See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.


This Instant Pot whole chicken is moist, juicy and so flavorful! It’s incredibly easy to make, even for beginners to pressure cooking. Cook from fresh or frozen!

Cooked whole chicken on a serving platter garnished with fresh herbs and lemon wedges.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken is easy and so delicious

This Instant Pot whole chicken is one of my favorite easy Instant Pot recipes. It’s become a part of my weekly routine to make this rotisserie-style chicken for Sunday dinner. Then I use the leftover chicken to make the best quick meals throughout the week! I love it in salads, pastas, casseroles and Chicken Salad sandwiches.

Cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot is fast, simple and budget-friendly. Instead of buying a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken at the store, you can make this Instant Pot whole chicken recipe with just minutes of prep time. It tastes so much better than store-bought, and I love that I know exactly what goes into my meal. Plus, you can make a delicious quick gravy from the drippings. This meal is so good!

Why We Love this Recipe

  • It’s faster than cooking a whole chicken in the oven. You can make roast chicken for dinner on a weeknight!
  • Pressure cooking makes the chicken so juicy, tender and flavorful.
  • You can safely cook a frozen whole chicken in your Instant Pot – no thawing required.
  • My delicious seasoning rub gives this Instant Pot whole chicken the best flavor!

I have cooked 2 or 3 whole chickens in the instant pot, and this recipe is by far the best I’ve tried. It was very easy to follow, and my 4 lb. chicken turned out perfectly – fully cooked, juicy, flavorful, and fall-off-the-bone tender. I am definitely saving this recipe to make again!

Jenni

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot

If you’re new to cooking with an Instant Pot, check out my How to Use an Instant Pot beginner’s guide.

Season the chicken. Stir together the spice rub ingredients: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Then rub olive oil and half of the spice rub over the chicken, trying to get some of the seasoning under the skin on the breasts to flavor the meat there.

Brown chicken. Add olive oil to the Instant Pot and turn on sauté. When the pot is hot, carefully put the chicken in, breast-side up and let it brown for 5-7 minutes. Then flip the chicken over to brown it on the breast side. Remove the chicken to a clean plate.

Deglaze pot. Add 1 cup of water or broth to the Instant Pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Place a handled trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Finish prepping chicken. If desired, place half a lemon, half an onion and/or fresh herbs in the cavity of the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning rub over the chicken.

Pressure cook. A fresh whole chicken will take 6 minutes per pound at high pressure. (For example, a 4 pound fresh chicken will need to cook for 24 minutes.)

Natural release. Once the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before quick releasing the remaining pressure. This makes for a juicier chicken.

Cooked whole chicken in instant pot.

Make gravy. Just like my Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Crockpot Whole Chicken recipes, you can make a quick gravy using the drippings in the pot. After removing the cooked chicken, stir 1 tablespoon butter into the liquid in the pot. Then whisk in a mixture of cornstarch and water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Then carve, serve and enjoy! I love to serve this chicken with mashed potatoes (so perfect for that gravy!) and a vegetable. Try my Roasted Green Beans or Glazed Carrots.

Recipe Tips

  • Use a dry rub to season the chicken before cooking, and try to get some of the rub under the skin on the chicken breasts. You can use your fingers or a small spoon to gently loosen the skin from the breasts. The spice rub in this whole chicken recipe is a simple blend of seasonings and it is so good! My family cannot get enough of it!
  • Sear the chicken before pressure cooking. You can do this right in your Instant Pot using the sauté function. Browning the chicken adds so much flavor!
  • The easiest way to flip the chicken. Turning the chicken over in the Instant Pot after browning it on the first side can be a little tricky. Here’s what I’ve found works best: stick a long handled spoon or tongs into the cavity and then use another long spoon to turn the chicken first onto its side and then flip it over. The smaller your chicken, the easier it will be to flip over in the pot. The chicken in the photos in this post was 5.5 pounds and it just barely fit in my 6 quart Instant Pot. Flipping it was not easy but I got it done!
  • Flavor from the inside out. After searing the chicken, fill the cavity with half of a fresh lemon, half an onion, and fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme. While this is optional, it will infuse your chicken with extra flavor as it cooks!
  • Broil for crispy skin. You can put your chicken under the broiler in your oven for 4-5 minutes after it is done cooking to crisp up the skin. Honestly, I don’t bother with this because we don’t eat the skin but it is up to you!
Pouring gravy over chicken and mashed potatoes on a plate.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken from Frozen

You can safely cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot. I have included full instructions for cooking a frozen chicken in the recipe card below. I prefer to cook a fresh or thawed chicken, but in a pinch (when you forget to defrost your meat) this method works well.

To cook a frozen chicken in the Instant Pot:

  • Skip the step of browning the chicken, since frozen meat won’t sear well.
  • You will only need half of the amount of spice rub called for in the recipe.
  • Pressure cook a frozen chicken for 13 minutes per pound at high pressure, plus 15 minutes natural release.
  • A 4 pound frozen chicken will take 52 minutes, a 4.5 pound frozen chicken will take 59 minutes and a 5 pound frozen chicken will take 65 minutes.
  • After cooking, check that the chicken has reached a safe internal temperature of at least 165° F in the thickest part of the leg, not touching the bone.
Cooked whole chicken on a serving platter garnished with fresh herbs and lemon wedges.
5 from 23 ratings

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 24 minutes
Inactive Time: 36 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This Instant Pot whole chicken recipe is such an easy way to cook a whole chicken! The chicken is seasoned with a delicious spice rub and then pressure cooked until it's juicy and tender. I like to make a quick gravy with the drippings in the pot (directions below). Recipe includes cook times for both fresh and frozen chicken.

Ingredients

Spice Rub:

  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

For the Chicken:

  • 4 pound whole chicken, see note
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • half of a lemon, half of an onion, fresh herb sprigs, optional
  • 1 cup water, or low sodium chicken broth (broth is best if you plan to make gravy)

To Make Gravy (Optional):

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, stir together the spice rub ingredients.
  • Place the chicken in a baking dish to catch any excess juices. If there is a bag of innards in the cavity of the chicken, remove it and discard.
  • Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and then half of the spice rub over the chicken, trying to get some under the skin on the breasts if possible.
  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the Instant Pot and turn on sauté mode. When the pot is hot, carefully put the chicken in, breast-side up. Brown for 5-7 minutes, without moving.
  • Then flip the chicken over to brown it on the breast side. When turning the chicken, be careful to not put your face over the Instant Pot since there is hot oil and steam. I find the easiest way to flip the chicken is to stick a long handled spoon or tongs into the cavity and then use another long spoon to turn the chicken first onto its side and then flip it over.
  • Brown the chicken for 5-7 minutes on the second side and then use the two long handled spoons/tongs to carefully remove it to a clean plate. Press “cancel” to turn off saute mode.
  • Add 1 cup of water to the instant pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Place a handled trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. (If you do not have a handled trivet, you can use a regular trivet with a foil sling to make it easier to remove the cooked chicken.)
  • If desired, place half a lemon, half an onion and/or fresh herbs in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the remaining seasoning rub over the chicken.
  • Place the chicken on top of the trivet in the Instant Pot, breast side up. Close the lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
  • Use the Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set the cook time on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound for a fresh chicken. A 4 pound fresh chicken will need to cook for 24 minutes, a 4.5 pound chicken will cook for 27 minutes, and a 5 pound fresh chicken will cook for 30 minutes, for example.
  • After you set the cook time, the Instant Pot will take some time to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down. When the cook time ends, allow the pot to release naturally for 15 minutes by leaving the pot alone. After 15 minutes, carefully move the steam release valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure and steam. When the pin drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot lid.
  • Use an instant read thermometer to check that the temperature of the chicken has reached at least 165° F at the thickest part of the thigh or leg, not touching the bone.

To Cook a Frozen Chicken:

  • Make sure that your chicken does not have a bag of innards in the cavity. If it does, you may not be able to cook the chicken from frozen because you won’t be able to remove the bag from the frozen chicken.
  • Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place a handled trivet in the bottom of the pot.
  • Put the frozen chicken, breast side up, on top of the trivet. Sprinkle the spice rub over the chicken (you will only need half of the spice rub amount called for in the recipe). Close the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
  • Use the Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set the cook time on high pressure for 13 minutes per pound. A 4 pound frozen chicken will need to pressure cook for 52 minutes, a 4.5 pound chicken will cook for 59 minutes, and a 5 pound chicken will cook for 65 minutes.
  • After the cook time ends, allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes. Then quick release any remaining pressure and, once the pin has dropped, open the lid.
  • Use an instant read thermometer to check that the temperature of the chicken has reached at least 165° F at the thickest part of the leg, not touching the bone.
  • If desired, brown the chicken under the broiler for 4-5 minutes to brown the skin.

To Make Gravy (Optional):

  • Remove whole chicken and trivet from pot. If desired, pour the liquid from the pot through a strainer to strain out any solids and then return the liquid to the pot. Turn on sauté. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the broth in the pot.
  • In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons each of cornstarch and water. Stir this cornstarch slurry into the liquid in the pot. Bring to a boil and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens. Remove from the heat (take the inner pot out of the base), season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Notes

  • You can fit a chicken of up to 5.5 pounds in a 6 quart Instant Pot.
  • If cooking a frozen chicken, you will not need the olive oil since you won’t be browning the chicken. You will only need to make half of the spice rub recipe.
  • Cooked chicken will last in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Nutrition estimate does not include optional gravy.
Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 369mg, Potassium: 226mg, Vitamin A: 400IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1.4mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

I originally shared this recipe in April 2019. Post updated December 2024.

 

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