Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Let me show how to make the easiest, tender and juiciest instant pot whole chicken (fresh or frozen) that tastes like rotisserie chicken only that this is better than shop-bought. This homemade pressure cooker whole chicken is packed with flavour and perfect with just about everything anything. It is versatile, totally delicious and easy to make.

This 2 in 1 recipe is about the chicken and the delicious instant pot gravy made from the dripping. Oh, I love my gravy and every time I make chicken in my pressure cooker, I made sure I save my dripping for later or use in another recipe like this pressure cooker rice and chicken.

Why This Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe Is So Good

• This is an easy instant pot recipe and it only requires a handful of kitchen staple ingredients, apart from the chicken, everything else you would need for this recipe I am sure you already have. It is very affordable and cheaper than store-bought. You get more for your money when you make this at home yourself from scratch and you have control on the what goes on it.

• Store-bought rotisserie chicken can be quite bland and I mean proper bland and that is why you have to make this recipe. It is packed full of flavour and delicious.

• You can use brined chicken for this instant pot rotisserie recipe and it would still come out perfect. I have a perfect chicken brine recipe or should I say guide that is failproof. Guaranteed to produce the best tasting, moist chicken ever.

• This is an effortless pressure cooker rotisserie recipe, unlike oven-roasted version, this is completely hand-off, no babysitting needed. All you need to do is marinate the chicken, place it in your IP, set the timer and wait to be alerted by the beep when it is all done.

• You can serve this homemade chicken immediately after pressure cooking or grill/broil until golden brown for that rotisserie-style crispy skin chicken.

• Instant pot whole chicken is versatile and that makes it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. It can be shredded and used in a different recipe like, chicken noodle soup or any other soups, tacos, chili where you swap the beef for chicken. You can even add it to this sautéed peppers and onions for some fajita-style dinner or lunch.

• Depending on the weight of your chicken, you can have this chicken from your IP to your table in 30 minutes. Also, this recipe works for other types of electric pressure cooker like pressure king pro, ninja and the likes, timing may defer. I own a pressure king pro and it works just like an instant pot

Ingredients

A detailed list of ingredients used is in the recipe card at the bottom of the page!

Fresh whole chicken: I used about 3 ½ lbs (1.6kg) for this recipe. You can also use a frozen whole chicken. Read on for the cooking time for frozen chicken.

Paprika

Oregano

Dried thyme

Salt and ground black pepper

Melted butter

Cumin

Garlic granules

Onion powder

Fresh garlic cloves

Lemon juice

Chopped onions

Water or chicken broth

How To Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken And Gravy

First, you have to prep the chicken, remove the giblets if it is not already done and pat it dry. Loosen the skin of the chicken by using the back of a spoon and set aside.

Into a small bowl, add oregano, thyme, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic granules, salt and black ground pepper together and mix to combine. Add the melted butter and lemon juice and mix to combine to form a marinade. Take out about 1 tablespoon from the marinade to use later if you would be grilling / broiling the chicken after pressure cooking.

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Rub the remaining marinade outside and under the skin of the chicken including the cavity. Give it a bit of TLC.

Pour 1 cup of water in your instant pot, add garlic cloves, chopped onions and place the trivet in it. Carefully place the whole chicken breast side up on the trivet.

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Cover the lid of the IP securely and turn the valve to the seal position, select manual or pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes (generally allow 6 minutes per pound (500g))

Once the pressure cooker completes its cooking cycle, leave the chicken to natural pressure release for another 10 minutes. Then carefully do a quick release.

Transfer the chicken to a prepared baking tray, rub the reserved marinade if desired and grill /broil for an additional 10 minutes for crispy skin. Rest it for 5 minutes before serving with other sides of choice.

Instant pot chicken gravy

Skim off excess oil from the drippings in the inner pot then make a cornflour slurry.

Turn on the IP and select sauté function, pour the cornflour slurry in the dripping and stir until it thickens. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.  Serve with chicken as desires.

What To Serve It With

The list is endless as you can serve the chicken with just about anything you fancy! My go-to if I am having this as a Sunday roast is serve along with some creamy mashed potatoes or this perfect roasted potatoes and then smoulder it with gravy with a side of steamed veggies.

Can I Make Frozen Whole Chicken in An Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?

Yes, you can but it would take longer to cook. Allow 15 minutes per lb if you are using 6qt instant pot and about 12 minutes if using 8qt instant pot.

Personally, I would thaw my whole chicken completely before pressure cooking just as I did with my IP turkey breast, that way I can be sure the chicken would cook evenly, well-seasoned and I avoid the risk of overcooking it too.

What to do with leftovers

Leftover rotisserie chicken can be used to make sandwiches, you can add it to curries, check out my instant pot chicken curry and be converted for life. You may also add this chicken to rice as one pot or make some dirty fries with some shredded chicken on it.

Use the chicken bones to make the most delicious homemade chicken stock ever using your pressure cooker.

How To Store

In the fridge, leave to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not store in an aluminium foil or Ziploc bag, the chicken will go off quickly that way.

In the freezer: just as above, ensure it cools completely, wrap in a cling film and place in a Ziploc freezer bag or in an airtight container, that way it doesn’t catch the other smell in the freezer. Store for up to 3 months.

To reheat: you can either leave to thaw completely and use as desired or bake in the oven until completely thawed. Don’t crank up the oven temperature for this to avoid dry chicken.

Tips For Making Perfect Whole Chicken In An Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

• Use fresh chicken if you could.
• Before you prep, your chicken, be sure it fits in your instant pot pressure cooker. Never force close your instant pot or overfill it.
• Make some homemade chicken stock with the bones from the chicken.
• Not in a hurry for dinner, opt for full natural pressure release instead of 10 minutes.
• If using frozen chicken, don’t use butter or oil as it wouldn’t stick on chicken and you may not be able to get into the cavity of the chicken for obvious reasons. In this case, a dry rub would work.

Other instant pot recipes on the blog

Instant pot chicken cacciatore: this Italian chicken stew or should I say casserole is perfect with rice or some crusty bread

Instant pot chicken thighs: this recipe is quite popular on the blog and all for good reasons too.

Pressure cooker loaded potato soup

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