Summary:
Cook a whole chicken (fresh or frozen) in the Instant Pot pressure cooker for tender rotisserie style meat. Great for anyone looking for poultry dinners that fit a variety of diets, including low carb, keto, and paleo.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Pressure Release: 15 minutes
Yield: 3 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 4.5 to 5 pounds whole chicken
- 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil
Dry seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon
dried herbs like thyme and/or oregano - 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder
INSTRUCTIONS
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the pressure cooker pot. Place a trivet inside with the handles resting on the sides of the pot. - Clean the chicken and remove any giblets. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Brush or rub olive oil over the chicken breast, legs, and wings. In a mixing bowl, combine dry seasonings and mix well. Rub the seasoning mix over the oiled chicken.
- Place the chicken on top of the trivet in the pot, breast side up. Evenly distribute chopped onions on top of the chicken.
- Secure the lid and seal the vent. Cook for 25 minutes at high pressure, followed by a 15 minute natural pressure release.
- Uncover and use the trivet’s handles to carefully lift the chicken out of the pot. Carve up the chicken and place the meat on a serving platter. Spoon liquid from the pot over the sliced chicken and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
NUTRITION
| Makes 3 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 500 (65% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 36g | 55% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 45% |
| Cholesterol 208mg | 69% |
| Sodium 910mg | 38% |
| Net Carb 3.5g | |
| Total Carb 4g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.5g | 3% |
| Sugars 1.5g | |
| Protein 42g |
PHOTOS
NOTES & TIPS
The recipe assumes a store-bought whole chicken weighing 4.5 – 5 pounds, fresh not frozen, and the appropriate cooking time is 25 minutes at high pressure followed by a 15 minute natural pressure release. If you can’t find a whole chicken in that weight range, you can modify the recipe’s pressure cooking time using this rule of thumb: add or subtract 6 minutes of pressure cooking for every pound. So if your chicken is 5.5 – 6 pounds, the pressure cooking time should be 31 minutes. If you’re using frozen chicken, you’ll need 10 minutes of pressure cooking for every pound. For example, a 4 pound chicken would need 40 minutes of pressure cooking. When you’re looking for a whole chicken at the supermarket, note that either a “broiler” or “roaster” chicken is fine — just pay attention to the weight. Anything too large may not fit in your pressure cooker. I use a 6 quart Instant Pot and I wouldn’t buy a chicken heavier than 5 pounds. The nutrition estimate above assumes that a 4.5-5 lb chicken has about 25 ounces of edible meat from the breast, legs, and wings.
I made this tonight so that I could make a quick meal for fajitas. They loved it!!! Only problem was I cooked for 25 and rest for a NR for 15 minutes and as I cut to the bone of a leg I had dark pink meat and then blood. So I put it back in for 10 extra minutes cook time and another 15 minute NR and this time wings and legs fell right off on their own. Was amazing…. Just had to make a note to adjust the cook time was all… Will be making again probably next week
This was very good, I made it for supper tonight. Used the herbs listed and also added in some McCormick Rotisserie seasoning as I had it on hand. It was very moist and fell apart, I am new to Instant pot cooking, this was my first attempt at cooking meat in the pressure cooker. Thanks for sharing!
If I’m cooking a frozen chicken, is it ok for the giblets to still be inside? Or do I need to pry them out??
Hi Katrina! I’d remove the giblets before pressure cooking.
Way easier than roasting a whole chicken. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Pam, did your chicken come out moist? I am wanting to make this for dinner on friday we have guests, but dont want to risk it being over cooked and having to order pizza ;(