Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Name: Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 (4-5 lbs) whole roasting chicken; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon dried rosemary; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional; 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil; 1 cup chicken broth or stock; 1 lemon, cut into quarters; 1 medium white onion, cut into quarters

Put your pressure cooker to work with this easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe. You’ll love how simple it is to make tender and juicy seasoned chicken that you can use for the main meal, sandwiches, casseroles, and more.

Forget buying that rotisserie chicken at the store that’s been sitting under hot lights for who knows how long. Whatever juiciness it had when it first came out of the oven is most likely long gone. There’s a better, healthier, and less expensive way to get that succulent roasted chicken texture and flavor that you’re craving – let your Instant Pot do it for you!

Why make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot?

It’s quick. In the time it would take you to drive to the store, do your shopping, deal with the traffic, drive home, unpack the car, and put away the groceries, you could have already made a delicious and fresh whole chicken in your pressure cooker and still have time left over.
It produces a superior texture and taste. You won’t find a more tender or juicy way to cook a whole chicken, not even in the oven. The liquid and pressure of the Instant Pot practically ensure that you’re guaranteed stellar results, every time!
It’s awesome for meal planning. If you have a large family and you eat a lot of chicken, cooking it in your pressure cooker and taking the meat off the bone for later use is a great use of time and money. Plus, you can control the size of the chicken you cook as well as the seasonings. Like cajun? Use those spices. Want Italian flavor? Layer on the rosemary and oregano. Love garlic? Slayer it on! Need to keep it simple? You can’t go wrong with salt and pepper.

Do I need to sear the chicken before cooking?

Searing the chicken first will give you a beautiful crispy skin on the chicken, plus it helps hold in the chicken’s natural juices.

This recipe shares how to sear the skin of the whole chicken before you add the liquid and elevate the chicken for the actual cooking. You’ll just add oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot and set it on the saute setting. Sear on each side for 3 to 4 minutes.

But here’s where you might need some help – turning a whole chicken in the Instant Pot can be a bit challenging! Try this: after you’ve seared it on the first side, insert long-handled tongs in the chicken cavity for leverage and use a long-handled spoon on the outside to flip the chicken to the other side. The larger the chicken, the more leverage is required to make the flip.

Can I cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot?

We’ve all forgotten to take the chicken out to thaw, right? This recipe will, amazingly, work with a whole frozen chicken!

This recipe as written uses a fresh, thawed chicken of about 4.5 lbs and it takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.

However, the cooking time for a frozen chicken, per pound, is doubled, though, so make sure and factor that in.

Also, you won’t be able to sear a frozen chicken, so you’ll have to skip that step.

To cook from frozen, you’ll factor 13 minutes per pound at high pressure plus 15 minutes for natural release. For example, a 4-pound frozen chicken will take 52 minutes while a 5-pound frozen chicken will take 65 minutes.

Ingredients

1 (4-5 lbs) whole roasting chicken

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 cup chicken broth or stock

1 lemon, cut into quarters

1 medium white onion, cut into quarters

Instructions

Clean chicken, remove any packages on the insides, pat dry with a paper towel, set aside
In a small bowl, combine seasonings
Sprinkle seasoning mixture over chicken and cavity
Stuff the cavity with lemon and onion
Set instant pot to high saute setting
Add oil to the pot
Lay chicken breast side down and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes
Turn chicken over and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown
Remove chicken and set aside
Place metal rack into the pot with the handles up, add chicken broth
Place chicken on top of rack
Select manual setting to high and set time for 6 minutes per pound
When the timer goes off, carefully naturally release pressure for 20 minutes
Let chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving

If you’ve been hesitant to try cooking a whole chicken in your Instant Pot, this recipe is the one you need to follow. It’s so simple that you’ll wonder why you didn’t try it sooner!

More chicken recipes:

Sheet Pan Lemon Parmesan Chicken With Roasted Potatoes And Green Beans

Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken

Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken

Ginger Soy Chicken Over Jasmine Rice

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Keto Pizza Stuffed Baked Chicken

Nettie is a wife and mother who is passionate about cooking and baking. With 5 children, Nettie insists that all meals, snacks, and desserts come together quickly! You will find a wide variety of easy yet scrumptious recipes on her very popular website Moore or Less Cooking

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Serves 4-6