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Instant Pot Whole Chicken

How to cook Instant Pot Whole Chicken: Learn the secrets to cooking the most tender and juicy Instant Pot Roast Chicken with Amy + Jacky's "Zero-Minute" method. Easy butter garlic rotisserie-style chicken made with a few healthy pantry ingredients. Plus you'll end up with a bonus chicken soup!

Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 - 6
Calories: 314 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 (3.3lb or 1500g) whole chicken
  • 1 teaspoon (0.9g) dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon (2.1g) dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon (1.4g) dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 teaspoons (35g) fine sea salt or table salt
  • 8 cups (2L) cold water
  • 3 - 4 tablespoons (52g) unsalted butter
  • 4 (13g) garlic cloves , minced
  • a pinch of salt
  • Optional - 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
  • Half lemon

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pressure Cook Whole Chicken: Add 5 tsp (35g) salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried rosemary, and 1 tsp dried thyme to Instant Pot. Pour in 8 cups (2L) cold water. Carefully submerge whole chicken (breast side facing up) in the liquid.Pro Tip: Make sure the whole chicken is at least 90% submerged in the liquid.With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 0 (zero) minute*, then Natural Release for 20 - 22 minutes.For 2.8lbs (1260g) Whole Chicken: Natural Release for 18 minutes For 3.2 lbs (1450g) Whole Chicken: Natural Release for 20 minutesFor 3.6 lbs (1633g) Whole Chicken: Natural Release for 22 minutesAfter 18 to 22 minutes, release remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to Venting position. Carefully open the lid. Remove chicken, then drain the hot chicken stock in chicken carcass.*Amy + Jacky's Notes: Zero minutes is not a typo! We're using the time it takes to "get up to pressure", and "release pressure" to cook the chicken. For reference, it takes roughly 30 to 32 minutes to "get up to pressure".
  2. Make Garlic Butter: While the chicken is cooking in Instant Pot, melt 3 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in minced garlic and a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté garlic for 1 - 2 mins until fragrant and golden in color. Remove from heat, add in 1 tbsp regular soy sauce (optional), then set aside.
  3. Measure Temperature & Pat Dry Whole Chicken: Carefully place the chicken on an oven tray. Measure temperature at the thickest part of chicken. Make sure the temperature reaches at least 161°F (72°C). Gently pat dry the chicken with paper towel.Note: If the internal temp doesn't reach this food safe minimum, put the chicken back into the hot broth. Close the lid, then let it cook for a longer time (5 - 10 mins).
  4. Optional - Crisp Chicken: Brush garlic-infused butter all over the chicken. Try to avoid having garlic on top as it'll burn easily in oven. Option 1 – Oven: Put the chicken breast-side down under the broiler for 4 – 8 minutes until the skin is browned & lightly crisped. Be careful if you're also browning the breast side because white meat is more likely to dry out.Option 2 – Air Fryer or Air Fryer Lid: Place a trivet in Instant Pot. Put whole chicken (breast side down) on trivet. Brush sauce on chicken. Place Air Fryer Lid on Instant Pot. Press “Airfry” button, set Temperature to 400°F and Cooking Time to 20 minutes. Flip chicken over if you want to brown the breast side too. For reference, it’ll take roughly 8 - 12 mins until the chicken skin is browned & crisped. You can open the lid to check the progress.
  5. Serve: Rest chicken for a few minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on chicken if desired. Serve & enjoy immediately!

Notes

  • Water: 8 cups (2L) cold water is not a typo! We're using this amount of water because we're using the deep poaching method to cook the whole chicken.
  • Salt: 5 teaspoons (35g) salt is also not a typo! And it won't make your chicken too salty.
  • Unsalted Butter: We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients so we can better control the flavors. If you’re substituting it with salted butter, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Adjust accordingly.
  • Regular Soy Sauce (Optional): For adding some umami flavors and colors.
  • Frozen Whole Chicken: Frozen whole chicken won't work well with this method because it'll take a much longer pressure cooking time.
  • Instant Pot Models: For reference, we developed & tested this recipe with 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cookers. Since this is a time-sensitive recipe, using the optimal Natural Release time is critical. If you're using Instant Pot models with a higher wattage or pressure level (i.e. Instant Pot Pro, Instant Pot Pro Plus, Instant Pot Pro Crisp, Instant Pot Duo Crisp, or Instant Pot Max), adjust the Natural Release time accordingly.
  • Can't Set Zero-Minute: If your Instant Pot doesn’t let you set “zero minutes”, set it to “Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 1 minute”. Once it gets up to pressure, press “Cancel”, then let the pressure Natural Release.
  • Keep Warm Mode: It doesn't matter if you keep the "Keep Warm" mode on or off during the Natural Release process. For the Instant Pot, the "Keep Warm" mode won't kick in well after the pressure is released.
  • Opening the Lid: If your pin drops before the needed natural release time, leave the lid close until you reach the required time.
  • High Altitude: We developed & tested this method close to sea level. So if you're cooking at a high altitude, increase the cooking time accordingly.
  • Turn Chicken Broth into Soup: You can dilute the yummy chicken broth, then add some vegetables, meat, or noodles to make a simple soup.
  • Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
  • Omit Salt: If you're worried about the sodium level, as long as you don’t drink all the broth, the chicken's sodium level will be quite minimal. If you must reduce the amount of salt, it won't affect the poaching result. It's there to add flavor.

Nutrition Information

Calories 314kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Protein 23g (46%) Fat 24g (37%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 9g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 105mg (35%) Sodium 489mg (20%) Potassium 245mg (7%) Fiber 0.4g (2%) Sugar 0.04g (0%) Vitamin A 368IU (7%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 40mg (4%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4- 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories 314

% Daily Value*

Calories 314kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Protein 23g 46%
Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 9g 45%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 105mg 35%
Sodium 489mg 20%
Potassium 245mg 5%
Fiber 0.4g 2%
Sugar 0.04g 0%
Vitamin A 368IU 7%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 40mg 4%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.