Looking for the best way to cook an entire chicken fast without losing quality and flavor? This air fryer herbed spatchcock chicken recipe is it! Tangy garlic and capers combined with the freshness of parsley, dill and basil make for a delicious, bright salsa verde that'll leave the whole family licking their lips for more.
I love spatchcocking chicken. It cuts down the cooking time and allows every part of the chicken to cook nice and even. The results? A flavorful whole chicken that's ready to serve at any potluck, dinner party, or special occasion! Can't get enough of this tasty chicken recipe? Try my cast iron spatchcock chicken, Tuscan skillet chicken cacciatore, or my Afghani malai chicken tikka!
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👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
Quicker method: Air fryer spatchcock chicken takes half the time it would take to roast a whole bird, making for an easy, no-fuss meal!
Loads of flavor: This delicious chicken recipe uses a tasty salsa verde herb sauce a simple spice blend to create the most flavorful chicken.
Perfectly crispy skin: The best part about a full roasted chicken is that crisp, delicious skin. This air fryer chicken delivers that desired crispy skin every time, with no effort!
🥘Ingredients
- Whole chicken: Using an entire chicken is a cost-effective option and provides a good mix of white and dark meat, making it ideal for family dinners or entertaining. Be sure to use a chicken that will easily fit in your air fryer basket. You can often purchase chickens that are already spatchcocked with the bone removed.
- Capers: Capers have a briny, salty flavor, which gives this herb sauce its distinct savory flavor. I recommend draining your capers from the briny solution they are packed in to eliminate the extra salt. The capers are salty enough on their own and do not need the added brine.
- Flat leaf parsley: Flat leaf parsley has a more robust, grassy flavor that works well in salsa verde-type dressings.
- Fresh lemon: Fresh lemon is the way to go for this recipe, as you get the use of the zest as well as the juice. Bottled lemon juice can have a muted, metallic flavor that will overpower the taste of the herbs in the salsa verde.
- Salted butter: Butter creates another opportunity to add a layer of seasoning and flavor, which is always good when seasoning a whole chicken. I always recommend using salted butter unless you are making baked goods.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Whole chicken: You can skip the spatchcocked method and make this recipe with bone-in chicken breasts or bone-in chicken thighs.
- Capers: Green olives work well in place of capers as they provide a similar taste.
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter will work fine, but be sure to compensate for the lack of salt!
- Flat leaf parsley: Don't have flat leaf parsley? You can always use curly parsley in a pinch.
🔪Variations
- BBQ Style: Make your chicken sweet and sticky by brushing it with your favorite barbecue sauce! You can also use my barbecue inspired all purpose chicken rub to amplify the flavor!
- Cajun Style: Go cajun with your seasoning mix instead for a zestier, spicier spatchcock chicken.
- Spiced Yogurt: Marinate your spatchcock chicken in yogurt, coconut, and spices for a tangy, spicy, and unique flavor.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Dry the skin of the chicken using a paper towel and place the chicken breast-side down. With sharp kitchen shears, make a cut on each side of the spine and pull it out. Flip the chicken over, pressing down on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. [photos 2 & 3]
Stir together the seasoning mixture in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the seasoning mixture onto the inside of the chicken, and flip the chicken over. Add the remaining spice mixture to the melted butter, and combine. [photos 1 & 4]
Nestle the chicken into the air fryer basket with the skin side facing up. Drizzle half of the seasoned butter mixture onto the chicken, and coat the exterior evenly. [photo 5]
Air fry the chicken at 375°F for 1 hour. Periodically baste the chicken with the remaining seasoned butter mixture until it is finished. If the chicken skin becomes deeply browned, you can cover it with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
While the chicken is cooking, make the herb sauce by grinding down the garlic, capers, and herbs with olive oil and lemon juice. You can make the sauce as chunky or smooth as you prefer by grinding the ingredients more or less. Set the sauce aside until the chicken is cooked. [photo 6]
Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature of the chicken in the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone. The internal temperature of the chicken should read 165°F.
Once the chicken has reached 165°F, remove it from the air fryer and tent the chicken with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with herb sauce drizzled over the chicken.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use a meat thermometer: Meat thermometers are essential for moist, juicy chicken that is not underdone.
- Be liberal with the butter: Be sure to cover the skin with butter. Keeping the skin moist will help it crisp up to a golden brown instead of burning straight away.
- Keep basting your chicken: Do not forget to baste the skin. As the chicken cooks, the skin will dry out. To keep everything nice, moist, and crisp, keep basting with butter.
🍽 Storing Leftovers
- Store leftovers in an airtight container. Then place your chicken in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, cook in the air fryer, microwave, or oven until warmed through.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
A spatchcocked chicken is the result of removing a whole chicken's backbone so it can be completely opened and flat. It's an excellent method for reducing cooking time and allows you to cook the chicken in many easy ways.
Spatchcocking a chicken will cook in half the time that it takes to roast it. This is because a spatchcocked chicken lays flat, allowing the heat to circulate more evenly.
📝More Chicken Recipes
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Air Fryer Herbed Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken Approx. 4 lbs
- ½ cup Salted butter melted
- 2 teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground pepper
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Onion powder
- 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
For the Herb Sauce
- ¼ cup Flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh Dill roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Fresh basil roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon Capers
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- ½ cup Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled
- Sea salt to taste
Equipment
- Mortar and Pestle
Instructions
- Using a paper towel, dry the skin of the chicken. Place the chicken breast-side down. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut the back bone out of the chicken. Make a cut on each side of the back bone, and pull it out.1 Whole chicken
- Flip the chicken over, and press down on the breast bone to flatten the chicken.
- Mix together the seasoning mixture in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle half of the seasoning mixture onto the inside of the chicken, and flip the chicken over. Add the remaining spice mixture to the melted butter, and combine.2 teaspoon Sea salt, 2 teaspoon Ground pepper, 2 teaspoon Garlic powder, 2 teaspoon Onion powder, 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika, ½ cup Salted butter
- Nestle the chicken into the air fryer basket with the skin side facing up. Drizzle half of the seasoned butter mixture on to the chicken, and coat the exterior evenly.
- Air fry the chicken at 375°F for 1 hour. Periodically baste the chicken with the remaining seasoned butter mixture, until it is finished. If the chicken skin is become deeply browned, you can cover it with foil for the remainder of the cook time.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the herb sauce by grinding down the garlic, capers, and herbs with olive oil and lemon juice. You can make the sauce as chunky or as smooth as you prefer, by grinding the ingredients more or less. Set the sauce aside until the chicken is cooked.¼ cup Flat leaf parsley, ¼ cup Fresh Dill, ¼ cup Fresh basil, 2 tablespoon Capers, 1 Lemon, ½ cup Olive oil, Sea salt, 2 cloves Garlic
- Using a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature of the chicken in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone. The internal temperature of the chicken should read 165°F.
- Once the chicken has reached 165°F, remove from the air fryer and tent the chicken with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with herb sauce drizzled over the chicken.
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer: Meat thermometers are essential for moist, juicy chicken that is not underdone.
- Be liberal with the butter: Be sure to cover the skin with butter. Keeping the skin moist will help it crisp up to a golden brown instead of burning straight away.
- Keep basting your chicken: Do not forget to baste the skin. As the chicken cooks, the skin will dry out. To keep everything nice, moist, and crisp, keep basting with butter.
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