• YIELDS | 4 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 10 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 40-50 MINS

This recipe produces a golden brown chicken with a sweet and savory flavor. It is beyond moist and so easy to make. I marinate the bird in the morning, cover it, and refrigerate it until I’m ready to cook it. Bonus: using the air fryer cuts cooking time almost in half! Don’t have an air fryer? No problem! See the Notes for how to make this dish in a conventional oven.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika or paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard or Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 3 to 3 1/2 pound whole broiler-fryer chicken, see Notes
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
  2. In a small bowl combine butter, brown sugar, paprika, mustard, thyme, and garlic powder.
  3. Rinse chicken cavity; pat dry with paper towels. Twist wing tips behind back. Separate the skin from the breast and then dry the breast underneath the skin with a paper towel to help the butter mixture stick.
  4. Rub the butter mixture under skin. Use any extra to coat the outside of the chicken.
  5. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the top and the bottom of the bird.
  6. Place chicken, breast side down, in the air fryer basket. Cook for 35 minutes and then flip the bird so it is breast side up. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until chicken registers 160°F for breast. Tent the chicken with foil and let stand until the chicken breast reaches 165°F.

Notes

I found this recipe in BHG, and after making it the first time, I made a few changes to the recipe to make it even easier and more flavorful. Be sure to buy a chicken that is small enough to fit into your air fryer. I used a 3-pound chicken in my 6-quart air fryer. This recipe will work for either a 5 or a 6 quart air fryer.

Conventional Oven Roasting Method: Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare the butter mixture and the chicken as you would for the air fryer, but roast the chicken breast up for 60 minutes—no flipping required. Check temperature and continue to cook until the bird reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Tent with foil and let sit until the breast registers an internal temperature of 165°F.