You will never make a roast chicken again after making this instant pot whole chicken with compound butter! Juicy, easy, and no basting required!
Related: I get all of my grass fed beef and pasture raised chicken from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
I am so in love with this Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe because I will never have to buy another store bought rotisserie chicken again! They are small, usually dried out, and probably full of junk.
I have another roast chicken recipe on this blog but it is quite a bit more labor intensive. There was lots of basting, and waiting, basting and waiting some more. Busy moms ain't got time for that!
HOW TO MAKE AN INSTANT POT WHOLE CHICKEN
To get started with this delicious instant pot chicken recipe, I made a compound butter. This is just softened butter with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, dried oregano, and garlic powder. I mixed that all together really well with a fork.
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Before we rub the compound butter all over the chicken, we need to take it out of the packaging and pat it dry. If your chicken is frozen, you really need to let it thaw completely before pressure cooking it. I normally use frozen chicken breast when I am cooking them in my Instant Pot (like my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breast), but it doesn't work as well with a whole chicken.
After I pat it dry with paper towels on a plastic cutting board, I rubbed it down with the compound butter. I put 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot, followed by the trivet, then the whole chicken.
HOW LONG TO COOK A WHOLE CHICKEN IN THE INSTANT POT
Here is a great formula for Instant Pot cooking times with a whole chicken. For each pound of chicken, set the Instant Pot timer for 6 minutes. So for a 5 pound chicken, you would set the cook time for 30 minutes.
After the chicken is finished cooking, let it naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes.
When I removed the chicken from the pot, it almost fell apart it was so juicy and tender! Before serving it I did a big squeeze of lemon over top for some brightness. I served my Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Cauliflower Mac and Cheese!
The Instant Pot is so great for basic recipes like this. I also love it to make Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs, Instant Pot Chicken Thighs, Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Soup, and Instant Pot Ribs!
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (completely thawed if frozen)
- ½ stick Softened butter
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 cup Water
- 1 Lemon, cut in half
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the packaging and place on a plastic cutting board. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Add the butter and seasonings to a small bowl. Mix with a fork
- Rub the compound butter all over the chicken.
- Add water to the instant pot liner, followed by the trivet that came with the pot. Place the whole chicken on top of the trivet.
- Lock the Instant Pot lid, set to sealing, and set the timer. See notes for cooking times.
- When the cooking time is finished, let naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure by flipping the knob.
- Remove from the pot carefully onto a platter. Finish with drizzle of the leftover cooking liquid and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Jennifer's tips
- For cook times, multiply the size of your chicken times 6. My chicken was 5 pounds so I cooked it under high pressure for 30 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
⭐ Did you make this Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
Terri says
I made this today and oh my goodness!! I had to broil it in pieces, because, it jusr apart on me getting it off the trivet. It was so tender, juicy and full of flavor. It will be my go to recipe for whole chicken. Thank you for sharing.
AMP says
People have commented that the skin is not crispy when cooked in the Instant Pot but all you have to do is broil it in the oven after it’s cooked for a few minutes. This makes the skin crispy. It was perfect !
AMP says
Delicious recipe. I broiled it fir a few minutes after it was done cooking to make the skin crispy.
Karen Oliver says
I just made this. Good and tender but skin wasn't brown or crispy. Look raw but wasn't.
jenniferbanz says
The instant pot used as a pressure cooker will not make food crispy.
Katie says
Could you explain the 15 minute pressure thing? So I don’t release the pressure for 15 minutes? Do I after 15 minutes? Does it do it on its own?
jenniferbanz says
Let the pot release the pressure for 15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure by flipping the knob at the top.
Lucia says
I just made this tonight and it was AMAZING !!! I wouldn’t change a thing 🙂
Zoe Levitt says
Hi! Wondering if you've made this with just chicken breasts? I'd like to make it for a dinner party so trying to figure out how to make enough for 10 people. Thanks!
jenniferbanz says
You could have a look at this recipe: https://jenniferbanz.com/instant-pot-chicken-breast Maybe it can help
mary says
was wondering if you placed the whole chicken breast down or up when cooking? curious if down makes it moister....
jenniferbanz says
I am not sure. I think I will try that next time just to experiment.
Susie says
This did not work for me. I had an almost 5.5lb chicken. Cooked it on high pressure with the 1 cup of water, breast side up for 35min. We did do the quick releasse. Would that have made it tough and dry? It was completely thawed and at room temperature.
jenniferbanz says
Yes, quick release will make it dry
Cathy Loucks says
I made this roasted chicken in my inta pot, it was wonderful. But I would leave off the lemon next time. It is a preference in taste, I didn't care for it but my daughter loved it.
jenniferbanz says
So glad you liked it!
Christina says
I was blown away that you can cook an entire chicken in 30 minutes! This simplifies dinner in so many ways!
Allison Miller says
Always looking for instant pot recipes and this looks awesome! I've always wanted to cook a whole chicken and this looks so easy.