Simple Instant Pot Whole Chicken

Making Whole Chicken in your Instant Pot

I love my instant pot. 
It’s one of my favorite tools to utilize in my home for meal prep, bone broth, boiled eggs, quick dinners – so many things! This recipe helps you take a whole frozen chicken right from the freezer, to on your table, in just over two hours. And it is Delicious. The Instant Pot Whole Chicken is juicy and flavorful and the recipe is simple, quick, and versatile. No before-hand prep. It’s the perfect go to recipe for healthier eating, and a nourishing dinner! 

My four year old, Addie, calls this her ‘chicken bone’ dinner. She loves to take the drumstick and feel like big stuff eating the meat off the bone. It’s such an easy meal to make. Just toss some quinoa in your instant pot with the chicken broth created from the whole chicken, or roast some chopped sweet potatoes in your oven for your side, and you are good to go! 

I also make the recipe ahead of time if I know I need chicken for soup, or tacos, or any recipe. And I especially love the fact that I can make BONE BROTH with the leftover bones each time I make this recipe. You’ll probably hear me talk about bone broth a lot over here! Recipe to come on the blog soon! But just know, it’s packed full of good things for your body, and I use it in so many recipes. 

Why buy the whole bird? 

I love to buy whole chicken! I rarely buy anything else when it comes to chicken nowadays. When you buy a whole chicken, so often the price per pound is SO much cheaper then buying meat that has been prepared and cut down. Now, obviously you’re not going to have just meat, and will be left with a large bone carcass at the end. But like I mentioned above – bone broth! Utilize that! 

What I love to do for my family is to buy a bunch of whole chickens, and store them in my deep freezer. These whole chickens are on hand and easy to grab and throw into my instant pot for a quick dinner. My favorite brands are the Simple Truth whole chicken from Kroger, and the Simply Nature Organic whole chicken from Aldi. 

The majority of our meat in on hand, stored in deep freezers. It just makes life simpler that way! And buying in bulk saves you money in the long run. We are hoping to raise our own meat chickens this spring. That will be a first for us, so it will be an experience I’m sure. 

Why I love my instant pot

I don’t often encourage all the tools to ‘make your life easier’. My motto is simpler, so most of the time less things fit into that motto. However, the instant pot I 100% recommend as a staple in your kitchen. Its versatility and the way you can create meals so quickly, and in simple ways, truly helps me in the kitchen. 

Like I mentioned above, I make all things from bone broth in a couple hours, to 5 min boiled eggs, to 3 min quinoa, to soups, meats, whole chickens, and more! It’s so good.

Do you have to have an instant pot to make this recipe? Technically you can make roasted whole chicken in your oven, and the crispy skin is definitely something you do not get in an instant pot! BUT, this recipe is for my instant pot since it’s a ‘toss it together and go’ kind of recipe. And I love that! 

Tips for making Instant Pot Whole Chicken

• Keep in mind that a whole chicken’s weight varies from bird to bird, so cook time will be slightly different for each one. The weight of your whole chicken should be listed somewhere on the packaging, and below I list approximate cook times per poundage, for fresh and frozen.
• To remove the frozen giblets, you can run hot water over the back area of the bird where the giblets are, pull the giblets out, and proceed.
• To serve a whole chicken with crispy skin, simply remove the finished bird from the instant pot, and place it into a roasting pan. Allow the chicken to sit under a broiler for 3-4 min – keeping careful watch that it doesn’t burn! 
• Be careful when the instant pot releases steam, it can be hot and powerful. Be careful not to stand in its way, and I like to turn the pot away from the cabinets before releasing. 

Tools you’ll need to make this recipe 

• Instant pot 
• Trivet 
• Measuring spoons
• Something to remove the chicken – tongs, metal spatula etc. 

What is a natural release on an Instant Pot?

Most instant pot recipes will call for either a quick release or a natural release. 

A Quick Release is letting the pressure out quickly or immediately after the cook time has finished. The reason you would use this is because the longer the pressure is in the pot, the longer your food continues to cook (which is not ideal for delicate foods). Be careful! The steam will be powerful, and hot! 

A Natural Release is when you allow the pressure to stay in your pot and release naturally. By doing this, it gives your food a little more time to cook. Most recipes involving meats will call for a natural release to make them more tender and juicy. Simply leave the instant pot set for the allotted time on the recipe. Once that time is up, then you can press the quick release button, and release whatever steam is left. 

Ways to use a whole cooked chicken

I love to serve with a side of roasted sweet potatoes or some yummy homemade Mac and cheese. It’s also a great recipe to make ahead of time if you need cooked chicken for another meal. Simply cook the chicken according to these directions, allow the bird to cool to handle, and pick the chicken. I will either keep the cooked meat in the fridge or, if I don’t know when I plan to use it, I will put it into the freezer and toss it into a recipe later. 

Be sure to keep your chicken bones to toss back into the instant pot with some fresh herbs, veggies, onion, garlic and apple cider vinegar. In a few short hours you can have a delicious AND highly nutritious and gut healing bone broth! Keep your bone broth in the fridge for a week, OR freeze it to pull out as needed for recipes. Simply exchange it for when a recipe calls for chicken broth or stock. 

Cooking times per pound

Please keep in mind that the cooking times listed below should be pretty accurate, however cook time can depend on instant pot size, and the chicken itself, so always check the chicken with a meat thermometer when done to be sure. I like to insert the meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the thigh of the chicken without touching the bone. Look for a temperature of at least 165 degrees F in the thigh meat.

Cook times for a Fresh Whole Chicken: 

Plan to cook your whole fresh chicken for about 6 minutes per pound.

Make sure to include an additional 15 min natural release when cook time is finished. See natural release portion of this post for more information. 

• 3 pounds = 18 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 3.5 pounds = 21 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 4 pounds = 24 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 4.5 pounds = 28 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 5 pounds = 33 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.

Cook times for a Frozen Whole Chicken: 

Plan to cook your whole frozen chicken for about 12-13 minutes per pound. 

Make sure to include an additional 15 min natural release when cook time is finished. See natural release portion of this post for more information. 

• 3 pounds = 39 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 3.5 pounds = 46 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 4 pounds = 52 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 4.5 pounds = 59 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.
• 5 pounds = 65 minutes cooking time on High Pressure.

Recipe

Begin by running fresh or frozen chicken breast under water. Pat dry and place into instant pot on trivet.

Next pour 1/4 cup of a mild oil (avocado/coconut/olive) over the bird.

Next sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons pink salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon dried rosemary.

Pour 8 ounces of water or chicken broth into the bottom of the instant pot. Click on the instant pot lid, and turn the instant pot to pressure cook, and select an amount of time based on the charts above.

When time is finished allow for a 15 min natural release. At this point you can insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the bird, close to the bone, making sure it has reached 165. Finally, if you prefer crispy skin, remove bird carefully and place into a pan, and put under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, being careful to watch so it doesn’t burn.

Conclusion

And there you have it! This is such a simple, quick and delicious recipe for the whole family to enjoy! Have you ever cooked a whole chicken in an instant pot before? Tell me below!