This Ninja Foodi whole chicken recipe is the easiest way to roast a whole chicken with juicy meat and crispy skin. If you want a rotisserie-style chicken for dinner, this recipe is all you need. The whole family will fall in love with the juicy, tender meat!
❤️ Why you'll love it
Make your own whole rotisserie chicken in the air fryer instead of buying it from your local grocery store! It tastes so much fresher than the storebought rotisserie chickens, and the moist chicken is incredibly tender and flavorful.
You can even have this delicious roast chicken during the holidays if you don't want to roast a whole turkey or you just want something different. It might look daunting, but it's really super easy to make.
🥘 Equipment Used
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To make this easy chicken recipe, you'll need a Ninja Foodi grill, cooking twine, and an instant read thermometer.
If you're not familiar, the ninja foodi is a multi-purpose appliance you can use to air fry, roast, bake, grill, and dehydrate. It cooks food in a fraction of the time and does so without any monitoring needed. All you have to do is throw all the ingredients in, set the timer as required, press start, and let it do all the work. Easy peasy!
Note: The ninja foodi grill is not the same as the ninja foodi pressure cooker, which has a pressure cooker function with a crisping lid. I have used different kitchen gadgets in the past, and I think the air fryer or ninja foodi grill is the best way to prepare a whole roast chicken. I also use it for my turkey breast, and it comes out amazingly juicy and flavorful!
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Whole chicken: You can get a whole chicken from your grocery store. If you want it really fresh, you can also get it from your local farmer's market. I'm using a 2.5lb whole chicken for this recipe, but you can use any size you want. Just be sure it fits into your air fryer.
- Chicken seasoning: My homemade chicken seasoning is one of the best dry rubs to season chicken dishes, especially this delicious rotisserie-style chicken. It stores very well and is made using everyday spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. You can always use your favorite seasonings instead.
- Olive oil: You can use any oil of your choice instead or use an oil spray instead.
🔪 How To Make Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken
- Wash the whole chicken properly under running tap water and then pat it completely dry using enough paper towels. I recommend removing as much water from the chicken as you can so that the skin comes out deliciously crispy.
- Preheat the ninja foodi air fryer to 360F. Spray the chicken with a little oil. Then rub the chicken seasoning all over the chicken, making sure to rub inside of the chicken, too.
- Tie the chicken legs together using kitchen twine (butcher's twine) to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Place chicken in the air fryer, with the chicken breast side down. Close the lid and set it to air fry for 30 minutes.
- After that, open the lid again, gently flip the chicken to breast-side-up, and then air fry for another 30 minutes. Check the chicken using a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F.
- Let the air fryer whole chicken rest for about five to ten minutes before cutting into it.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
Store this ninja foodi roast chicken in the fridge by wrapping it in plastic wrap and placing it in a pan to catch the drippings. To store individual pieces, cut the chicken into smaller parts, then refrigerate the it in an airtight container for 3-4 days. For longer storage, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and freeze them in a freezer-safe container.
To reheat, thaw the frozen leftover chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Then, place the chicken in the air fryer and set the temp to 350F. Air fry for about 5 minutes until it is warmed through.
💭 Tips and Variations
- To make sure the dry rub gets all over the chicken, gently slide your fingers between the skin and flesh. While being careful not to break the skin, rub the spice mix in there too. Concentrate on the chicken breast and other fleshy areas. Don't forget to liberally rub the seasoning inside the cavity of the chicken.
- I used a 4-quart ninja foodi air fryer, and this was the perfect size for a 2.5 lb chicken just fine. You will need a larger air fryer if your chicken is bigger than that.
- You can leave your chicken a few minutes longer if you want very crispy chicken skin.
- Feel free to stuff the chicken with garlic cloves or fresh herbs for even more flavor.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
Enjoy this Ninja Foodi rotisserie chicken with your favorite side dish like this Instant Pot asparagus, air fryer broccoli, sauteed green beans, or roasted turmeric cauliflower. Chicken is so versatile; it goes wonderfully with anything you pair it with. This delicious chicken is excellent for meal prep and is a great alternative to turkey for the holidays. Leftover rotisserie chicken is great in salads, or you can use it to make chicken stew.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can fit a whole chicken in a Ninja Air Fryer. However, you should first make sure that your air fryer basket is large enough to accommodate the size of chicken you want.
From start to finish, this Ninja Foodi chicken takes about 60 minutes in the air fryer. I like to cook it for 30 minutes with the breast-side down, then flip it to crisp the skin before serving.
Although there are many ways to cook a whole chicken, I prefer to use the Ninja Foodi. It's an incredibly useful tool and is perfect for cooking a juicy chicken (with crispy skin) with almost no effort. Just oil and season your chicken with my homemade poultry rub, then roast the chicken for about an hour in the Ninja Foodi for perfect results every time.
📚 Related Recipes
Check out these other delicious recipes!
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
📖 Recipe
Ninja Foodi Whole Chicken (Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb whole chicken
- 3 tablespoon chicken seasoning
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Wash the whole chicken properly under running tap water and then pat it dry.
- Preheat the ninja foodi air fryer to 360F.
- Spray the chicken with a little oil. Then rub the chicken seasoning all over the chicken, making sure to rub the insides of the chicken too.
- Tie the chicken legs together using kitchen twine (butcher's twine) to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Place chicken in the air fryer, with the chicken breast side down.
- Close the lid and set it to air fry for 30 minutes.
- After that, open the lid again, gently flip the chicken to breast-side-up, and then air fry for another 30 minutes.
- Check the chicken using a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Let the air fryer whole chicken rest for about five to ten minutes before cutting into it.
Notes
- To make sure the dry rub gets all over the chicken, gently slide your fingers between the skin and flesh. While being careful not to break the skin, rub the spice mix in there too. Concentrate on the chicken breast and other fleshy areas. Don't forget to liberally rub the seasoning inside the cavity of the chicken.
- I used a 4-quart ninja foodi air fryer, and this was the perfect size for a 2.5 lb chicken just fine. You will need a larger air fryer if your chicken is bigger than that.
- You can leave your chicken a few minutes longer if you want very crispy chicken skin.
I going to try it out for the first time, can you add veggies to
Yes you can but it should probably be added when the chicken is already ready so it doesn't burn.
the chicken came out amazing
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Good afternoon got ninja 11 in 1 multi slide is it possible to use your recipe?
am new to air fryers.
I'm not sure of the space inside but it should work as long as you chicken fits in it.
I am planning to use your recipe. It’s sounds wonderful and I just received an 8 quart Ninja Foodi for Christmas! My chicken is about 6 lbs. I am thinking I will have to cook it a while longer and turn it more often, maybe even baste it a bit during the cooking time? Thank you!
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This will be my second time using this recipe, the first was amazing, so juicy and tender and the rub was perfect!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Barb. It's a winner, for sure!
Husband said this was the best chicken ever. Couldn’t take credit, given how simple it was! Chicken was falling off the bone - super juicy and crispy skin. I highly recommend this recipe as a family staple.
I am so glad to hear your family enjoyed this recipe!
I live this recipe. My chicken was perfectly cooked!
I'm glad to hear that, DeVonda!