of mashed potatoes!
Another favorite, especially if the whole family is at the table, is this Air Fryer Pork Loin Roast. Or grab the recipe for Pork Roast in the Ninja Foodi.
Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta isn’t an air fryer meal, but it is a one-pot pasta meal, and I’m all about less dishes!
Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken 3-5 lbs.
- 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp. Lemon juice
- 1/4 tbsp. Dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 tbsp. Dried basil flakes
- 1/4 tbsp. Red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tbsp. Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with olive oil and lemon juice, making sure that the entire chicken is covered.
- Combine all of the remaining ingredients to create a spice mix. Sprinkle half of the spice mix over the top of your chicken, then flip it over and sprinkle the rest on the bottom of the chicken. Press gently to make sure the seasonings stick well.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer, breast side up and air fry for 30 minutes at 350°F/177°C.
- Half way through cooking time, carefully flip the chicken over and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and fully cooked to 165°F/74°C.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh parsley and lemon.
Notes
- Don’t attempt to cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds in the Ninja Foodi. Make sure that your chicken fits all the way in the basket and is not touching the heating element.
- It is important to make sure that the chicken cavity is empty before cooking. Take out the giblet package and discard or save for another day.
- Lemon adds a special and delicious tangy flavor to this recipe. Use lemon slices as plate garnishes.
- Use fresh herbs in place of the dried ones if you have them.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
This recipe worked perfectly for a 3.5lb chicken! browned skin, juicy chicken… I’ll be making this a LOT!
Comes out perfect every time!
SO glad you enjoyed it!