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 Homemade Poultry Seasoning, Seasoned Salt, or a Cajun seasoning.
- Water: As you know, you need liquid to reach and maintain pressure. I recommend using water when cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, as there are minimal differences in flavor when using a liquid such as broth or beer.
- 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!
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken innards removed
- 1 lemon cut in half
- 1 onion peeled and cut in half
- 1 recipe Rotisserie seasoning recipe below
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
- In a small bowl, combine the dried spices with salt and pepper until well combined.
For Pressure Cooker Whole Roasted Chicken
- Place a trivet inside the inner pot of the instant pot and pour in 1 cup of COLD tap water into the instant pot for a 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups of water if you have an 8 quart instant pot.
- Be sure to remove any plastic or metal from your chicken. And remove any innards and giblets from inside the chicken. Pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly over the chicken on both sides, using your hands to pat the seasoning mixture on the chicken.
- Place the lemon and onion inside the cavity of the chicken and place the seasoned chicken on the trivet inside the instant pot.
- Wash your hands well, and then place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent valve is sealed.
- Set to cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound. If your chicken seems like it is really thick (the chicken breasts are large) you may want to increase the cooking time to 7 minutes per pound.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow pressure to release naturally for at least 15-20 minutes. Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid, and insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh. Be sure it has reached 165 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from Instant Pot and place it onto a cutting board and let the chicken rest for an additional 10 minutes for the juices to redistribute. Discard the onion/lemon/etc from the cavity of the chicken and slice and enjoy.
Optional Browning Step
- Broiling Option: Cook the chicken as directed in your pressure cooker. After removing the chicken from your instant pot, transfer it to a baking sheet. Brush with oil and place under broiler for 2-4 minutes, watching closely so as to not burn the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before enjoying the chicken.
- Air Fryer Lid Option: 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. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before enjoying the chicken.
Equipment Needed
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 additional pound add 6 minutes, for every half a pound add 3 minutes to the total cooking time for a whole chicken.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally shared in 2019 and updated in 2023.
Nelson Walker
Thanks for this terrific recipe - will try this weekend in my 8qt instant pot.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and hope you have success in your 8-quart as well.
Liz
Hi!
This recipe sounds great! I can't wait to give it a try today especially since it's hot and humid and I don't want to turn on the oven. I suppose chicken juices drip down into the water in the instant pot. Is it flavorful enough to use for gravy? If not can you add a mirepoix (chopped carrots, onions and celery) and a bay leaf to make it even more flavorful, so that you can use it for gravy?
Thanks again for this easy recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Liz, I would add mirepoix and then it would be flavorful for a gravy. I hope you enjoy and stay cool!
Kendra
The drippings make a GREAT gravy too! I have done this recipe twice now, and going to use it again tonight. Gravy has a little kick/good flavor from the spices.
Daniel Ganoung
I have to adjust the pepper amount, but other than that, it's a great recipe. Marked as one I'll make often,
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing that you make this often! And it is always a good idea to adjust the recipe for yourself 🙂
Jo Ann
The easiest and most fool-proof recipe yet! Followed instructions to the letter, never been disappointed!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Jo Ann. I love hearing you enjoy this recipe.
Ethel Appling
sounds good and simple, new to all of this, are you able to cook more then one thing in the pot at a time? example the 4lb chicken, potatoes and veggies?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ethel! You certainly can, but potatoes and veggies cook so much faster than a whole chicken, so they would turn to mush. Instead, I would cook the chicken and then remove from the instant pot and tent with foil. Add in cubed potatoes and veggies in cooking liquid and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then serve all together.
Matt
This is a really confusing note. So, with a 5lb bird, am I setting it for 30 minutes or 40-55?
Total time: 10-15 minutes to come to pressure + cooking time based on size of chicken + 10-20 minutes pressure to release
If the former, suggest you strike that note, or clarify it. If the latter, this information needs to be moved way up in the recipe where all cooking times are mentioned. Currently waiting to see if I just ruined a meal.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Matt. I am sorry this confused you. Cook time is 6 minutes per pound, so for a 5-pound bird it would be 30 minutes. BUT you need to plan for 55 minutes before you can eat to account for time that comes to pressure and time for pressure to release. I added that in the notes so that people could plan accordingly.
Rachel
Hi Kristen!
I absolutely ❤️ my instant pot, it is a game-changer for me. I’ve prepared your super easy and delicious way to cook a whole chicken a couple of times now. I feel like my guests are always impressed when I use this recipe. My in-laws came for dinner and they were picking over the meat scraps in the kitchen after we cleaned up haha! I’m excited to try out some of your other genius concoctions!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I love hearing how much you and your family enjoyed this recipe and I hope that you find many more to enjoy on my site 🙂
Shelli
I agree 1000% about this being the juiciest way to cook a whole chicken -- and so easy! My family raved about how delicious and juicy and tender the chicken was!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this Shelli! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Tamboliya
Can you cook the bag of giblets in the instant pot along with the chicken in this and in other recipes? Is it safe? If yes, how do we do this correctly? I have a Duo Plus 6 Quart Instant Pot. This will be my 1st time using my Instant pot and am scared, intimidated, have a mental block about it and am disoriented about how to use it. Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tambolyia! I always recommend doing the water test before trying out any recipes--this will help boost your confidence. As for cooking the bag of giblets, they need to be removed as many are in plastic bags.
Tamboliya
Thanks. But what do we do with the giblet bag? How do we cook the giblets and when? Could we cook the giblet inside the instant pot if we removed them from the plastic bag? Perhaps if we used the saute function to cook them?
Kristen Chidsey
I typically discard. HOWEVER, you can save the giblets and then after the chicken is cooked. Saute until just browned. Add 1.5 cups of water and salt and pepper and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. OR add to instant pot chicken stock.
Tamboliya
Thanks for responding. Am I to add to the chicken stock raw or after cooked? Are we supposed to add seasonings to it or flour to it to make a gravy or just eat it as it is like eating meat? Would you do a recipe for it online w/ all the specific details and tips? I'm scared of doing it wrong. I need recipes that don't skip steps but explain everything in detail w/ pictures & videos, recipes that don't assume us readers already know what you are talking about. My mother never cooked gizzards nor used any crockpots nor electric cookers. We ate a lot of fast food and frozen TV dinners! I need to be taught everything from scratch from the ground up from Ground Zero! 🙂 Yikes! Help! 🙂 LOL
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tabmoliya. Here is my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stock if you are interested--there is a video there that walks through how to cook the chicken stock--this is to use AFTER you make the rotisserie chicken. As for the Gizzards, I personally am not a fan and do not have a recipe to direct you for that or know how to season, other than to suggest you add to the other ingredients in the stock and adding raw is perfectly fine.
Larry
Has anyone tried this using beer as a liquid? Sort of like the old beer can chicken method. Just curious.
Kristen Chidsey
I use beer a lot to cook pork in--so I would imagine that would add a bit of flavor. I think it is worth a try!
Angela Cooper
What did you do to make your skin seem crispy?
Kristen Chidsey
You can broil for a few minutes if you would like after it is pressure cooked.
Heidi
For a Max? How do I change the settings or liquid? Do you think 4 min/pound for thawed whole bird?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heidi, if using the Max Instant Pot model, I would still select High pressure and cook for 6 minutes per pound instead of using max pressure.
Katie
Hi! I tried reading through some of the comments, but couldn't find the exact answer that I'm needing. (I found a similar question from 12/7/19, but it didn't give me the answer I need!)
After cooking with the initial liquid of one cup water, it resulted in four cups of liquid after cooking. (I had a very large, 6.5 lb chicken.) I reserved this liquid, used some to make a delicious gravy, and then cooled the rest in the fridge. After cooling, it resulted in a layer of fat, and then the rest is quite gelatinous. Can water be added to this to use as a base for soup? (I figure that even if it's very seasoned, I always need to add a lot of seasoning to soup, so maybe I would just have to add less.)
Or do you have any recommendations of how it could be used, to avoid having to throw it away? (I don't make whole chickens often to know how to use this!) I will also be using the carcass to make additional stock/broth, but it would be wonderful to be able to also use the liquid that came from the initial cooking of the chicken. Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Katie! That liquid will add tremendous flavor to any soup. You have a few options, you can remove that top gelatinous layer and discard, or you can add to soup for concentrated flavor. I would suggest cutting out salt if using this stock in your recipes, or cutting with half water, as it will be VERY seasoned due to the rub. I hope that helps 🙂
Barbara
Thanks, my question was answered here.
Essie
Thank you for this recipe. I have made it several times and it comes out perfect every time! My question is: I bought a whole cut up chicken. Do I cook it the same amount of time as the whole chicken? Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Essie! I am so glad you enjoy so much! As for a whole cut-up chicken, you would want to cook based on the largest piece of chicken. I would suggest cooking for 10 minutes on high pressure to see if that works.
Tim Reason
Background - first time user of the pressure cooker, temporarily out of work and attempting to learn to cook . Sorry for the low rating but the chicken came out very rubbery and very red between the leg and body. I cooked a 3 lb whole chicken in an 8 qt "Power Cooker" with 2 cups of water. I cooked it for 18 minutes and checked the temp in meaty part of the leg at at 174. I removed and browned for 4 minutes under the oven broiler. It looked fantastic and smelled wonderful but meat is not really edible. I believe it is significantly under cooked and I'm not sure why at this point. However, it is always fun to learn new skills even if they don't pan out.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tim! It sounds like 2 things were your issue. The first, is that you should only use 1.5 cups of water for an 8 quart instant pot. Using more or less water will change the cook time needed, changing the results of how the chicken comes out. Secondly, chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees, so it actually sounds like your chicken was overdone, not underdone. Sometimes the bones can be more red in color, but the meat is still perfectly safe to eat.
Tim Reason
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate your response. I will try it again with less water and pay more attention to the finishing temp. Again, thanks as I am learning new skills around the kitchen.
Kristen Chidsey
I am happy to help Tim! Instant Pot cooking has a bit of a learning curve 🙂
laurel
Made this the first time but added some hot chili flakes and rosemary. Later made soup out of the meat and bones and it was so good! Making it again tonight! I think this might become a weekly meal prep! So easy and flavorful!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing how much you enjoy this recipe Laurel and that it will be a weekly staple--it is in my house as well!
Wendy Lee Kremer
This is a delicious recipe for cooking a whole chicken. I cooked it a couple of minutes longer than the recipe said, and the meat just fell off the bone! Also, I like to take off the skin and put the seasoning directly on the meat, it gets the seasoning deeper into the meat.
The juice makes a yummy gravy too. After I remove the chicken, I just mix a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch in a 1/4 c of cold water and pour in the cooker and set it to saute and boil until thickened. I used half of the chicken for one meal and then chop up the rest of the chicken to make chicken noodle soup! Love this recipe!! Thank you 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe so much Wendy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and share with us your recipe for gravy.
Brrr in Alaska
If you have an Instant pot w/ air fryer, after chicken is done pressure cooking, remove chicken keeping it on the trivet. Dump the liquid (I used chicken stock when I pressure cooked it). Place the chicken (on the trivet) back into the pot. Swap out your pressure cooking lid for the air fryer lid and set to broil at 400 for 20 mins. This replaces the oven broiling step for crispy skin.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for the tip--I would just warn that broiling for 20 minutes may overcook the meat.
Brrr in Alaska
The air fryer does not cook with the same speed as broiling. The chicken was still plenty juicy and tender. 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Good to know!!! Thanks for sharing that!
Zoey's yaya
I'm a newly inducted Instapotter and I have a really dumb question...what is the right way to use the rack in the instapot or for this recipe? Please dont judge.
Kristen Chidsey
Not a dumb question! The rack (or trivet) can be placed into your Instant Pot to place a pot on for Pot in Pot cooking/making a cheesecake or to place food on to cook that you don’t want to be submerged in liquid,--like this Instant Pot Chicken or with Baked Potatoes. You need 1 cup of liquid for under the trivet for a 6 quart instant pot and 1.5 cups for an 8 quart Instant Pot. The water is needed for the pressure to be reached but the rack keeps the food from getting soggy. Hope that helps.