Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by River Tree Farms
An air fryer for chicken is one of the most delicious meals ever cooked in an air fryer. Compared to the traditional deep frying, you will air-fry your chicken with very little or no oil and get it extra crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside chicken.
Can an air fryer fit in a whole chicken? Yes! You can cook your whole chicken in an air fryer, and the result is evenly cooked crispy chicken. How, then do you choose the best Air Fryer for Whole chicken?
This write-up is about the best air fryer you can ever use for your chicken. You will get all the information you require to choose wisely and enjoy your chicken meal forever.
Comparison Table
| Brand/Model | Material | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| NUWAVE Brio Air Fryer | Stainless Steel | 15.5 Quarts |
| Soing Family Size 17QT Air Fryer Oven | Plastic | 17 Quarts |
| GoWISE USA GW44800 Deluxe | Stainless Steel, Plastic | 12.7 Quarts |
| Ultrean 12.5 Quart Toaster Oven Air Fryer | Stainless Steel | 12.5 Quarts |
| Uten 1700W High-power Air Fryer | Non-Stick | 6.9 Quarts |
| NutriChef 13 Quart 1200W Air Fryer | Stainless Steel | 13 Quarts |
What size air fryer do you need to cook a whole chicken?
When we talk about a whole chicken, we must consider the chicken’s weight before determining which size of an air fryer it will fit. Chicken mostly ranges from 3 lbs to 5 lbs. Therefore, the size of an air fryer that would provide a whole chicken is the basket air fryer, with a capacity between 5 quarts to 15 quarts.
The basket air fryer should fit a whole chicken and at least leave some small space so that your chicken will cook evenly, and you also have some room to flip your chicken.
The 6 best air fryers for whole chicken:
#1) NUWAVE Brio Air Fryer 15.5-Qt X-Large Family Size Smart Oven
Top Features
- 15.5 Quart
- Rotisserie grill combo
- Non-Stick trays
- Stainless steel
- Digital Control
- Linear Thermal Technology
Product Description Â
nuwave Brio Air Fryer Smart Oven is an extra-large (15.5) air fryer with multiple functions. It is a quick, convenient, and easy-to-use air fryer that will grill your chicken just as you want it to be. What makes NUWAVE Brio Air Fryer Smart Oven a good air fryer for a whole chicken?
It has 100 pre-programmed menus presets that will allow you to choose the best way you want to cook your chicken. This cooking presets include Baking, broiling, roasting, reheating, dehydrating, defrosting, toasting, air frying, and grilling. After you prepare your chicken in your favorite recipe, you can save it in the appliance as it also has 50 memory slots for easier cooking next time.
It has digital controls to control your cooking process. for example, The Integrated Digital Temperature Probe internally monitors the temperatures and automatically shuts off when the desired temperature is achieved, preventing overcooking of your food. You can also adjust your temperatures on the Fly.
Another essential feature is the Carryover cooking mode which ensures your chicken doesn’t overcook in the resting phase. You can change the temperatures as you wish from 50 degrees F to 425 degrees, controlled by Linear Thermal Technology which maintains the set temperature throughout the cooking process.
You will prepare healthy, less oily food with this air fryer, which uses superheated air to evenly cook your chicken, resulting in a super crispy, juicy chicken.
#2) Soing Family Size 17QT Air Fryer Oven (Cookbook Included)
Top Features   Â
- 17 Quart
- Eight preset cooking options
- ETL Certified
- 8 included accessories
- Auto shut-off
Product Description
Swing Air Fryer Oven is a large-capacity oven that fits a whole chicken and even other recipes. The air fryer is spacious enough to rotate your chicken 360 degrees in the cooking process. Thanks to the pull-down door and a large window, you use to monitor your chicken in the cooking process without interfering with it. It also has an internal light that lets you see the cooking process. Cooking is also made easy with this air fryer’s professionally prepared recipes.
This air fryer comes with eight preset functions controlled by a one-touch screen allowing you to control the time and temperatures. Its versatility is outstanding, as you can air fry, roast, reheat and even dehydrate. You can, therefore, roast your chicken and experience a great-tasting crispy chicken.
Your chicken will be 85% less oil using superheated air, and the drip tray will catch any excess fat. Therefore, you will have a very healthy chicken prepared in BPA and PFOA-free cooking trays and an ETL-certified air fryer.
The automatic shut-off prevents overcooking of the food by automatically going off when the desired temperatures and cooking time are achieved. Therefore, you will use a fast, healthy, and safe air fryer if you choose Swing Air Fryer Oven for your whole chicken.
#3) GoWISE USA GW44800 Deluxe 12.7-Quarts Electric Air Fryer
Top Features
- 12.7 Quarts
- Ten included accessories
- 15 preset cooking function
- Non-stick pans
- Stainless steel material
Product Description
GoWISE USA GW44800 Electric Air Fryer is one of the best air fryers for whole chicken for its large capacity yet compact to occupy small counter space. It is a fast, efficient, and quick kitchen appliance with three rack levels to allow you to cook your food in stages to let your chicken’s crispiness, tenderness, and doneness.
It has an easy-to-use control display with 15 cooking presets, including a chicken plus others to fry, roast, bake, and even dehydrate. Its versatility is supported by various accessories that come with the air fryers, including a Rotisserie tong, oven rack, drip pan, skewer rotisserie, rotisserie rod, two mesh trays, and rotisserie steak cage, shallow mesh basket, and rotisserie cage.
It has a wide temperature range of 90 degrees F to 400 degrees F and 600 degrees F heating element. This allows you to choose from various recipes and almost cook anything in your air fryer. You will have healthy chicken with little to no oil as the chicken is cooked under hot air. The built-in rotisserie will prepare your whole chicken in a crispy and tender manner.
It is made of easy-to-clean stainless steel materials and has a non-stick coating on the drips. You will also experience a whole cooking experience with the GoWISE air fryer with 50 different recipes.
#4) Ultrean 12.5 Quart Toaster Oven Air Fryer
Top Features
- 12.5 Quart
- Toaster oven with rotisserie
- Eight preset cooking functions
- Eight accessories
- Auto shut-off
- Stainless steel
Product Description
Ultra Air Fryer Oven is a versatile, safe, and fast-cooking large-capacity air fryer that allows you to the rotisserie and roasts your whole chicken in the comfort of your home.
It is durably made of sturdy stainless steel material that is easy to clean. The LCD Control Buttons and Knobs are used to choose from 8 preset functions in this air fryer of chicken, shrimp, and French fries, among others. This will also allow controlling the temperature in a range of 1500 F TO 4000F and time of 1 minute to 60 minutes. It has a light inside that lets you see your chicken without interfering with the cooking process.
The overheating feature in the air fryer guarantees safety, hence the automatic shut-off. It is also safe to use since it is ETL Certified and it is compliant with the FDA in safety and health measures.
The air fryer convenience is added with accessories like a rotating basket, chicken form, drip tray, skewers rack and three dehydrating racks, rotisserie retrieval, ting, and a bonus glove. The Chicken form and the rotating basket will let you prepare your chicken like a pro considering the recipe book and user instructions manual.
#5) Uten 1700W High-power 6.9QT/6.5L Air Fryer
Top Features
- LED Digital Touch Screen
- 8-in-one preset functions
- Non-stick oven
- 6.9 quart
- Auto shut-off Auto pause
- 3600 Rapid air circulation
Product Description
Uten Air Fryer is a fairly large-capacity air fryer that uses 3600 Rapid Air Circulation to cook your whole oilless chicken or with very little oil. Your chicken will be 80% less oily and be cooked 20% faster when compared to traditional deep frying methods.
It is a very efficient, fast, and easy-to-use air fryer with eight preset functions that can be controlled using an LED Digital Touch Screen. The air fryer can grill, roast, and even bake at your convenience. You have control of the temperatures and the time you want to use it as it has adjustable temperatures and time anytime, producing a super crispy chicken on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Several features guarantee the safety of the Uten air fryer: the Auto pause feature, an auto shut-off, and thermal fuses protection. The auto pause works when the fry basket is suddenly removed from the air fryer, while the automatic shut-off prevents the overheating of the element, preventing the burning of the food. Thermal fuses generally reduce the occurrence of accidents. It also has an enclosed cooking system and is made of a highly heat-resistant material.
It is an easy-to-clean air fryer with non-stick baskets and dishwasher-safe parts. You will not go wrong with uten an air fryer for your tasty chicken and health.
#6) NutriChef 13 Quart 1200W Air Fryer
Top Features
- 13 Quarts
- Stainless steel
- Rapid Air Technology
- Auto shut-off
- See-through design
Product Description  Â
NutriChef Air Fryer is a masterpiece in the kitchen with an infrared convention and a halogen oven countertop. Its large capacity is suited to cooking a crispy and juicy chicken using the Rapid Air Technology with a very powered heating element of 1200 watts. This technology circulates hot air around your chicken for an evenly cooked and crispy chicken with more than 80% less oil than traditional deep frying.
It is a versatile kitchen appliance that can broil, roast, defrost, bake, grill, steam, and BBQ. You can adjust the temperatures and time to fit your recipe instructions while at the same time being safe due to the auto-power feature, which will prevent overheating and overcooking of your chicken. It is fast since you do not need to defrost the chicken or preheat your air fryer. You will be able to see every phase of the cooking process due to the convenient see-through 3600View glass rid without distracting the process.
It is an easy-to-clean stainless steel unit that can be washed in the dishwasher. Enjoy delicious, less oily chicken conveniently and quickly cooked.
The Best Air Fryer for Whole Chicken: Buying Guide
What do you consider when buying an air fryer for a whole chicken?
Capacity
The air fryer should at least have 5 quarts capacity and more so that you can comfortably cook your chicken to produce an evenly cooked, crispy, and juicy chicken.
Type
Considering the basket air fryer and convection oven air fryer, the convection air fryer will cook a whole chicken better since it has a pull-out tray that will give more space for your chicken.
Power
It would be best if you had an air fryer that is highly powered to heat the heating element efficiently to cook the chicken. The watts output should also be in line with the power outlet capability in the house.
Features
You need to check the features that suit the efficient cooking of the chicken. The parts should also ensure your safety and those around you. Important features to check out are :
- Temperatures and time control
- Auto-shutoff
- Auto-pause
- Ont-touch screen
- Digital display
Functionality
The air fryer should have multiple cooking functions and, most importantly preset function for cooking a whole chicken. Can the air fryer roast and grill your chicken? Does it have a rotisserie function? The air fryer should be easy to use, maintain, and clean.
Preferably it should have dishwasher-safe parts. It should have non-stick cooking trays, pans, pots, and grills to prevent the binding of your chicken. These are a must-consider buying guide for buying an air fryer for chicken.
Space
Air fryers can take up a lot of counter space, especially now that you need a large air fryer to fit a whole chicken. The area should be enough and on a flat surface for the safety of the air fryer and you.
Budget
The budget should be within your comfort as you consider which air fryer fits your whole chicken and still gives you value for your money.
How long does it take to bake chicken in an air fryer?
This highly depends on the size of the chicken and the power of the heating element of the air fryer. So, how many minutes will a whole chicken bake in an air fryer?
With a temperature of 4000 F, preheat. It will take about 50 minutes. Remember you have to flip your chicken after the breast side has baked for about 40 minutes, and then the rest can continue baking in about 10 minutes. The internal temperature should, however, be at least 1650 Â F.
Can you put a whole chicken in an air fryer?
Absolutely! You can put a whole chicken in an air fryer with these essential requirements:
- The capacity of your air fryer is above5.8 quarts
- The air fryer has the right features to support a whole chicken, like temperature and time.
- The air fryer has sufficient air circulation.
Make sure to put your whole chicken in the air fryer; it should start with the breasts down for evenly cooking.
Can you cook meat and veggies together in the air fryer?
Yes, why not? You can surely cook meat and veggies together in an air fryer as long as you put the heart in the air fryer first because vegetables take a little shorter time to cook and, therefore, would badly overcook. You will then add the vegetables when the meat is almost cooked to maintain the crispiness and avoid soggy vegetables.
Conclusion
Many people dread an air fryer chicken for its extra crispiness and juicy insides. Does the question remain whether you can have a whole chicken in your air fryer and save time and energy? Yes, we have seen it is possible with an air fryer’s correct size and capacity. Having your chicken in an air fryer means you will have a healthy oilless chicken cooked 20% faster than in the traditional deep fryers.
This article examined the six best air fryers for a whole chicken, their features, and their positive and negative sides. Therefore, getting the air fryer for an entire chicken should never be a problem for you. Go ahead and enjoy the crispiest chicken with your loved ones.