Cooking whole chicken in the Instant Pot creates a super juicy, leave it and go whole chicken to use in meal prep, future dinner, or eaten as is with your favourite side dishes.
The Instant Pot is one of best new kitchen gadgets that helps to streamline and speed up the process of cooking meals that might otherwise take a fair amount of time.
With this recipe formula, you can create several styles of rotisserie style whole chicken easily and quickly. Get a head start on your protein prep for the week!
Armed with a variety of seasoning ideas, you’ll discover a whole chicken recipe that suits pretty much any cuisine. Simply throw it on top of a salad, and use one of these healthy salad dressing recipes and you’ve got a delicious healthy meal.
You can serve this chicken with Instant Pot Broccoli with Garlic or Teriyaki Sauce, or Sheet Pan Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes from my meatloaf meal prep or for something spicy, try this Spicy Cajun Roasted Cauliflower with Remoulade Dipping Sauce.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Protein
Seasoning Whole Chicken
Seasoning your whole chicken for the instant pot is super easy.
Just decide on what type of rotisserie chicken you would like to make – think about leftovers and the flavour profiles you like best.
Here are some whole chicken seasoning ideas:
- Mexican style add 1/4 tsp each garlic powder, cumin and oregano and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Add lime juice to finished chicken.
- Italian style add 1/4 tsp each of any of garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes, oregano, parsley and 1/8 tsp basil, rosemary, thyme
- BBQ seasoning add 1/4 tsp each garlic powder, chili powder, and 1/8 tsp each paprika, onion powder
- Jerk seasoning add 1/4 tsp thyme, sugar, 1/8 tsp each allspice, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne
- Curry seasoning add 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp each coriander, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, cayenne
- Taco seasoning add 1/4 tsp chili powder, garlic powder and 1/8 tsp cumin, onion powder paprika and oregeno
- Smokey southwest seasoning add 1/4 tsp garlic powder and chili powder, and 1/8 tsp onion powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, cumin
- Vietnamese style seasoning add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, ginger, mint, anise
- Check out this shawarma seasoning mixture from Closet Cooking
For the chicken pictured, I used the smokey southwest style seasoning for my whole chicken.
I used it to make a spicy chicken and lime cilantro soup. The next night I used it to make chicken nachos with roasted red and jalapeno peppers and homemade queso. The rest I will use for tacos!
You can also place some onion, garlic, and lemon inside your chicken. Fresh herbs inside a whole chicken are also a nice addition.
Check out my Batch Cooking Guide for more tips!
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and add some oil
- Rub the whole chicken with some oil and salt and pepper
- Sear chicken in the Instant Pot on all sides
- Turn off saute
- Add 1 cup of water or broth to the bottom of the Instant Pot and add a trivet. If you do not have a trivet, some balled up pieces aluminum foil should work.
- Set Instant Pot to high pressure
- Set timer to 25 minutes
- Ensure vent is off
- After time is up, let pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes
- Remove chicken and place in an oven proof dish or skillet (this part is optional but gives your Instant Pot whole chicken a nice crispy skin)
- Set oven to broil and broil until chicken skin is crisp
Other Tasty Chicken Recipes to Try
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Rotisserie Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- whole chicken
- 2 tbsp avocado or coconut oil or oil of choice
- 1 small onion quartered
- 4-5 whole peeled and lightly crushed garlic cloves
- 1 lemon sliced (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- seasoning mix of choice to taste
- 1 cup of liquid water or broth
Instructions
- Spread half of oil over chicken and season with salt and pepper
- Stuff onion, lemon (if using), and garlic inside chicken
- Add remaining oil to bottom of Instant Pot and set to saute
- Sear chicken on all sides for about 4 minutes
- Remove chicken and set aside, season with desired seasoning mixture
- Add liquid and trivet to Instant Pot
- Place chicken on top, breast side up
- Lock lid and set to Manual High Pressure for 25 minutes
- Let naturally release pressure
- Rest chicken 5 minutes before slicing or serving
- To achieve crispy skin, place chicken under the broiler for a while until skin crisps to your liking
Nutrition
That chicken looks mouth watering! I don’t have an instant pot, they seem to be popular and a time saver!
Yes! They are a huge time saver. The slow cooker works as well. Even low and slow in the oven would work. Thanks Georgia!
I love that you’ve included the different ways to set up a chicken instant pot recipe. I’ll have to try some of these during the weekend
I can’t wait to try these out! The curry seasoning sounds really good.
Thanks so much!
I can’t wait to try this! Sounds perfect and EASY!
Thanks so much!
I must admit that I’m not a big fan of chicken! However, there are sometimes some recipes which make this meat super delicious even for me. Can’t wait to try this one soon! 🙂
I have heard of the Instant Pot but they don’t have it here in Japan just yet. I wish I could get on because I would so like to make chicken like how you made it!
Really any pressure cooker will work! Thanks so much 🙂
I seriously need to get myself an instapot, there are so many good recipes! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
They are a godsend! So useful when you’re in a hurry.
Oh, this looks so amazing! My family would definitely love this for dinner!
Sounds beautiful! This would feed a whole family and still have leftovers, which are always handy.
I love leftovers too! It makes my life easier.
I don’t have an insta pot but I do have a pressure cooker. This looks like a meal that my whole family would enjoy!
Yeah, that would work the exact same! Thanks so much 🙂
I will have to try this! I love making chicken. I have never tried to make it in the instant pot.
It’s a really convenient way to make it!
My family would love this. It would be so much better than buying a cooked chicken from the store.
Yes, much healthier! Plus you can make it however you like instead of the typical BBQ flavour.