Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe
User Reviews
5.0
84 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
10 mins
-
Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
441 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe
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This Instant Pot Whole Chicken is one of my favorite meals when I want juicy, tender meat and savory, seasoned skin without spending hours in the kitchen. With just a whole chicken, whether fresh or frozen, plus herbs, butter, and spices, I can have dinner on the table in under an hour.
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Ingredients
- 1 (4 pounds) whole chicken
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons butter room temperature or use olive oil
Stuff Chicken (optional):
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon halved
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano
- 3 bay leaves
Buttery Mixture for Broiling:
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme powder
- 1/2 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Gravy (optional):
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- remaining cooking liquid
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Instructions
- If cooking a FROZEN chicken you will not be able to stuff it, so skip the stuffing step. Proceed to the step where you add the chicken to the Instant Pot.
Stuff Chicken:
- Remove giblets from a fresh chicken if present.
- If cooking a fresh chicken, stuff the chicken with garlic cloves, lemon, fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, and bay leaves.
- Optional: Gently loosen the skin from the chicken breast, lift it from the meat with your fingers, and rub about 3 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil) under it. You can also add some seasoning.
- Rub the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter (or olive oil) all over the chicken surface. You can also add some seasoning if desired.
Pressure cook:
- Add a trivet with handles to the Instant Pot and add the chicken broth. Place the chicken, breast side down, on top of it.
- Cover with the lid and lock it, point the valve to sealed.
- Press High Pressure and set the timer to 24 minutes. See the blog post for cooking times based on chicken weight and if using fresh or frozen chicken.
- After the cooking time is done and the Instant Pot beeps, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes, followed by a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Using a food thermometer, check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast, it should be a minimum of 165 degrees F. If needed, pressure cook for 5-10 more minutes.
Buttery Mixture for Broiling:
- Turn on the Oven Broiler.
- Melt butter and mix with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Broil:
- Open the pressure cooker lid remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and drizzled with olive oil.
- Brush the chicken with the Buttery Mixture and place it under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes for extra crispy skin.
- Watch the chicken closely, and if needed rotate the pan, so it doesn't burn. If needed brush more with the sauce from the pan. Broil until skin is golden-brown and crispy.
Make Gravy:
- Also, use the remaining liquid to make gravy. Pour the liquid into a bowl and skim off the excess fat at the top.
- Select saute, add the butter, and melt it. Add the flour and stir until combined and lightly golden, this will take about 1 minute.
- Slowly, while stirring, add back the liquid to the pot, and stir until thickened and fully combined. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Serve the chicken topped with gravy and your preferred side dish.
Notes
- When I first started using the Instant Pot for whole chicken, I learned pretty quickly that timing and liquid really matter. I always check the weight of the bird first because that tells me exactly how long to cook it. For my four-pound chicken, 24 minutes on high pressure with a 15-minute natural release works perfectly. If it’s frozen, I know I need closer to 52 minutes. I also measure the broth carefully. Too much liquid and the chicken ends up too soft, not tender. And once it’s done, I let it rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices settle right back into the meat.
- If I need to remove the giblets from a frozen chicken, I just run that area under warm water for about five to ten minutes. It softens enough so I can pull them out easily.
- Weighting the bird is very important, as pressure cooking it for too long will make it "explode" in the IP. The cartilage becomes too soft and the result won't be as pretty but still delicious. Tying together the drumsticks helps prevent that.
- I make sure the chicken fits my Instant Pot before I start. If it's too big, it just won’t cook properly or seal right.
- I never throw out the carcass. I save it to make the best homemade stock for soups and stews.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
441kcal
(22%)
Carbohydrates
5g
(2%)
Protein
24g
(48%)
Fat
42g
(65%)
Saturated Fat
20g
(100%)
Cholesterol
125mg
(42%)
Sodium
729mg
(30%)
Potassium
319mg
(9%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
0g
(0%)
Vitamin A
1140IU
(23%)
Vitamin C
17mg
(19%)
Calcium
64mg
(6%)
Iron
2.3mg
(13%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 441 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 441kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 5g | 2% |
| Protein | 24g | 48% |
| Fat | 42g | 65% |
| Saturated Fat | 20g | 100% |
| Cholesterol | 125mg | 42% |
| Sodium | 729mg | 30% |
| Potassium | 319mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 0g | 0% |
| Vitamin A | 1140IU | 23% |
| Vitamin C | 17mg | 19% |
| Calcium | 64mg | 6% |
| Iron | 2.3mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
84 reviews
Excellent
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