Instant Pot Whole Chicken

4.68 from 214 votes

Make a perfectly juicy rotisserie style chicken in your electric pressure cooker. This recipe is Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole 30, Keto-Friendly and Sugar Free.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 299kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Equipment

Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)

Ingredients

1 whole chicken innards removed
1 lemon cut in half
1 onion 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

Mix together all ingredients well.

For Pressure Cooker Whole Roasted Chicken

Place trivet in the instant pot and pour in 1 cup COLD water into instant pot. Use 1.5 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. Discard the onion/lemon/etc from cavity of chicken and slice and enjoy.

Video

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 the total cooking time for whole chickens.
Be sure to allow pressure to naturally release for at least 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes.
If cooking a frozen whole chicken, be sure innards are removed and plastic or metal clamp is removed BEFORE freezing and cook for 11 minutes per pound.
Total time: 10-15 minutes to come to pressure + cooking time based on the 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.
The recipe for rub will easily cover a 6-8 pound chicken. If using a smaller sized chicken, you will only need half the rub. You can make the entire batch and then save half the rub for another time.

Nutrition