Instant Pot Whole Chicken

You’re gonna fall in love with your Instant Pot with this Game-Changing Instant Pot Whole Chicken (Rotisserie Style) Recipe! 😀

Tender & Juicy Butter Garlic Chicken covered in aromatic herbs, with a squeeze of refreshing fresh lemon juice. Yum~

A perfectly easy & delicious busy nights meal for the family.

You might wonder…since different parts of the chicken need different cooking times, how can we evenly cook a whole chicken in Instant Pot?

After a couple of months of researching, testing multiple techniques & cooking times with dozens of chickens, we were more than thrilled to introduce our secret Game-Changing Technique: Instant Pot Poaching Method!! Read more here

This ancient gentle cooking technique is seriously awesome for cooking perfectly tender & juicy whole chicken in Instant Pot.

Yaasss! Both the dark meat AND white meat are juicy & moist!! You seriously gotta try it to believe it. 😀

And we’ve been flooded by nothing but your love ever since:

Jody: “Tonight we tried your Game Changing BBQ Chicken. Holy smokes was it delicious!! My husband who is the white meat eater of a chicken RAVED how moist it was! I myself can not get over how great the dark meat was! Neither one of us have had chicken so good.”

Wayne: “OMG, folks. You outdid yourselves on this one…In roasted chicken, I often find that the white meat is dryer than the dark. In this case, both were equally moist and tender and tasty. I finished it under the broiler in the oven, which not only gave it a nice colour, but additional flavour as well. This is definitely going on my keeper list and I will be recommending it others.”

Since then, many A+J Fans have been requesting for our Rotisserie Chicken Recipe, so here it is!! 🙂

Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Whole Chicken

1. Ensure Water Covers At Least 90% of the Chicken.

8 cups (2L) of Water is not a typo!

For this recipe, we’re using the deep poaching method in Instant Pot to cook the whole chicken. So it’s critical to ensure your whole chicken is fully submerged in the salted water.

2. Pressure Cook at High Pressure 0 Minute

Yes! You can “pressure cook” at 0 (zero) minute! How can that be?!

We’re setting the pressure cooking time to 0 (zero) minute because we’re using the heat generated during the “building pressure” stage AND the “depressurizing” stage (i.e. when Instant Pot is natural releasing) to cook the whole chicken.

Just remember to measure your chicken’s internal temperature with a food thermometer. Make sure the chicken’s internal thickest part reaches at least 161°F (72°C).

Instant Pot Whole Chicken Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

What is Poaching?

If you’ve enjoyed Poached Eggs before, then you’ve savored the heavenly deliciousness of Poaching. 🙂

The Deep Poaching Method involves cooking food submerged in liquid at a relatively low temperature.

Photo from our Game-Changing Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe

This method allows the proteins to denature without pulling out too much moisture out of the food. That’s why poached food comes out so moist and tender!

Poaching is most commonly used for cooking delicate or fragile food that might easily fall apart or dry out using other cooking methods, such as eggs, fish, or poultry.

So let’s get started!! 🙂

First, prepare the few ingredients for Instant Pot Roast Chicken:

Not too many ingredients to prepare. Yay! 🙂

Pressure Cook Chicken in Instant Pot

Add 5 tsp (35g) fine sea salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried rosemary, and 1 tsp dried thyme to Instant Pot.

Pour in 8 cups (2L) cold water and carefully submerge the chicken into the liquid.

*Pro Tip: Make sure the chicken is at least 90% submerged into the liquid

Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 0 minute (yes! zero minute is not a typo 🙂), then Natural Release (20 – 22 minutes).

*Pro Tip: It will take 30 – 32 minutes to get up to pressure.

Natural Release Time Chart:

• For 2.8lbs (1260g) Whole Chicken – 18 minutes Natural Release
• For 3.2 lbs (1450g) Whole Chicken – 20 minutes Natural Release
• For 3.6 lbs (1633g) Whole Chicken – 22 minutes Natural Release

Open the lid carefully.

Remove & drain the hot chicken stock in the chicken carcass.

Make Garlic Butter

While the chicken is pressure cooking in Instant Pot, melt 3 – 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add minced garlic and a pinch of kosher salt.

Sauté the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and golden in color. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pat Dry Whole Chicken

Carefully place the chicken on an oven tray.

Measure temperature of the thickest part of the chicken. Make sure the temperature reaches at least 161°F (72°C). Gently pat dry the chicken with paper towel.

*Note: If the internal temp doesn’t reach this food safe minimum, place it back into the hot liquid for a longer time (5 – 10 minutes) & close the lid.

*Pro Tip: You can dilute this yummy chicken goodness liquid and add some vegetables to make delicious Instant Pot Chicken Soup. 🙂

Optional: Crisp Chicken

Apply garlic infused butter all over the chicken.

*Pro Tip: Try to avoid having garlic pieces on the top becauseg garlic will burn easily in an oven.

Place the chicken breast-side down under the broiler for 4 – 8 minutes until the chicken skin is browned & lightly crisped (as shown in below photo).

Oh my! Check out this gorgeous looking roast chicken! yum~ 😀

Serve Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Yasss you did it!! That was easy, wasn’t it? 🙂

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before carving.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the chicken if desired.

Serve Instant Pot Whole Chicken immediately.

Enjoy your Instant Pot Whole Chicken!~

Tools for Instant Pot Whole Chicken

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Kitchen Tongs
• Food Thermometer
• Silicone Basting Brush

Other Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot HK Chicken

Instant Pot Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)