Did you know you can cook a whole chicken in your Instant Pot? This is one of my favorite time savers!
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
by Bethany Lotulelei
Once upon a time, I was afraid of the whole chickens at the store. I wasn’t sure how to cook them properly, so I avoided buying them. Then one day, I got my courage up, and I purchased one. I stuck it in the oven, following a recipe I’d found online, and cooked it until I was sure it was done. The result? A sad, dry chicken that would have greatly benefited from some gravy.
I didn’t buy another whole chicken for quite some time, until I read a recipe that promised a moist, delicious rotisserie-style chicken with crispy skin. All from cooking it in the Instant Pot.
Could it be true? Would the Instant Pot deliver me a beautiful roast chicken in less than an hour? My curiosity was piqued, and I gave it a go.
This recipe has changed my life.
We routinely eat roast chicken, thanks to the ease of making it in the Instant Pot! It is seasoned, delicious, and (thanks to a secret which I will share with you in this post) the skin is nice and crispy! Win-win-win!
If you, too, are avoiding whole chickens, because of less-than stellar experiences in the past, might I encourage you to give this recipe a go?
A few tips:
- Only buy a chicken that will fit in your Instant Pot. If you have a smaller Instant Pot then you’ll need to purchase a smaller bird as well! I was gifted some beautiful, free-range chickens that were double the size of the grocery store version, and none of them fit in my Instant Pot! Sob! I use Laura’s method to cook them, rotisserie-style, in the oven instead!
- Stuff your chicken with something delicious–lemon slices, sprigs of herbs, onions, garlic, all of the above!
- Season your chicken liberally. Add your favorite herbs + salt, and don’t sprinkle it lightly! You want a well-seasoned bird!
- Save the chicken broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot, and mix it into your Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes or make a delicious gravy out of it!
How to Give it Crispy Skin
Are you ready to hear the secret of how you are going to ensure your chicken has beautiful, delicious, crispy skin? Step in closer. I’m about to reveal all…
I LOVED cooking the whole chicken in the Instant Pot: it was easy, it was fast, it was incredibly moist. But what I didn’t love? The skin. I missed the crispy skin the oven would give a whole chicken.
Then I discovered this tip: after you have finished cooking your chicken in the Instant Pot, pull it out, set it on a cookie sheet in the oven, and broil it.
Broiling it after it has already baked will give you an amazing, delicious, crispy skin paired with the moist, flavorful meat from the Instant Pot.
So good, and so easy!
- 1 whole chicken with the innards removed
- 2-3 T of melted butter
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion, quartered
- Seasoning of choice
- Place trivet in the Instant Pot
- Pour 1 cup water into the bottom of the Instant Pot
- Rub melted butter over chicken.
- Stuff chicken with lemon, garlic, and onion.
- Season the outside of the chicken liberally with your seasoning of choice.
- Place chicken in the Instant Pot, and close the lid.
- Set on high pressure for 7 minutes per lb.
- Once cooking time is finished, allow pressure to release naturally for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the Instant Pot, place it on a cookie sheet, and broil it for a few minutes until brown.
- Enjoy!
Seasoning Ideas:
What’s your favorite Instant Pot recipe? Share below!
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