Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Grab this quick and easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken with fajita butter recipe. You’ll have an absolutely delicious dinner on the table 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.

Cooking an entire chicken in the Instant Pot is so helpful for meal prepping and getting the most bang for your buck for each meal. You’ll get delicious rotisserie chicken with almost no effort.

And, you can make all sorts of flavorful chicken recipe favorites using the whole chicken you’ll get from your Pressure Cooker.

Cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker is a great way to make chicken broth and chicken stock that you can use in other recipes as well. Like this Instant Pot Chicken Tortelli Soup or dump and start Instant Pot Spaghetti with Chicken.

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

You’ll soon learn how efficient and quick making this Instant Pot Whole Chicken is. With only 5 ingredients needed you will be making this juicy chicken again and again.

Why Make This Recipe

• Budget-friendly way to meal prep
• Versatile meat for a variety of meals
• Makes stock and broth too that can be used later
• Great way to use that frozen chicken stashed in the freezer
• Easy to modify to suit your taste

Ingredient Notes

• 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 for other needs.
• Chicken stock – use store-bought or homemade chicken stock. You can use vegetable broth or stock instead.
• Seasoning – this calls for Fajita seasoning, but you could also use Italian seasoning or another seasoning to suit your taste. Butter and lemon complete this recipe.

So folks, are you ready to make an amazing Instant Pot whole chicken? I know I am, so let’s get started.

How To Make Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken

One of the amazing things about this Instant Pot Chicken recipe is you can change it up and make it exactly how you like. Feel free to use what you have already in the pantry as far as seasonings go. No need to spend extra money, remember 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.
3. Add olive oil to the insert and turn on the sauté setting. Add in your whole chicken and brown about 4 minutes on each side. Then remove chicken and set 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 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 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 whole chicken. Your Instant Pot whole chicken is done when the temperature reaches 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C. Once the whole chicken is safely cooked, let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Tips For Success

• If your chicken isn’t safe to eat after your initial natural pressure release, add 5 minutes to the cook time and check the internal temperature again.
• Place whole chicken breast-side down into the pot. This is where most of the meat is and cooking it this way will make sure the white meat stays juicy, tender, and moist.
• Always use your digital read thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken before serving and eating.
• Skip the trivet. To make your whole chicken extra juicy, don’t use the Instant Pot trivet to hold the rotisserie chicken and place chicken directly in the cooking liquid.

Delicious Variations

Making a whole chicken in the Instant Pot is super delicious with this chicken recipe. And it’s easy to vary up and make it different when you want to make it again. Try some of these ideas to make it perfect just for you.

• Add salsa – adding this to the Instant Pot before cooking brings a whole new Mexican flavor to your dish.
• Trade out water – give the pressure cooker chicken even more flavor by using chicken stock, which you can then use to cook other things.
• Swap out herbs – try out some other seasonings like cajun, smoked paprika, harissa, garlic powder, onion powder, or creole seasoning.

Budget Friendly Tips

• Use the right size whole 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 looking to cook a whole chicken over 5 pounds, I suggest using an 8-quart cooker. Know the size you have the budget for and the size of your pot to pick the right size bird.
• Fresh or frozen chicken. Since you can easily pressure cook frozen chicken or fresh chicken, buy what is cheaper and use it. You can also stock up when whole chicken is on sale and freeze for later use.

Storage And Freezing

Store – Store whole chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freeze – Follow the handy tips below for how to freeze Instant Pot Whole chicken:

• 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

Do You Use A Quick Release Or Natural Pressure Release?

For this recipe, I highly recommend using a natural pressure release (NPR). It can be tempting to perform a quick pressure release to finish your meal a few minutes faster, but using a natural pressure release will help lock in moisture to make your whole chicken super juicy, all while it continues to cook the chicken.

How To Get Extra Crispy Skin?

Using the sauté step in this Instant Pot Rotisserie chicken recipe is what browns the chicken and gives it that extra flavor. But if you’re looking for that extra crispy skin just follow these steps:

After it’s finished, take out the roast chicken and place it on a baking sheet to make it extra crispy.

Brush the Instant Pot rotisserie chicken skin with oil or butter, and broil for 3-5 minutes in the oven. Make sure to watch it as it broils so you don’t burn your chicken.

How Long To Cook A Fresh Chicken In The Instant Pot

Here’s your handy guideline for safely cooking a fresh whole chicken in the Instant Pot: 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.

Just like the instructions say, once the whole chicken is safely cooked, use a natural pressure release for 15 minutes and check the internal temperature to make sure it’s safe to eat.

Pro Chef Food Safety Tip: 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.

How To Cook a Frozen Whole Chicken

Want to make a tasty meal but forgot to thaw your whole chicken before dinner time? No worries guys! You can totally pressure cook a frozen whole rotisserie chicken in the Instant Pot safely.

In fact, this is one of the many reasons I love the Instant Pot. You don’t always have to follow your meal plan if you’re wanting something else and you can use whatever you have on hand or in the freezer, helping you stick to the grocery budget you set.

How Long Do You Cook A Frozen Whole Chicken (Time Per Pound)

If you’re looking to pressure cook your frozen chicken, follow these helpful cooking guidelines. 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.

And, just like when cooking a fresh chicken, use a natural pressure release for 15 minutes and check the internal temperature with a thermometer to ensure it’s safe to eat (165 degrees F / 74 degrees C).

Can You Use The Instant Pot To Make Bone Broth From A Whole Chicken?

Absolutely folks, you can definitely make some homemade bone broth from this Instant Pot recipe.

All you have to do is keep the chicken carcass and add some broth making vegetables, herbs, and seasonings to your Instant Pot.

Then select the Instant Pot to manual pressure / high pressure, and pressure cook for 2 hours. Allow for a natural pressure release, and then strain the bone broth into a small bowl before using it.

How to Use Chicken Broth Made In The Instant Pot

Now that you’ve created some amazing and flavorful chicken broth in the Instant Pot, you want to know how to use it. Chicken broth is in so many recipes and you no longer have to add that to your grocery list (in turn, decreasing your grocery budget).

Store- Store this homemade chicken broth in an airtight container in your fridge.

You can even use the chicken broth to cook up more chicken in the Instant Pot! This is the perfect time-saver and budget-friendly trick.

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!).

Tools Needed

• An Instant Pot.
• An instant read thermometer.
• A handy mixing bowl.
• Cups and spoons.

Get The Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe: