Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Learn to make a whole chicken right in the Instant Pot with this easy recipe! Made with homemade rotisserie seasoning, this recipe for Instant Pot Whole Chicken results in a tender, juicy, perfectly cooked chicken in under 60 minutes.

This Instant Pot "Rotisserie-Style" Chicken is a favorite Instant Pot Chicken Recipe. It is perfect to enjoy for a family dinner or to use in leftover rotisserie chicken recipes.

I held off making a whole chicken in the Instant Pot for a long time. I love my recipe for Homemade Rotisserie Chicken made in the oven, so why mess with a good thing?

I am so glad I decided to start experimenting because Instant Pot Whole Chicken is about the best thing since sliced bread. Just like my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Instant Pot Chicken Thighs making a whole chicken in the Instant Pot results in the most flavorful, tender, juicy chicken you will ever have. The meat literally falls off the bone and each bite of chicken is oozing with juiciness.

I predict this Instant Pot Rotisserie-Style Chicken is going to quickly become a new favorite recipe at your house. It is a simple, economical recipe that is worthy of a Sunday family dinner, or it can be used for any recipe calling for leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken.

What you Need

• Whole Chicken: This recipe is designed for a fresh or thawed whole chicken. The one important note to consider is to make sure your chicken fits inside the instant pot. I have found that for a  6-quart model, you can prepare up to a 5-½ pound whole chicken, and for an 8-quart model, you can typically fit a 6-½ pound whole chicken. If you find that your chicken does not fit inside your inner pot, use my oven-roasted chicken recipe.
• Onion & Lemon: I add lemon and onion to the cavity of the chicken to help add flavor to the meat. However, you can omit one or both if you don't have an onion or lemon on hand. 
• Homemade Rotisserie Blend: This spice blend is made with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Feel free to omit the cayenne pepper if you are sensitive to heat, but the blend itself is not spicy, as very little is used. You can replace the seasoning blend with your favorite spice blends, such as Seasoned salt or a Cajun seasoning.
• Water: As you know, you need liquid for pressure to be reached and maintained. When cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, I recommend using water. I have made a whole chicken using broth and beer as the cooking liquid and there were minimal differences in the flavor, as the chicken, sits above the liquid on a rack. Therefore I don't find it worth using anything other than water. 
• Trivet: It is best to cook a whole chicken on the metal rack or trivet that came with your electric pressure cooker. This will keep the skin from becoming soggy AND prevent a potential burn notice.  

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot

This chicken recipe is one of the easiest Instant Pot Recipes you can make. However, if you are new to using an Instant Pot, you may first want to check out How to Use an Instant Pot to familiarize yourself with some of the terms and steps.

• Place the trivet or rack inside the pressure cooker. 
• Pour in 1 cup water of cold water for a 6-quart model and 1-½ cups for an 8-quart model. Be sure to use cold tap water, not warm water. Using warm water will cause the instant pot to come to pressure faster, which ultimately changes the cooking time needed. 
• In a small bowl combine the seasonings for the spice rub.

• Remove any plastic or metal pieces from the chicken and the giblets from inside the cavity of the chicken. Pat dry with a paper towel. 
• Generously sprinkle the spice rub over the chicken, using your hands to rub the spice blend into the skin of the chicken. Be sure to season both sides of the chicken. 

• Place the chicken, breast side up on the rack inside the prepared Instant Pot. 

• Wash your hands well, and then place the lid on the Instant Pot, being sure to set the vent knob to the sealed position.
• Set to cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes per pound, by using the manual or pressure cook button, and then hitting the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time.  
• After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 15-20 minutes. This will ensure the meat stays tender and juicy.
• After 10 minutes of natural release. you can do a quick release of remaining pressure by using a long utensil to hit the vent knob valve from sealing to venting. Just be sure to stand away from the valve to prevent being burned by steam.
• Use a digital thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, to check to ensure the temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. If the temperature is below 165 degrees F, place the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook for an additional 2 minutes for every 5 degrees below 165 degrees.

Note: It is NORMAL for the meat to pull away from the bones after pressure cooking. It will still be incredibly juicy and delicious.

• If desired, you can crisp up the skin by placing the chicken onto a sheet pan, brushing the skin with oil, and broiling for 2-4 minutes, watching closely so as to not burn the chicken. 

• Remove the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute.
• Slice the chicken into pieces and serve as desired. And don't forget to save the bones to make Instant Pot Chicken Stock.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken Video

If you learn better through a step-by-step video, watch me prepare this whole chicken in my kitchen.

Serving Suggestions

Instant Pot Whole Chicken is perfect for serving as the star of dinner along with a side of Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots or a side salad. This Instant Pot Chicken is perfect for any recipe that calls for cooked chicken. Some of my favorite recipes are shared below.

• Creamy Chicken and Rice
• Creamy Parmesan Chicken Casserole
• Chicken Waldorf Salad
• Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
• Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Determining Cooking Time

The length of cooking time for a whole chicken in the Instant Pot will vary based on the size of your chicken. A safe rule of thumb is to cook your chicken on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes per pound with a natural pressure release of at least 15-20 minutes for perfectly cooked chicken.

• 3-pound chicken: 18 minutes on high pressure
• 4-pound chicken: 24 minutes on high pressure
• 5-pound chicken: 30 minutes on high pressure

To account for an additional ½ pound, add an additional d 3 minutes to the total cooking time. For example, if you were cooking a 3-½ pound chicken cook for 21 minutes (6 minutes per pound + 3 minutes per half a pound).

Please Note: If your chicken seems like it is really thick (the chicken breasts are on the larger side) you may want to increase the time to 7 minutes per pound.

Air Fryer Option

If you happen to have an air fryer lid that fits on your Instant Pot, you can use your air fryer lid to crisp up the skin right inside the Instant Pot. After pressure cooking, use an air fryer lid on your pressure cooker to crisp up the skin. Set to 400 degrees F and air fry for 3-4 minutes or until the skin is crispy.

Instant Pot Frozen Whole Chicken

You CAN cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot if your frozen chicken already has the innards/gizzards removed and has no plastic ties around the feet. You will not be able to remove a plastic insert or bag of gizzards from a frozen chicken. Therefore, you can not put a frozen chicken with either of those items into your pressure cooker.

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 11 minutes per pound, with a natural pressure release of 20 minutes.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Looking for more Instant Pot Chicken Recipes? These are a few fan favorites!

• Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
• Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

If you make and enjoy this Instant Pot Whole Chicken, I would love for you to leave a comment and your five-star rating below – it will make my day!

This recipe was originally shared in 2019 and updated in 2023.