This Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Whole Chicken cooks up in just half the time that it would take to roast it in the oven. In about 30 minutes, you can have a tender, juicy “roasted” chicken made in your pressure cooker! It looks like a rotisserie chicken but without all the hassle. In addition, you only need 3 ingredients to prepare this easy dinner recipe.
Curious about how does a pressure cooker work? Read all about it and get our cooking charts! Plus, save these chicken recipes, Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup and galinhada (Brazilian rice with chicken), to make later!
Are you often in a hurry to cook and serve dinner during the week? Me too! Roast chicken is one of the most requested dishes in my household. But the truth is, I don’t have a whole hour to spare in the evenings to make dinner.
If you run into the same issue, you’ve just got to check out our pressure cooker whole chicken recipe, which is cooked in 30 minutes instead of the usual 1 hour that it would take to roast it in the oven.
And the result is quite close: a bird with tender, juicy meat… and a crispy exterior (if you go the extra mile to broil it for up to 8 minutes in the oven).
It is keto, gluten-free, and dairy-free!
If this sound great to you, then check it out!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Taco seasoning: Although I used store-bought taco seasoning, you may use any dry rub of your choice to season the whole chicken, including the cavity. Pick a good rub or seasoning! Or you can make your own at home by mixing 1 tbsp of paprika, 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of dried oregano, 2 tsp of ground black pepper, and 1 tsp of chili pepper or cayenne.
- Lemon: Cut a lemon into wedges and fill the cavity with it. But if you prefer, you can use either pieces of onions or smashed garlic cloves.
- Olive oil: This imparts a great taste to the chicken, but you can use another vegetable oil if it is what you have at home. Try to use neutral oils with a higher smoking point if you intend to broil the whole chicken in the oven for a crispy skin.
You will need about 1 ½-2 cups of water to cook the chicken in the pressure cooker but I am not listing it as an ingredient for obvious reasons.
How to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot
STEP ONE: Make sure your chicken fits into the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
This depends on the size of your Instant Pot and how much your chicken weights. Most whole chickens weigh around 3 pounds or more. To cook a chicken around 3-5 pounds you will need a 6-8 qt. pressure cooker. But if you can’t make our Instant Pot roasted chicken because you bought one that doesn’t fit into your pot, no worries! Roast it in the oven using the same directions for our roast chicken adobo.
The general rule is to not to fill the device more than ⅔ full when pressure cooking—but this recipe is an exception to that rule only because we are not using a high volume of liquid.
STEP TWO: Prepare your Instant Pot
- First, pour 1 ½ cups of water into the pot if your Instant Pot is 6 qt. and 2 cups if it is 8 qt. The water will help the pressure to build up, make the bird juicy, and avoid smoking from the bottom caused by the fat drippings when cooking.
- Second, position your trivet or rack inside your pressure cooker.
STEP THREE: Clean and Season the chicken
- Clean out your chicken by removing the gizzards. Do not rinse your chicken. You can read all about this here.
- Then, season the entire bird with the dry rub or taco seasoning, including the cavity. We used the same seasoning in our baked chicken breast.
- Last, fill the cavity with lemon wedges, pieces of onion, or smashed garlic cloves. Make sure to tie the legs with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under.
STEP FOUR: Pressure cooker the chicken
- Place the lid on your pressure cooker and turn the valve to sealing.
- Set to cook on High Pressure or press the poultry button.
- Set cooking time according to the weight of your chicken. The rule is 8 minutes per pound of chicken.
STEP FIVE: Let the pressure release naturally
After cook time has come to an end, allow pressure to naturally release. It is okay to leave the Instant Pot rotisserie chicken on the warm setting during this time.
STEP SIX (OPTIONAL): Broil Your Chicken for 5-10 Minutes
To get crispy skin on your chicken, remove the lemon from its cavity. Then, optionally transfer the chicken to a greased baking sheet and brush olive oil all over the chicken. Broil for about 5-10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Make sure the breast of the chicken is about 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) away from the broiler.
STEP SEVEN: Let the Chicken Rest Before Cutting
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for an additional 5-10 minutes before slicing for the juices to redistribute and lock moisture in.
NOTE: Make sure to save the cooking liquids to make soups and stews. That broth has great flavor!
How long does it take to cook a whole chicken in the pressure cooker?
The length of cooking time for a whole chicken will depend on the size of your chicken. A safe rule of thumb is to cook your chicken 8 minutes per pound and let the pressure naturally release for perfectly cooked chicken.
- 3-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 24 minutes on high pressure
- 4-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 32 minutes on high pressure
- 5-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 40 minutes on high pressure
- For every pound add 8 minutes, for every half a pound add 4 minutes to the total cooking time for whole chickens.
And If the chicken is not Cooked Through?
Once pressure releases, use a digital thermometer to check to the temperature of the chicken and ensure that has reached 165°F or 74°C. Make sure to insert the thermometer into the inner thigh area near the breast but not touching bone.
If it is below that temperature, place the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook for an additional 2 minutes for every 5 degrees below 165°F or 2 degrees below 74 °C. It won’t take as long for the pressure cooker to come to pressure a second time.
And What If My Instant Pot Has No Poultry Setting?
Don’t worry! The poultry setting on your pressure cooker is just high pressure in the Instant Pot. Set to high pressure, cooking the whole chicken for 8 minutes per pound.
Can you cook a frozen whole chicken in the Instant Pot?
It depends!
Yes, you can cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot only if the innards/gizzards have been already removed and there are no plastic ties around the feet. I say that because it is quite hard to remove them from a frozen chicken. The reason why is you can’t put a frozen chicken with either of those items into your pressure cooker for obvious reasons – the high pressure will melt the plastic ties.
If you have a chicken that comes without the gizzards or plastic clamp around the legs, you would need to increase the time by 5 minutes per pound, for a total of 13 minutes per pound of frozen chicken and also let the pressure release naturally.
Frozen whole chicken cooking times
- 3 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 39 minutes on high pressure
- 4 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 52 minutes on high pressure
- 5 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 65 minutes on high pressure
- For each pound increase by 13 minutes, for each half a pound increase by 6 ½ minutes for frozen whole chickens.
Can I make chicken stock while cooking a whole chicken?
Yes, you can definitely make stock at the same time as cooking a whole chicken in your instant pot—but take the following cautions:
- Cook a smaller chicken — as you do not want to exceed filling your pressure cooker more than ⅔ of the way full.
- Don’t use a trivet or rack if making a whole chicken and stock at the same time.
- The chicken stock will be fatter because the skin will render quite a bit of fat while it is cooking.
- You will need to allow chicken stock cooked with a whole chicken to naturally release pressure on its own; otherwise, it would be dangerous to quickly release the pressure with that amount of liquid.
But if you really want to cook the whole chicken and make stock at the same time, do the following:
Place the chicken into your instant pot, along 1 diced onion, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery, and 2 tsp of salt (if using a packed seasoning, omit the 2 tsp of salt).
Cover with water (make sure to not exceed the line) and cook according to the size of your whole chicken. Let pressure release naturally! Remove the chicken carefully and strain the liquid. Use cooked chicken and stock as desired. Be aware that chicken may be falling apart!
Instant Pot Roast Chicken with Crispy Skin
When cooking whole chickens in the pressure cooker, the chicken skin will not crisp up. For some that don’t eat the skin for health reasons, that is not a problem! But if you would like crispy skin, follow these directions:
- Cook the whole chicken as directed in your Instant Pot.
- Then, transfer it to a baking sheet.
- Brush the entire chicken with oil and broil for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to watch it closely so as to not burn the chicken. The breast must be 8-10 inches away from the broiler.
Can I brine the chicken before cooking in the Electric Pressure Cooker?
Yes, you can brine your chicken before cooking in the pressure cooker. Use this brine recipe from my brined whole turkey, but omit salt from the seasoning blend. Then cook the chicken as the recipe states.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months!
More Instant Pot or Presure Cooker Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts
- Pressure Cooker Black Beans
- Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Pressure Cooker Pulled Pork
- Mushroom Curry
- Ham and Cabbage Soup
- Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
PIN & ENJOY!
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Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- baking sheet
- cutting board
- knife
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds whole chicken
- 1 oz taco seasoning see notes for homemade seasoning
- 1 lemon quartered (or pieces of onion or smashed garlic cloves)
- 1 1/2 cups water for a 6 qt. pot (if yours is 8 qt. use 2 cups of water)
Instructions
- Pour water into the pot if your Instant Pot. Position your trivet or rack inside your pressure cooker.
- Clean out your chicken by removing the gizzards. Do not rinse your chicken. Then, season the entire bird with the seasoning, including the cavity.
- Fill the cavity with lemon wedges. Make sure to tie the legs with a kitchen twine and tuck the wings under. Place the chicken on the trivet!
- Lock the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Set to cook on High Pressure or press the poultry button. Set cooking time according to the weight of your chicken. The rule is 8 minutes per pound of chicken if thawed. If frozen, it is 13 minutes per pound (frozen chicken must have gizzards nor come with plastic ties).
- After cook time has come to an end, allow pressure to naturally release. It is okay to leave the Instant Pot rotisserie chicken on the warm setting during this time.
- (OPTIONAL) Transfer the chicken to a greased baking sheet and broil for 5-10 minutes or until the skin is lightly golden brown. Make sure the breast of the chicken is about 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) away from the broiler.
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting for the juices to redistribute and lock moisture in..
- NOTE: Make sure to save the cooking liquids to make soups and stews. That broth has great flavor!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- 3-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 24 minutes on high pressure
- 4-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 32 minutes on high pressure
- 5-pound chicken (x 8 minutes/pound): 40 minutes on high pressure
- For every pound add 8 minutes, for every half a pound add 4 minutes to the total cooking time for whole chickens.
- 3 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 39 minutes on high pressure
- 4 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 52 minutes on high pressure
- 5 pound frozen chicken (x 13 minutes): 65 minutes on high pressure
- For each pound increase by 13 minutes, for each half a pound increase by 6 ½ minutes for frozen whole chickens.
Nutrition
2pots2cook says
Thirty minute roast for week dinner ? I’m in, Definitely !
Denise Browning says
Me too! Roast a chicken in the Instant Pot is much quicker than in the oven. A great recipe for busy people!
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I still have yet to get an instant pot, but this looks so tempting! Thanks Denise.
Denise Browning says
I hope you try our instant pot whole chicken. It became one of my favorite quick dinenrs.
Chef Mimi says
I don’t have an instapot, but I like this idea!
Denise Browning says
Thank you Mimi! Yes, it cna cook the chicken in half the time hat would take to roast it. I have made this recipe more than once. It is so delish!