Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Name: Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 5 lb whole chicken (thawed); ½ lemon; 3-4 garlic cloves (smashed); ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup chicken broth (or water)

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This Instant Pot Whole Chicken is juicy and delicious, every time. Plus it's so simple to make.

a whole chicken seasoned with herbs and lemon on a round white platter next to an instant pot.

This recipe can be served as part of a healthy meal, or used to create lunches, sandwiches, or soups. You can also use it to make our keto BBQ chicken casserole.

For another Instant Pot Chicken recipe, try these Instant Pot Chicken Legs or our Instant Pot Crack Chicken next.

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Why you'll love this recipe
What size instant pot to use to cook a whole chicken?
Recipe ingredients
Variations to try
Step by step instructions
Top tips
FAQs
Other chicken recipes
📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

The fastest way to cook a delicious, perfectly seasoned, rotisserie chicken.

Perfect for a simple dinner, a meal prep multi-tasker, that you can use to make other quick dinners during the week. Our easy keto coleslaw is another quick recipe.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken is very versatile! Not only can you use this tender, juicy chicken in all sorts of ways, but you can also very easily adjust the seasonings to make it your very own.

This whole chicken recipe is keto-friendly, low-carb, and gluten free. If you are looking for another delicious and healthy roasted chicken recipe, try Chicken and Brussel Sprouts, made with juicy bone-in thighs.

What size instant pot to use to cook a whole chicken?

You can use any size instant pot to cook a whole chicken, as long as the chicken fits! Both a 6-quart Instant Pot and an 8-quart Instant Pot should fit up to a 7-pound chicken. If you have a mini instant pot that is only 3 quarts, stick with smaller chickens, up to 4 pounds.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients for making a whole chicken in the instant pot in separate bowls. Includes a whole chicken, lemon, butter, garlic, and seasonings.

Mix up some common spices to make the most amazing rub.

Whole Chicken - I'm cooking a 5 pound chicken in this recipe. You can cook almost any size chicken using this method, see notes below regarding adjusting the cook time based on weight.

Lemon - Half of a lemon goes right inside the cavity of the chicken. This keeps the meat from drying out and adds just enough bright citrusy flavor.

Garlic - Along with the lemon, peeled whole garlic cloves also join the party.

Butter - I like to use unsalted butter for this, because salted butter might make your chicken too salty. Melt the butter before mixing it in with the spices.

Olive Oil - I like the combination of both butter and olive oil in the rub.

Kosher Salt - You'll want to give your chicken a good sprinkle of salt so that it's well seasoned.

Italian Seasoning - I love this spice blend. It's a mix of dried basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme, so it's a bit of a shortcut in the kitchen too.

Paprika - This spice adds a bit of warmth and also gives a nice color.

Garlic Powder - While fresh garlic flavors the inside, granulated garlic does the same to the outside.

Onion Powder - The flavor of sweet roasted onions in powdered form is perfect.

Black Pepper - Finish off the spice rub with a bit of ground black pepper. Grind it fresh if possible.

Broth or Water - The instant pot won't work without liquid in it. Use chicken broth for added flavor.

If you have any questions about making this recipe, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

If you're on a low carb diet, pair with our low carb stuffing for chicken and keto cauliflower mac and cheese for a great family meal.

Variations to try

The beauty of this recipe is how easy you can alter the rub to fit your taste.

Spicy - add cayenne pepper or chili pepper flakes to your rub

Citrus - add lemon zest or lemon pepper seasoning.

Fresh herbs - place inside the bird along with the lemon and garlic

Our creamy scalloped sweet potatoes and sauteed zucchini would pair perfectly with this chicken.

Step by step instructions

Photo collage showing 8 steps needed to make instant pot whole chicken

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper together.
Remove the giblets from the chicken (the little bag on the inside) and discard them or save them to use later. Pat dry with paper towels, then place the lemon half and garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity.
Using your hand or the back of a spoon, loosen the skin from the chicken breast.
Spoon about ⅓ of the butter mixture under the skin, massaging the meat to distribute the seasonings evenly.
Rub the rest of the seasoning mixture on the outside, coating it as evenly as possible.
Truss the legs together with cooking twine.
Pour the broth or water into the inner pot of the Instant Pot, then place a trivet inside.
Place the prepared, seasoned chicken on the trivet, breast side up. Secure and seal the lid, then cook on Manual High pressure as directed in the recipe.
Allow the Instant Pot to complete a full Natural Release and then remove the lid. Use a thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C.

These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.

Don't forget dessert, give our Italian hangover cake a try. Its bright citrus flavor is the perfect finish to this dish.

Top tips

As written, this recipe is for a 5-pound whole chicken, which is fairly large. If your chicken is smaller, use the following cook times.

The rule is that you should cook whole chicken in the instant pot for 6 minutes per pound, followed by a natural release.

5lb Chicken = 30 minutes at high pressure, with natural release.
4.5lb Chicken = 27 minutes at high pressure, with natural release.
4lb Chicken = 24 minutes at high pressure, with natural release.
3.5lb Chicken = 21 minutes at high pressure, with natural release.
3lb Chicken = 18 minutes at high pressure, with natural release.

Use a trivet. It makes removing the chicken from the instant pot a breeze plus enables even cooking.

Save the drippings for a gravy. In five minutes you can have the perfect low carb chicken gravy.

Want crispy skin? Place on a baking sheet and broil on high for 5 minutes

FAQs

What do you mean by natural release?

When you use a pressure cooker, including an electric pressure cooker like the instant pot, pressure builds up inside of the pot. After the cooking is finished, that pressure needs to go somewhere. You can either let the pressure out quickly (called a manual release), or let the pot slowly come back to normal pressure (that's the natural release)
In this recipe, you'll hear the Instant Pot finish cooking. Then you will not do anything until the float valve dops on its own.

How long does an instant pot natural release take?

This will vary based on a number of variables. Plan for at least 15 minutes, but it can sometimes take up to 30 minutes to finish. If you need to, you can manually release the remaining pressure after 15-20 minutes of natural release. That should be enough time for the chicken to finish cooking.

What if the chicken isn't done when I take it out of the instant pot?

The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165°F/74°C. You should check for doneness using a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh.
If your chicken is not yet fully cooked after the natural release, you can put it right back into the instant pot and cook again at high pressure for 5 or more minutes, until it is cooked to the proper temperature.

Can I cook a whole frozen chicken in an instant pot?

I recommend that you cook either a fresh chicken or one that has been frozen and fully thawed before cooking. While you can cook directly from frozen, it will take much longer to cook (an hour or more) and may end up tough. You also won't be able to season properly if it's frozen when you cook it.