Air Fryer Roast Chicken with Rosemary-Orange Sauce

5.0
(2)
2 Reviews

A citrus and herb dry brine gives this whole chicken flavor and helps produces the crispiest skin in the air fryer.

By
Julia Levy
Portrait of Julia Levy
Julia Levy
Julia Levy is an eater, maker and dabbler in all things food. With nearly a decade of work experience, over 1,000 recipes tested, hundreds of recipes developed and just as many articles published, she has become a veritable resource for all your food questions. Her work has appeared in Cooking Light, MyRecipes, Southern Living, Real Simple, Fine Cooking and other publications and websites.
Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Published on May 1, 2024
Tested by
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Portrait of Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tested by Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman
Tricia is a recipe developer and tester for Dotdash Meredith with a focus on baking and pastry as well as a passion for all things food-related. She has developed over 1,200 recipes, which have appeared both in magazines, online, and in cookbooks alike. She is a former Baking and Pastry Editor with experience in food styling, video production, and crafting culinary curriculum for more than a dozen culinary and lifestyle brands.
Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Air Fryer Whole Roast Chicken
Photo:

Food & Wine / Photo by Stacy Allen / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Tucker Vines
Active Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
9 hrs 50 mins
Servings:
4

There are many ways to roast a chicken, but we’ll argue that this air-fried chicken is among the best. Thanks to a dry brine of citrus zest, herbs, and salt, the chicken skin gets crispy from the air fryer but stays moist thanks to the lemons and oranges inside the cavity. Using the air fryer frees up your regular oven and keeps your kitchen cool on a hot day, and as a bonus, the chicken cooks in only 45 minutes. That’s just enough time to set the table, pour the wine and still make a gravy from the drippings while the chicken rests. 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why does chicken cook faster in the air fryer?

    Compared to a regular large oven, chicken cooks quite efficiently in the air fryer thanks to its smaller size. Typically, you'll shave off about 30 to 40 percent of the cooking time by using an air fryer. This is thanks to its compact size, which allows hot air to circulate more rapidly.

  • Why didn’t my chicken get crispy in the air fryer?

    It’s too wet! The dry-brining process in this recipe allows for the skin to dry out, which will prevent mushy skin. While you can pat the skin dry, rubbing with salt pulls the moisture out even more, leaving a surface that crisps up perfectly.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

The chicken is air fried upside down first and then flipped right side up, so that both sides get crispy and golden. It’s a clutch method and works beautifully. Don’t skip this step!

Note that air fryers vary slightly per model, so you may need to adjust slightly depending on yours. Some may brown more than others. Some may take a bit more or less time, also depending on the size of your bird. 

Make ahead

The chicken can be dry brined for up to 48 hours so don’t worry if you started the brining process and then plans came up to go out to dinner with friends. Your chicken will be fine!

Leftover roasted chicken can be shredded and put into soups or salads.

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Ingredients

  • 2 medium lemons

  • 2 medium oranges

  • 1 tablespoon crushed fennel seed

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 1 (3 1/2- to 4 1/4-pound) whole fryer chicken, giblets and neck removed, and excess skin trimmed

  • 5 medium-size garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

  • 3 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish

  • 2 rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, divided, plus more sprigs for garnish 

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons dry sherry (such as Amontillado)

  • 2/3 cup chicken broth

  • 1 tablespoon orange marmalade

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

  1. Zest lemons using a Microplane grater to yield 2 packed teaspoons zest. Zest oranges using a Microplane grater to yield 2 teaspoons zest. Reserve lemons and oranges for later use. Stir together lemon and orange zests, fennel seed, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

  2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Gently loosen chicken skin on breasts, legs, and thighs. Rub half of salt mixture under skin. Rub remaining half of salt mixture all over outside of chicken.

  3. Cut lemons and oranges into quarters. Stuff 2 lemon quarters and 1 orange quarter inside chicken cavity with smashed garlic, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs. Reserve remaining lemon and orange quarters in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to use. Refrigerate chicken uncovered for at least 8 and up to 48 hours.

  4. Remove chicken from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat air fryer to 360°F for 5 minutes.

  5. Brush chicken skin all over with oil. Place chicken, breast side down, in preheated air fryer. Cook at 360°F until skin is golden and crisp, about 30 minutes.

  6. Carefully flip chicken, breast side up with legs pointed toward back of air fryer; continue cooking at 360°F until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of thigh and breast registers at least 160°F, 15 to 20 minutes.

  7. Remove chicken from air fryer basket, and transfer to a cutting board. Let chicken rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. (Temperature will continue to rise to 165°F.) Reserve drippings in air fryer basket.

  8. While chicken rests, heat sherry in a medium skillet over medium-high until reduced to 1 tablespoon, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, reserved chicken drippings, orange marmalade, and chopped rosemary; bring to a boil over medium-high. Continue to cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Juice reserved lemon quarters to yield 1 tablespoon fresh juice; stir lemon juice into sauce.

  9. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each piece after the previous has melted. Season sauce to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve sauce alongside carved chicken. Garnish with additional thyme and rosemary sprigs. Use remaining lemon and orange quarters for garnish, or reserve for another use.

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