Description
The Instant Pot makes it so easy to cook a delicious, juicy whole chicken! This recipe is simple and versatile– use your favorite seasoning blend and enjoy it right away, or season with salt and pepper so you can save the meat to use for meals during the week. Making Instant Pot whole chicken is one of the most convenient ways to save time and money in the kitchen!
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb whole chicken, giblets removed
- olive oil
- kosher salt*
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on to Saute and let it preheat. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then drizzle olive oil on the top and the bottom of the chicken. Use your hands to evenly spread the olive oil over the chicken. Liberally season the chicken with salt and pepper all over the chicken.
- When the Instant Pot reads “HOT”, add the chicken to the Instant Pot, breast side down. Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes, then flip and brown it again on the bottom for another 5 minutes.
- At this point you can add a cup of water and cook the chicken while it rests on the bottom of the Instant Pot, or you can cook it while it sits on the trivet (that came with your Instant Pot). I prefer to cook it on the trivet so that it is easier to lift out of the Instant Pot once it finishes cooking.
- Use a pair of tongs to lift the chicken up and place the trivet in the Instant Pot. Set the chicken on the trivet breast side up. Pour in one cup of water along the side of the pot (not on to the chicken).
- Set a cook time for 25 minutes on high pressure. When the cook time is complete, let the pressure naturally release for at least 10 minutes.
- Lift the chicken out of the Instant Pot and transfer to a cutting board. If you are planning to eat it right away, loosely tent it with foil and let it rest 10 minutes before serving. If you are planning to save the meat for future meals, let the chicken cool slightly before cutting up**. (It is easier to cut while hot, but you don’t want to burn yourself!)
Notes
*I usually just use salt and pepper when I am cooking a whole chicken to use for future meals because I will further season the chicken more then. However, if we are planning to eat the chicken for dinner right away, I will make a spice mixture with which to season the chicken: (2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp dried whole thyme, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika).
**Be sure to save the chicken carcass and the cooking liquid for making chicken stock!