Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken is one of the most delicious recipes for a whole chicken! In less than 60 minutes, you can have a tender, juicy, perfectly “roasted” chicken made in your pressure cooker!. This easy recipe for Instant Pot Whole Chicken is flavored with a homemade rotisserie seasoning and is perfect for an easy dinner or using in chicken recipes.
Looking for more Instant Pot Chicken Recipes? Check out Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, Instant Pot Chicken Wings, and Instant Pot Chicken Tacos. And be sure to check out all my Instant Pot Recipes.
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Instant Pot Whole Chicken
I held off making a whole chicken in the pressure cooker for a long time. I felt like I already had a great recipe for Oven Rotisserie Chicken, so why mess with a good thing?
I am so glad I decided to start experimenting, because Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken is about the best thing since sliced bread.
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.
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
Step one: Make sure your chicken fits into your instant pot.
Don’t laugh! If your chicken is larger than your pressure cooker you will be cursing up a storm you can’t make Instant Pot Roasted chicken–if your chicken does not fit into your pressure cooker just use my oven roasted chicken recipe.
I have a 6 quart Instant Pot and I have made as large as a 5 1/2 pound whole chicken. And this is the time, when you can refer to Max fill line on your instant pot. If you remember, in my Instant Pot 101, I told you not to fill more than 2/3 full when pressure cooking–this is the exception to that rule (because we are not using a high volume of liquid).
Step Two: Prepare your Instant Pot
- Place your trivet into your pressure cooker.
- Pour in 1 cup water of cold water–you need liquid in order for pressure to build and pressure cooking to be possible. If you have an 8 quart instant pot–use 2 cups water.
Step Three: Season the Chicken
- Clean out your chicken. And by cleaned, I mean clean out your gizzards, etc from inside your chicken–do not rinse your chicken. You can read more about why you shouldn’t rinse your chicken here.
- Stuff your cleaned chicken with an onion and lemon.
- Rub the chicken with the homemade rotisserie rub.
Step Four: Pressure Cook the Chicken
- Place the lid on your pressure cooker, set valve to seal.
- Set cooking time according to how large your chicken is (see recipe notes).
Step Five: Let Pressure Release
- After cook time has elapsed, allow pressure to naturally release for at least 10 minutes (I prefer 20-25 minutes for more tender meat). And it is okay to leave the Instant Pot on the keep warm setting during this time.
- Remove chicken to cutting board and let rest for an additional 10 minute before serving for the juices to redistribute.
- Save bones from your roasted chicken to make Instant Pot Chicken Stock.
How long does it take to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot?
The length of cooking time for whole chickens will vary based on size of your chicken. A safe rule of thumb is to cook your chicken 6 minutes per pound and let naturally release for at least 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
- For every pound add 6 minutes, for every half a pound add 3 minutes to total cooking time for whole chickens.
Please Note: If your chicken seems like it is really thick (the chicken breasts are large) you may want to increase time to 7 minutes per pound. A smaller organic chicken only needs 6 minutes per pound.
Chicken is Not Cooked Through
Once pressure releases, use an digital thermometer to check to ensure the temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees.
If it is below the 165 degrees, place lid back on pressure cooker and cook for an additional 2 minutes for every 5 degrees below 165 degrees. (It will not take as long for your pressure cooker to come to pressure a 2nd time.)
No Poultry setting?
No worries! Poultry setting on your pressure cooker is just high pressure. Set to high pressure for suggested cooking time.
Can you cook a whole chicken that is frozen in the instant pot?
Yes and No.
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 time by 5 minutes per pound, for a total of 11 minutes per pound and for frozen chicken, let pressure release for at least 20 minutes.
Frozen Whole Chicken Cook Times
- 3 pound frozen chicken: 33 minutes on high pressure
- 4 pound frozen chicken: 44 minutes on high pressure
- 5 pound frozen chicken 55 minutes on high pressure
- For each pound increase by 11 minutes, for each half a pound increase by 6 minutes for frozen whole chickens.
Can I make chicken stock while cooking a whole chicken?
Yes, you can make stock at the same time as cooking a whole chicken in your instant pot–with a few cautions.
- First of all, your skin will NOT be able to be crisped up, as the whole chicken will cook submerged in liquid.
- You will need to cook a smaller chicken, as you do not want to exceed filling your pressure cooker more than 2/3 of the way full.
- You will not need to use your trivet if making a whole chicken and stock at the same time.
- Omit rotisserie seasoning, so your chicken broth is not overly salty.
- Your chicken stock will be more greasy as the skin will render quite a bit of fat while cooking.
- You will need to allow chicken stock cooked with a whole chicken to naturally release pressure on it’s own, as when pressure cooking this much liquid, it would be dangerous to release the pressure prematurely.
I recommend making Instant Pot Whole Chicken as this recipe suggests and then following my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stock with the leftover carcass from your chicken. But if you want to cook the whole chicken and make stock together, place your chicken into your instant pot, along 1 diced onion, 1 carrot, 1-2 stalks of celery and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cover with water and cook according to size of your whole chicken. Let pressure release naturally and then remove chicken and strain broth. Use cooked chicken and stock as desired.
Instant Pot Roasted Chicken with Crispy Skin
When cooking whole chickens in the pressure cooker, the chicken skin will not have a chance to crisp up. For me, that is not a problem because I remove the skin before eating or using in recipes that call for pre-cooked chicken. BUT if you would like crispy skin on this chicken, follow these instructions:
- Cook the chicken as directed in your pressure cooker.
- After removing the chicken for your instant pot, transfer to a baking sheet.
- Brush with oil and place under broiler for 2-4 minutes, watching closely as to not burn the chicken.
Can I brine my chicken before cooking in my electric pressure cooker?
Yes, you can brine your chicken before cooking in your pressure cooker. Use your favorite brine recipe (or my Turkey brine recipe) and then omit salt from the seasoning blend. Cook as recipe states for a brined chicken.
I don’t like the homemade rotisserie seasoning? What else can I use?
If you don’t happen to like this rotisserie seasoning blend, you can simply sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper or your favorite spice blend before cooking.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Leftover Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken innards removed
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 1 onion cut in half
- 1 recipe Rotisserie blend
Rotisserie Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
Homemade Rotisserie Seasoning
- Mix together all ingredients well.
For Pressure Cooker Whole Roasted Chicken
- Place trivet in instant pot pan and pour in 1 cup COLD water into instant pot. Use 2 cups water if you have an 8 quart instant pot.
- Rub seasoning evenly over chicken.
- Place cut lemon and onion inside cavity of chicken and place chicken on trivet in instant pot.
- Place lid on pressure cooker and be sure valve is turned to sealed.
- Set on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound of chicken. If your chicken seems like it is really thick (the chicken breasts are large) you may want to increase time to 7 minutes per pound. A smaller organic chicken only needs 6 minutes per pound.
- Once cooking time is finished, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes, preferably closer to 20 minutes. Check the temperature of the chicken with a digital thermometer to be sure it has reached 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken thigh.
- Remove chicken from Instant Pot and place on cutting board, let chicken rest for an additional 10 minutes for the juices to redistribute.
Notes
- 3 pound chicken: 18 minutes on high pressure
- 4 pound chicken: 24 minutes on high pressure
- 5 pound chicken: 30 minutes on high pressure
- For every pound add 6 minutes, for every half a pound add 3 minutes to total cooking time for whole chickens.
- Be sure to allow pressure to naturally release for at least 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes.
- Total time: 10-15 minutes to come to pressure + cooking time based on size of chicken + 10-20 minutes pressure to release
- If your chicken seems like it is really thick (the chicken breasts are large) you may want to increase time to 7 minutes per pound. A smaller organic chicken only needs 6 minutes per pound.
Kristen Chidsey
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An awesome quick and easy seasoning is half seasoned salt and half poultry seasoning. Awesome for poultry, pork, and potatoes
That is a great idea as well Sarah!
Best IP whole chicken I’ve made so far. Perfectly cooked 4.5lb bird for 27 minutes. I put a big sprig of my friend’s fresh rosemary in the cavity and one of fresh parsley across the top of the bird. I used my Mealthy to crisp the top. Making broth out of the carcass now. Yum!!
I am so glad you enjoyed Dawn! And I love that you are using the bones to make broth–enjoy!
Why is the number of serving Instant Pot Chicken 12 servings and the the number of servings for Oven Roasted Rotisserie Chicken only 6 servings. Both recipes call for one chicken, though the oven roasted specifies 3-4 pound chicken, whereas the Instant Pot only calls for a whole chicken. The 2 recipes are pretty much the same. I am just curious as to why the Instant Pot Chicken is 12 servings while the Oven Roasted Chicken is 6 servings. Appreciate your input.
Thank you for all the recipes and the additional information you include to make the recipe come out perfect the first time.
Hi Candy! That is a great question. Honestly, the Instant Pot chicken should be only 6 servings as well. I will change that now 🙂
Thank you for your prompt reply. Clears up my confusion.
You are welcome, thank you for bringing that to my attention.
‘Have tried this recipe several times…it is my “go-to” recipe for chicken.
I am so so glad you enjoy Steven! This is a staple at my house as well.
Zach Williams said fear is a liar, it takes your breath away. That goes along with what my Mother said, “Sometimes you just have to try it, to see how it goes.”
I tried your recipe in my new Insta Pot with a little different seaoning, pressure cooked 36 minutes as chicken was a little over 5.5 lbs and did make the recipe as you wrote it. I cut off the legs and thighs put some BBQ sauce on them and broiled them 3 minutes in the oven. Fantastic!
The breast was sliced for another meal. It’s very hard to put ones self out there especially when folks can comment. I read your blog, viewed your videos and felt like you are my new bff. Thank you for the hours you spent writing your blog and developing recipes. This was my first effort and turned out perfectly. I look forward to Insta Potting more of your recipes and learning to adapt my own. God bless you.
Oh thank you so much Dianna for your kind words! I really do want my blog to feel like I am welcoming you into my kitchen. I am so glad you enjoyed the chicken and I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy.
I made this on Christmas Day when we had a couple friends over for dinner. I have always been super intimidated to cook a whole chicken, but this was so easy and turned out great! Today I’m making some stock as well. Thanks so much!
YAY! I am so glad you now have confidence to make a whole chicken–and look at you making stock as well! Awesome!
The recipe is very tasty, but the cooking time is way off. I followed the instructions step by step, weighed my chicken to make sure I was setting the right amount of time, and my chicken was far from being fully cooked. It wasn’t a big chicken, and it ended up in the oven to finish cooking properly.
I am sorry you had issues with your chicken not being cooked through. Elevation, the thickness of the chicken, or it not being fully defrosted can all play a huge role in cooking time. In the future if something is not cooked through, place the lid back on the Instant Pot and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. It will heat up much quicker the 2nd time and is often faster than the oven.
Well my 4 lb chicken did not cook in 24 min/20 keep warm! Even the Instant Pot recipe book calls for 8min/lb for whole chicken. I should have looked at other recipes first. Will know better next time. I am putting it in for another 10 min. Hope it will be better then. Family is not happy having to wait.
Hi Marge. As you can see by the reviews, many, many people have had success cooking using these instructions. The Instant Pot timing often is off slightly and does result in more over cooked meats. However, if your chicken was not fully thawed or really thick, this could have been the issue. I am sorry your family had to wait on dinner.
The first time I made this I cooked it with one cup water on the trivet. When done there was a lot of liquid on the bottom that turned into a gel consistency when cooled. I took some and added 4 cups or so of water and heated it on the stove and it was the most delicious flavor. Is this not right as you say to make broth to immerse the whole chicken? I tried it that way also and the broth was weak tasting and the chicken totally fell apart. You say to roast first and then use carcass for broth.
Hi Lisa, I am not sure I understand your question. I say that I don’t recommend cooking the chicken in the water to make broth, but that it can be done. Like you said, the chicken meat will fall apart and the stock is not as flavorful as just using bones and vegetables. I prefer to use the bones after making this chicken to make stock (not making both at the same time) But it sounds like you found a great way to use the cooking liquid from the Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken.
My chicken was very dry?? I followed everything exactly… what could’ve happened?
Hi Kandice. I have never had this chicken turn out dry, but let me help troubleshoot for you. Did you use cold water (a full 1 cup for 6 quart, 1.5 cups for 8 quart)? Was your seal fully on your Instant Pot? Did you cook for only 6 minutes per pound? Did you let pressure release naturally? Let me know and I can further help. If anything, this chicken is so moist it nearly falls apart.
Kristen, can I ask what’s probably a silly question?
Do I have to add more liquid if I omit the (highly allergenic, sadly) onion and lemon? Thanks!
Hi Charlene! Not a silly question at all. No need to add any additional liquid.
This is really helpful for me as I research to shop for an InstantPot. Thank you! My question is, are you certain there’s no difference between a poultry setting on a pot, and the capacity to roast on high pressure? Have you tried both? I only ask because as far as I can tell, the functionalities of one model of instantpot will suit me better overall, but it doesn’t have a poultry setting–which I would use regularly. So if I have to decide between using my pot for poultry or cake (for example) I’d rather go with the poultry setting. Love to hear anything you have to offer about this! Thank you!
Hi Aimee! Poultry is just a fancy present, but it uses high pressure. No need to purchase an instant pot just for a poultry function. High pressure will work just as well.
Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe. We altered it a bit by substituting chicken broth for water and by stuffing the chicken with limes, garlic and cilantro. It’s a recipe we’ve used often in a crock pot but the instant pot was much more convenient.
I am so glad you had success Barry!
Do you think two smallish chickens would fit ok in an 8 qt? I struggle to make enough roasted chicken for my family at 7, but I am looking at getting an 8-quart instant pot. We do organic chickens, that where the necessity to do 2 comes in.
Hi Melissa! I would think that 2 small organic chickens will fit in an 8 quart. Because the chickens will touch each other, I would increase cook time to 7 minutes per pound verses 6 minutes. Enjoy!
Don’t have trivet can i cook the whole chicken without it.
Yes, just know that the chicken will get a bit soggy because it will be sitting in liquid. Some people use crumbled up foil as a trivet, but personally I have not tried it.