You won’t believe how easy it is to cook a whole chicken in an Instant Pot! This Instant Pot whole chicken recipe is juicy, fall-off-the-bone tender, and full of flavor and just as delicious as a store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s perfect for a hearty weeknight dinner or to make ahead for quick meals throughout the week!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe was originally published on March 2, 2018 close to when I first got an Instant Pot and was obsessed with it. Over the years, I’ve perfected this Instant Pot whole chicken recipe and am so excited to share the new and improved recipe with you!
- It’s so easy to make a whole chicken in the pressure cooker! No need to baste or to check on the chicken in the oven.
- The meat is so juicy, and it will literally fall off the bone. I love how tender this chicken recipe is and you’ll never have dry chicken again.
- This recipe comes with a homemade gravy recipe as well! Don’t waste those chicken drippings in the pot, as it makes for such a flavorful chicken gravy.
What You’ll Need To Make a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot
- butter mixture — I use unsalted butter and combine it with garlic powder, paprika, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Feel free to change up the seasoning to your liking!
- chicken — make sure the chicken you buy fits into your instant pot! 4 to 5 pounds usually fits perfectly in my 6 QT so if you have a larger or smaller pressure cooker, adjust the size of your chicken accordingly.
- lemon — I like to stuff the chicken cavity with lemon for extra bright, fresh flavor.
- garlic — again, to stuff the chicken cavity for extra flavor.
- fresh herbs — fresh rosemary and thyme to go into the cavity.
- chicken broth — in order for the Instant Pot to build pressure, you’ll need liquid. I use low sodium chicken broth. While you can use water, chicken broth will make for a more flavorful gravy if you plan on using the liquid for homemade gravy.
- butter — unsalted butter for the gravy.
- flour — you just need basic all-purpose flour to build a roux for the gravy.
How To Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot
- Mix the butter, garlic, paprika, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Using fingers, gently pull the skin away from the meat throughout the chicken. Spread as much of the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken and any leftover on top of the chicken.
- Add the lemon slices, garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and thyme sprigs to the cavity of the chicken. Then, use butcher’s twine to tie the ends of the legs together.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pressure cooker pot. Place the wire rack that came with your pressure cooker inside to keep your chicken elevated.
- Place the chicken on top of the rack.
- Lightly drizzle the top of the chicken with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle additional salt and pepper on top.
- Place the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to 24 minutes on manual (HIGH PRESSURE) then let it natural pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing and removing the chicken.
- After removing it from the Instant Pot, to make the skin super crispy, brush a little more oil (or melted butter) on top of the chicken and set it in the oven to be broiled for 5-6 minutes, keeping a close eye on it.
- Optional: If you want a delicious homemade gravy with the drippings from the chicken….Run the liquid in the Instant Pot after the chicken has cooked through a strainer and set aside.
- Turn your Instant Pot back on sauté mode and melt your butter in it.
- Slowly whisk in the flour. Once the flour has fully incorporated, slowly add back in the liquid from the pot earlier. Whisk until your gravy has thickened to your liking. Season with additional salt and pepper if you desire.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Save the bones and make homemade chicken stock in the Instant Pot or chicken broth in the slow cooker.
- Season the outside and inside of the chicken for maximum flavor. Also, try to get as much butter under the skin as possible to ensure the flavor is sealed into the chicken.
- The trivet helps keeps the chicken out of the liquid so it won’t get soggy and it’ll make lifting the chicken out of the pressure cooker easier.
- Avoid quick releasing once the countdown is done as it can lead to dry chicken.
- Every pound of chicken should be cooked for 6 minutes under pressure.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or enjoy it chilled.
- Freezer: allow the chicken to cool before shredding the meat and transferring to an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I cook a frozen chicken?
I recommend thawing the chicken before cooking as it helps the seasoning stick to the chicken.
What is natural pressure release?
Natural Pressure Release (NPR) means you just wait for the metal pin in your lid to drop instead of doing a quick release to get all the steam out of your Instant Pot.
What other seasoning can I use?
Try dried herbs, cajun seasoning, cilantro-lime, sriracha-lime, and more. Take a peek in your spice cupboard and see what you’ve got!
Can I use an air fryer lid?
The IP air fryer lid was not around when this recipe was first published! While I haven’t had a chance to make this with my air fryer lid, I’ve seen comments regarding this recipe sharing that they’ve had success with it. Readers suggest draining the liquid before using the air fryer lid.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few side dishes that I think would go well with a whole Instant Pot chicken:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Hot Honey
- Smashed Broccoli
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Purple Cabbage Slaw
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake
- Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
You won't believe how easy it is to cook a whole chicken in an Instant Pot! This Instant Pot whole chicken recipe is juicy, fall-off-the-bone tender, and full of flavor and just as delicious as a store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s perfect for a hearty weeknight dinner or to make ahead for quick meals throughout the week!
Print Recipe
Rate this Recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Butter Compound:
- ½ cup butter, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh, chopped
- 1 tablespoon thyme fresh, chopped
- zest from one lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the Chicken:
- 4 to 5 pound whole chicken, neck and giblets removed
- 1 lemon, sliced (you can use the lemon that was zested)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
- Oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Gravy:
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 tablespoons flour
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Mix the butter, garlic, paprika, herbs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.
- Using fingers, gently pull the skin away from the meat throughout the chicken. Spread as much of the butter mixture under the skin of the chicken and any leftover on top of the chicken.
- Add the lemon slices, garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and thyme sprigs to the cavity of the chicken.
- Use butcher’s twine to tie the ends of the legs together.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pressure cooker pot. Place the wire rack that came with your pressure cooker inside to keep your chicken elevated. Place the chicken on top of the rack.
- Lightly drizzle the top of the chicken with a splash of olive oil and sprinkle additional salt and pepper on top
- Place the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to 24 minutes on manual (HIGH PRESSURE) then let it natural pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing and removing the chicken.
- After removing it from the Instant Pot, to make the skin super crispy, brush a little more oil (or melted butter) on top of the chicken and set it in the oven to be broiled for 5-6 minutes, keeping a close eye on it.
To Make the Chicken Gravy:
- Run the liquid in the Instant Pot after the chicken has cooked through a strainer and set aside.
- Turn your Instant Pot back on sauté mode and melt your butter in it and slowly whisk in the flour. Once the flour has fully incorporated, slowly add back in the liquid from the pot earlier. Whisk until your gravy has thickened to your liking. Season with additional salt and pepper if you desire.
Notes
- Cook for 6 minutes per pound of chicken if you have a different sized chicken, but keep the NPR time at 10 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1044IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Navy Beans in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice with Butter and Garlic
- Instant Pot Poached Eggs
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken
- Instant Pot Meatballs
- Instant Pot Goulash
More Methods to Cook Chicken
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Dutch Oven Chicken
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Roasted Half Chicken
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
Other places to connect with me
@carmyshungry on Instagram
Facebook
Shop my Amazon faves
Email: [email protected]
Photos and previous instructions from 2018!
- 4 pound whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2.5 tablespoons paprika
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 cup water/chicken stock
2018 Instructions:
- Season your chicken (2 tablespoons oil, salt, pepper, paprika), and inside the cavity, season and place a sliced lemon and garlic inside.
- On sauté mode, drizzle in 2 tablespoons olive oil in your Instant Pot. Then place the chicken, breast side down into the Instant Pot. Let it cook on saute mode for 6 minutes.
- Flip your chicken.
- Pour in 1 cup of water/chicken stock or broth.
- Place the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Set the pressure cooker to 24 minutes on manual (HIGH PRESSURE) then let it natural pressure release before removing the chicken.
- After removing it from the Instant Pot, to make the skin super crispy, I set it in the oven to be broiled for 5 to 6 minutes.
Janice - Salads 4 Lunch says
Looks delicious Carmy!! I’m anxious to give this a try for Sunday night’s dinner, yum!
Vickie Burkett says
In your bullet points at the beginning of the article about how to cook chicken I was confused by the description: for every pound of chicken it should be cooked 6 pounds under pressure. It wasn’t until further along that I found that you meant 6 minutes per pound using pressure.
Carmy says
Ah! Apologies for the typo! Thanks for catching that, I’ve updated it now.
Amy says
After you saute and flip do you switch to manual? This is a question I find myself asking when I look at many recipes.
Carmy says
After it is flipped, you change it to pressure cooking setting for 24 minutes.
Kerrt says
Can you cook a whole chicken from frozen? If so how much longer would it take?
Carmy says
you can but I have not tried it with a whole chicken personally. Sorry!
Abbey Sharp says
Love how you compared an Instant Pot chicken vs an oven chicken! You’ve convinced me! I must get an Instant pot
Deborah Brooks says
Wow that sure does look super easy! Thanks for sharing this one
Rachel says
This just blew my mind a little bit. I had no idea I could cook a whole chicken in there. Thanks!!
Farrah says
I don’t have an instant pot, but this would be so, so convenient! *-* Gonna have to pass this recipe along to my friend! :]
Ann says
Is your calorie count a typo?
Carmy says
Hi Ann,
The calories is not a typo. The calories listed is for the entire chicken, not per serving.
Jacqueline Debono says
I’m still on the fence about getting an Instant Pot but when I come across recipes like this I feel inspired to order one. Looks like such an easy, no mess way to cook a whole chicken!
Eden says
Just another (delicious) sign that I need to get an Instant Pot ASAP!
kim says
I love it! This looks super easy and I can’t wait to give it a try!
Amanda says
Is there anything the Instant Pot can’t do? This looks like such a great way to cook chicken. Definitely giving this a try soon!
Ginny McMeans says
The instant pot has become so popular. Your instructions are really good as well as the photographic instructions.
Holly says
Wow- yet another way to use my Instant Pot! I’ve got to try this! Love the step by step photos, thanks!
Pam says
I bought an instant pot just to try this recipe and was not disappointed. It was so easy, quick, and the chicken was unbelievably juicy!
Carmy says
I’m so glad to hear! I hope you try out the other recipes!
Carey says
Hi, I just got an instant pot for Christmas and wanted to make a whole chicken….I like your recipe but wondered, can the chicken be frozen or does it have to be thawed?
Thanks,
Carey
Carmy says
Hi Carey,
This recipe is for a thawed chicken as I seared it on both sides. I haven’t tested it with a frozen chicken unfortunately.
Lori says
Is pressure high or normal for this? Thanks
Carmy says
High pressure :)
Al says
Love the recipe and I’ve made it a few times, always successfully. Maybe I’m a little OCD, but I think you should update the directions to indicate “manual, HIGH pressure”. I find myself always scrolling down to the comments for this crucial clarification ;)
Carmy says
Thanks for your comment Al! I’m just so used to always cooking on high pressure that I forget people use the other settings as well :)
Mary says
My Instapot automatically takes me to Normal when I switch to pressure cook mode. I’d have to remember to switch to high. Would like to find out how long to cook on normal setting. Otherwise, your recipe sounds delicious. I’m going to try and then use the carcass to make bone broth.
Carmy says
Hi Mary, maybe try 8 minutes per pound for the whole chicken. I hope that helps :)
Jimmy Morrison says
If I want to make bean soup with the whole chicken, what would you suggest ?
Carmy says
Hi Jimmy! Here’s a bean soup that would go well with chicken: https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetarian-15-bean-soup/
Kat Mahon says
I made this but I didn’t brown it first. I was wanting cooked chicken for chicken and noodles. I had a 4 pound whole chicken and put the seasoning under the skin. Then I put it in the instant pot and cooked it for almost 8 min per pound so 30 minutes. It turned out perfect! The chicken was so tender I had a hard time not eating it before I got it pulled off the bone. It had a lot of flavor. It made wonderful chicken and noodles.
Rick says
Tried and was yummy and was as u said; off the bone. Keep up the gr8 recipes
Carmy says
So glad you enjoyed, Rick!
Monica Lewis says
I think the carb count is wrong.
Should read 13 carbs (not 31).
5 cloves of garlic: 5g carbs
1 lemon: 7.8g carbs
Carmy says
Thanks, Monica. All nutritional data is estimated by the recipe plugin but I’ll take a look!
Dawn Johnson says
Bird comes out very juicy and tender. I would suggest cutting the spices down to a 1/2 or 1/4 amount in the recipe. I made gravy out of the drippings and it was way too peppery. Or maybe substitute with a different spice combination. I also suggest putting the chicken on a trivet we pressure cooking,
H.T. says
Since you have the Duo Plus model, could you finish it off with the air fryer lid to brown it?
Carmy says
I haven’t tried to but if you do, let me know!