Instant pot Whole Chicken
This Instant Pot Whole Chicken is reminiscent of the flavorful rotisserie chicken from your favorite deli. It’s extra tender, juicy, and packed with flavor.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
You know how whole chickens often go on sale for unbelievably great prices? Go ahead and grab a couple of them. Once you try this Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe, you’ll want to have a whole chicken in your freezer at all times. Your homemade whole chicken will be so much better than rotisserie chickens from the grocery store deli.
What You’ll Love About this recipe
- It’s extremely budget-friendly
- It feeds a large family or allows for delicious leftovers
- You only need a handful of simple ingredients
- You’ll be rewarded with a delicious au jus sauce to pour over the entire plate afterwards
- It’s way faster than oven baking a whole chicken
How to make instant pot whole chicken
- Prep Ahead: if you’re a lover of time-saving strategies, make the easy spice mix in advance. I make a few small batches of the seasoning mix to keep in airtight baggies or containers for future dinners.
- Always dry the chicken well with paper towels – excess water/moisture should always be minimized.
- Lay your seasoned chicken over the Instant Pot roasting rack, as this ensures even cooking and prevents a mushy underside.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken Commonly Asked Questions
3-pound bird: high pressure for 15 minutes,.
4-pound bird, high pressure for 25 minutes.
5-pound bird, high pressure for 25 minutes.
Always do a 10-minute natural release, followed by manual release.
Season the chicken underneath the skin – wear disposable gloves if you need to, but do use your fingers to gently pry skin from thicken all around so seasoning is in direct contact with chicken itself.
You can cook from frozen, but you won’t be able to get the seasonings underneath the skin. Know that with seasonings sitting on top of skin, the chicken itself won’t be as flavorful. If you choose to use frozen chicken, a 4-pound bird takes about 60 minutes.
More to cook and eat
- Instant Pot Chicken Curry – it’s got all the curry goodness, in a fraction of the time
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (5 Ingredients) – a perfect side dish with any meal
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings – favorite comfort dish of family and friends
- Easy Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken – super easy and tasty for busy weeknights
- Slow Cooker Roast Chicken – slow cooker version rotisserie style whole chicken
Watch This Recipe in Action
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Instant pot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 large, 5 lb whole chicken
Instructions
- Onions and Broth: Add chopped onion and chicken broth in bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Prepare Spice Mix: In a small bowl, add kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, and black pepper.
- Prepare Chicken: Remove giblets from chicken and use paper towels to dry it well, inside and out. Using clean fingers (you can wear disposable gloves, if desired) gently pry skin away from chicken all around, so you’ll be able to season chicken underneath the skin.
- Season Chicken: Evenly press two-thirds of your prepared spice mixture directly onto the chicken, underneath the skin. Include all areas such as legs, back, thighs, etc. Press remaining spice mixture on top of the skin all around.
- Cook: Place seasoned chicken on top of roasting rack/trivet in the Instant Pot. Secure lid tightly and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Do a Natural Release for 10 minutes, immediately followed by Manual Release until all steam is let out.
- Rest and Serve: Let whole chicken rest on cutting board at room temperature for 5-10 minute in order to retain the juices within. Slice and serve with juices still in bottom of Instant Pot.
