Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken

overhead view of instant pot whole chicken on a platter next to a knife

A simple and easy way to cook whole chicken in the Instant Pot.

Course Main

Cuisine American, Western

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 33

Total Time 38

Servings

Calories 278kcal

Author Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mixed herbs Herbes de Provence
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt
ground black pepper
3 tablespoon oil divided
1 cup (235ml) fat-free chicken stock divided (117ml if using 6qt Instant Pot)
3 ½ pound (1.75kg) whole chicken giblets removed, washed and patted dry

UK Measures - **Convert to US Measures**

Instructions

In a small bowl mix together the paprika, garlic, ginger, coriander, herbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon chicken stock into a paste.
Put the chicken in a bowl and rub the paste all over including in the cavity.
Select the sauté setting of the Instant Pot, add in the oil and when hot brown the whole chicken on both sides (about 4 minutes on either side).
Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot, and set aside on a plate.
Add the remaining chicken stock into the instant pot, and scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot from frying with a silicon or wooden spoon.
Place the trivet inside before adding the chicken on top of the trivet.
Cover your Instant Pot and set the valve to the SEALING position.
Select the manual setting or pressure cook, make sure the pressure is set to high and set the timer to 25 minutes.
Cook till done then let the steam release naturally about 10-15 minutes before opening.
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Make sure you check the internal temperature of the chicken using a Meat thermometer (guidelines state meat is done when the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F / 74 degrees C). You can recook for a further 5 mins if not.

Video

Notes

Make sure the chicken fits inside your Instant Pot. What size chicken will fit? This recipe calls for a chicken that is just under 4 pounds which easily fits inside a 6 quart Instant Pot. If you want to cook a chicken that is over 5 pounds, you will need to move up to the 8 quart Instant Pot.
To reduce the time it takes for your chicken to get to pressure, preheat the liquid first in the inner pot using the sauté setting on high. Do this before you place the lid on the Instant Pot and before you select the manual setting. (This is a life-changing Instant Pot tip.)
The browning step is awesome, but it can be skipped. Browning the chicken adds amazing flavor to this main dish, but sometimes you need your ‘Instant’ Pot to be a bit more instant. If you need a faster Instant Pot whole chicken, then simply skip the browning step.
For an even juicier pressure cooker whole chicken, don’t use the trivet. If you want to make extra juicy chicken, cook the chicken directly in the stock and do not place on top of the trivet.
If you don't need an entire chicken, you can follow this same recipe for chicken breast or other bone-in chicken cuts.
Cook your whole chicken breast side down. Flipping the chicken and cooking it with the breast side facing down (where the majority of the meat resides) will ensure that tender white meat stays perfectly moist and juicy.
Remember to check the internal temperature of the chicken using an awesome Meat thermometer.
You’ve created an extra flavorful pressure cooker chicken broth, so put it to good use. Use this liquid gold to make a quick and easy Instant Pot Chicken Soup. You can also store your chicken broth in an airtight container in the fridge and add it as stock to all sorts of different recipes.
You can even use the chicken broth to cook up more chicken! Cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, save the chicken broth, then cook Instant Pot chicken breasts or Instant Pot chicken thighs using the very same liquid. This is a great meal prep solution and an excellent time-saving trick.
Storage - keep leftover chicken in an airtight container inside the fridge up to 5 days.
There are 8 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this. If the skin is removed, there are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints.

Nutrition