Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Grab this quick and easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken with fajita butter recipe. You’ll have a delicious dinner in 45 minutes without breaking the bank.

Suitable for Gluten Free, Paleo, Keto, Low Carb, and Whole 30 diets diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

Instant Pot Chicken Recipe

You’ll see how speedy and efficient this Instapot whole chicken is. With only 5 ingredients needed, you’ll get delicious store-bought rotisserie-style chicken with almost no effort.

The added benefit of cooking a chicken in the Pressure Cooker is that it’s a great way to make chicken broth or stock you can use in other recipes. We like to make this Instant Pot Chicken Tortelli Soup or dump and start Instant Pot Spaghetti with Chicken.

And here’s a tip if you want the juicy chicken place it in this Chicken Brine Recipe for a while before pressure cooking.

Why Make This Recipe

• Budget-friendly – It’s a great way to meal prep for all sorts of dinners in a week.
• Multiple uses – Not only do you get tasty chicken you can also make stock and broth that can be used later. And, it is far better than store-bought.
• Freezer friendly – It’s a great way to use that frozen chicken stashed in the freezer.

What’s Needed

• Whole Chicken – I used a whole fresh chicken, but if you bought one previously and have it in the freezer, use that frozen chicken and save your budget.
• Chicken stock – use store-bought or homemade chicken stock. You can use vegetable broth or stock instead. You can even add salsa.
• Seasoning – I’ve used Fajita seasoning, but you could also use Italian seasoning or another seasoning you enjoy. Butter and lemon complete this recipe.

How To Make This

So folks you can change it up and make it exactly how you like. No need to spend extra money. We love sticking to our grocery budget around here. Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. In a small bowl, create a paste by mixing the salt, pepper, spices, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock together.
2. Next, rub that paste all over the chicken outside and inside the cavity. Add the lemon into the cavity.
3. Add olive oil to the insert and turn on the sauté setting. Add in your chicken and brown for about 4 minutes on each side. Then remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate.
4. Pour the rest of the chicken stock into the insert, and make sure to scrape any leftover chicken bits that were stuck to the bottom of the pot. This will help prevent a burn notice.
5. Place the trivet into the insert and place the whole chicken on top.
6. Close and seal the Instant Pot, and select the manual setting and High Pressure. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
7. Use a natural steam release, which will take about 10-15 minutes before opening the cooker.
8. Use your meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken. It’s done when the temperature reaches 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C. Once cooked, let it rest for 10 minutes, remove the lemon and serve.

Bintu’s Tips And Variations

• Use the right size chicken. I know it can be tempting to buy a bigger chicken when it’s a really good deal. But, remember we have to fit that whole chicken in the Instant Pot. This recipe uses a 3.85-pound (1.75kg) chicken that easily fits in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you’re cooking a chicken over 5 pounds, I suggest using an 8-quart cooker.
• Place whole chicken breast-side down into the pot. This is where most of the meat is and cooking it this way will make the white meat juicy, tender, and moist.
• Always use your digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken before serving and eating. If it is not done add on another 5 minutes of time, until it’s cooked.
• Skip the trivet. Place the chicken directly in the cooking liquid.
• Preheat the liquid to save time. Use the saute setting on high to heat the liquid and save time by reducing the time it will take to get everything up to pressure.
• Save time by skipping the browning step. This step is done to enhance the overall flavor but can easily be skipped.

Storage

• Make ahead – You can make this chicken in advance, and use it before 3 days are up in various dishes.
• Store – Store whole chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freeze – Let the whole chicken cool completely. Wrap cooked chicken in plastic wrap and put in a large gallon-size Ziploc bag. Squeeze out the air, label it, and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

FAQs

How Long To Cook A Fresh Or Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot

Here’s your handy guideline for safely cooking a chicken by weight.

Fresh Chicken

For each 1 pound (.5kg) of chicken, add 6 minutes of cook time.

• So for a 1.3lb (1.36kg) chicken, set the cook time for 18 minutes.
• So for a 4lb (1.8kg) chicken, set the cook time for 24 minutes.
• So for a 5lb (2.25kg) chicken, set the cook time for 30 minutes.

Frozen Chicken

For every pound (.5kg), you add 10 minutes of cook time.

• So for a 3lb (1.36kg) chicken, set the cook time for 30 minutes
• So for a 4lb (1.8kg) chicken, set the cook time for 40 minutes
• So for a 5lb (2.25kg) chicken, set the cook time for 50 minutes.

It is extremely important to check the internal temperature of the chicken using a working meat thermometer. The chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C.

More Instant Pot Recipes You May Like

• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken.
• Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowl.
• Easy Instant Pot Rosemary Chicken Thighs.
• Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
• Instant Pot Chicken Biriyani.
• Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortelli Soup .
• Instant Pot Spaghetti with Chicken.
• Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash.
• Chicken Brine Recipe.

Serving Suggestions

• Instant Pot Coconut Rice.
• Dump And Start Garlic Butter Instant Pot Red Potatoes.
• Smothered Cabbage.
• Instant Pot Baby Potatoes.

Weight Watchers Points 

• There are 8 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.
• If skinless, a serving contains 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints (yes, zero!).

Get The Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe: