A whole roast chicken dinner all done in the air fryer in around 90 minutes. That's roast chicken with potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and green beans!
I only use a pan for making the gravy - which takes a few minutes and is really simple (I promise!).
This is my go-to mid-week roast, when I want a nutritious dinner on the table with minimal fuss.
Jump to:
Everybody is talking about Air Fryers at the moment, and I really wanted to put ours to the test by seeing if it would make a complete roast chicken dinner, without having to parboil or precook anything- the answer is a resounding... YES!
Well... except for the gravy.
I guess you could use an air fryer to make the gravy, but it's easier to do it in a pan, while the vegetables are cooking in the air fryer. And this recipe is all about simplicity.
This is a one-pan, easy-to-make, tastes flippin' delicious dinner, that saves SO MUCH on the washing up.
📋 What do we need?
- Chicken - go with the size of chicken that will fit in your air fryer nicely. For my Ninja Max (<-- affiliate link) air fryer, this is a 1.5kg chicken, which takes about 45-50 minutes to cook.
- Vegetables - I'm using potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and green beans. The carrots and potatoes cook and brown beautifully! You do have to keep an eye on the cauliflower and green beans (cauliflower LOVES to char in the air fryer), but so long as they're nestled into the other veggies nicely, without any big sticky-out bits, you should be fine.
- Gravy - stock, cornflour (cornstarch if you're in the US), seasoning and the juices from roasting the chicken are all you need to make this simple gravy.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP Turn your cauliflower florets upside-down and nestle them into the other vegetables when cooking in the air fryer - this will cook them, without them browning too much.
Don't want to use a pan at all for making your gravy?
Sometimes life calls for good ole' Bisto gravy (no, this isn't a sponsored post). If you want to make this recipe even easier, make up a jug of Bisto (or shop-brand equivalent) gravy in your gravy jug and if you want even more flavour, stir in those cooking juices from cooking the chicken in the air fryer.
Ideas for leftovers
Don't forget to save any leftover shreds of chicken to make:
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Chicken Ala King
- 20-minute Chicken Ramen.
- And boil up the leftover chicken carcass for delicious
- Homemade stock
- Chicken soup
- Or freeze and save until you have more meat bones to make my Three-Bone Soup with vegetables and beans
🍲 More fantastic roast dinner recipes
Stay updated with new recipes!
Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).
Air Fryer Roast Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken – approx. 1-3kg-1.5kg (2.9lb- 3.3lb) - ideally free range - *See Note 1
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
For the Carrots and Potatoes:
- 2 medium potatoes (approx. 175g each) - peeled and chopped into small cubes (approx. 1-1.5cm)
- 2 large carrots (approx 85g-100g each) - peeled and chopped into small cubes (approx. 1-1.5cm)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Green Beans and Cauliflower
- 120 g (4.2 oz) trimmed fine green beans
- 1 small head of cauliflower - chopped into small florets (about 300g altogether)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the gravy:
- 400 ml (1 + ⅔ cup) strong chicken stock - (water plus 2-3 chicken stock cubes is fine)
- 2 tbsp cornflour(cornstarch in USA) - mixed with 6 tbsp cold water, to form a slurry
- salt and black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before roasting to take the chill off it.1 Whole chicken – approx. 1-3kg-1.5kg (2.9lb- 3.3lb) - ideally free range
- Rub the oil into the skin of the chicken with your hands.1 tbsp olive oil
- Sprinkle on the salt, pepper and thyme.½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp dried thyme
- Place the chicken in the air fryer at 180C/350F for approx. 45-50 minutes – until the skin is golden and the juices run clear (you can test this by inserting a skewer in the thickest part of the thigh – the liquid that runs out should be clear). If you have a temperature probe, the internal temperature should be 75C/165F.
- Remove from the air fryer, place on a board or in a tray to rest and cover with foil and a tea towel on top.
- Add the chicken stock to the air fryer basket and give it a swill around to pick-up up any chicken juices – this will form the basis of the gravy. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan and put to one side.400 ml (1 + ⅔ cup) strong chicken stock
- Turn the air fryer temperature up to 200C/400F
- Place the potatoes and carrots into the air fryer basket and drizzle on 1 tbsp of the oil and ¼ tsp each of the salt and pepper.2 medium potatoes (approx. 175g each), 2 large carrots (approx 85g-100g each), 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Toss together and place in the air fryer for 12 minutes, shaking once, halfway through cooking.
- Add the green beans and cauliflower to the air fryer basket. Drizzle on the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper.120 g (4.2 oz) trimmed fine green beans, 1 small head of cauliflower, 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Use a spoon or set of tongs to toss together with the potatoes and carrots, trying to ensure the florets of the cauliflower are pointing downwards or tucked under the potatoes/carrots, and the green beans aren't sticking up (this will prevent them from burning) and place in the air fryer to cook for 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile make the gravy. Place the pan with the chicken stock and chicken juices over a high heat and bring to the boil.
- Slowly add the cornflour slurry while stirring with a whisk, until the gravy has thickened to your liking.2 tbsp cornflour(cornstarch in USA)
- Add any further chicken juices from resting the chicken, plus any leftover juices at the bottom of the air fryer basket to give the gravy maximum flavour. Give it a taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.salt and black pepper to taste
- Remove the vegetables from the air fryer and place in a serving bowl or on the tray with the chicken.
- Carve the chicken and serve with the air-fried vegetables and gravy.
Video
✎ Notes
Nutrition
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Looking for More Air Fryer Recipes?
AKMamoo says
First time doing a whole chicken in our air fryer. Your recipe was simple, easy to follow, and the foods turned out delicious.
KevinH says
Excellent and very quick 😃
Eleanor says
Tried this for yesterdays Sunday roast, cannot believe how delicious the chicken was😋
Everyone really enjoyed the roasted veg too, will definitely be cooking a chicken this way again, thank you.
Michelle says
What size is your Ninja Air fryer? Your roast chicken dinner looks delicious. Was that a medium size chicken you cooked ?
Thank you