You’ll never serve a dried-out chicken again with this Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe at hand. At less than half the price of a rotisserie bird from your grocer’s deli section, this is a smart and delicious way to get dinner on the table any day of the week.
How to Get Crispy Chicken Skin
Everyone loves crispy chicken skin and let’s be honest a chicken with perfectly crisp and golden skin looks so impressive! The good news is it’s super easy for your chicken to have crispy skin even after cooking it in the Instant Pot.
After cooking your chicken will be perfectly tender and juicy so simply place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes until the skin is golden and crispy (this usually doesn’t take longer than 4-5 minutes). It’s as simple as that!
How to Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Lemon Pepper
- Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper mix and stuff the cavity with lemon, garlic and thyme.
- Brown the chicken in the instant pot then add water and place the chicken breast side up.
- Cook the chicken in the Instant Pot then let the pressure release naturally.
- For crispy skin place the chicken under the broiler until crispy, rest for a few minutes then serve.
How to Tell your Chicken is Cooked
This recipe will ensure that the chicken is cooked perfectly all the way through but if you are unsure then use a meat thermometer and check that the chicken has reached 165F.
Top Tip: Always insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast or thigh to get a correct reading.
How to Cook Different Sized Chickens in the Instant Pot
If your chicken is larger then simply add an extra 6 minutes cooking time per pound (subtract if smaller). This recipe has been tested with a 3.75lb chicken which is a pretty average size for a family of 4 however if you have a bigger gathering you can easily cook a larger chicken using this method.
Just make sure that your Instant Pot is large enough to fit the chicken inside before buying!
Resting Time – Why it’s Important
Resting any meat especially a whole chicken is a super important step. As the chicken rests it relaxes and releases its juices back into the meat. If you cut a chicken too early straight after cooking then all those juices will run straight out of the meat which will dry it out and it’ll also lose a lot of flavor!
Make sure to rest the chicken for at least 10 minutes before serving, don’t worry it won’t be cold!
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve this Instant Pot Whole Chicken be it with veggie sides such as Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole or Brussel Sprout Salad or why not add leftovers to a Classic Chicken Alfredo, or even make up some Chicken Salads or Sandwiches. The list is endless!
Top Tips for Making Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- For even more flavor, season and stuff then chicken, then refrigerate it uncovered overnight. This acts as a dry brine that penetrates, flavors, and tenderizes the lean meat.
- Technically, broiling the chicken at the end is an unnecessary step, but it’s a must if you love crispy chicken skin.
- Lifting the bird out of the Instant Pot is easiest if you use two big forks like you would turkey lifters. Simply jab it from opposite sides, lift, and go!
- Garnish the platter with halved lemons and bunches of fresh thyme, if desired.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes You Might Like;
Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Lemon Pepper
Ingredients
- 3.75 lb whole chicken (preferably organic)
- 3 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon halved
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme optional
Instructions
- Place chicken on a sheet pan. Stir together salt, lemon zest, and pepper. Sprinkle chicken with salt mixture; stuff cavity with lemon halves, garlic, and thyme.
- Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to saute; add olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken, breast-side down. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes.
- Hit “Cancel” to reset Instant Pot. Remove chicken from Instant Pot. Add 1/2 cup water to Instant Pot; place trivet in Instant Pot. Top with chicken, breast side up.
- Place top on Instant Pot; twist to seal and lock. Turn Steam Release Valve to “sealing.” Set Instant Pot to cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes.
- After cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally (approximately 15 minutes). After that, manually release the pressure by turning the Steam Release Valve to “venting.”
- Carefully open Instant Pot lid. Remove chicken; return to sheet pan. Set oven to broil. Broil until chicken skin is crispy and golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
Notes
- For even more flavor, season and stuff then chicken, then refrigerate it uncovered overnight.
- This acts as a dry brine that penetrates, flavors, and tenderizes the lean meat.
- Technically, broiling the chicken at the end is an unnecessary step, but it’s a must if you love crispy chicken skin.
- Lifting the bird out of the Instant Pot is easiest if you use two big forks like you would turkey lifters. Simply jab it from opposite sides, lift, and go!
- Garnish the platter with halved lemons and bunches of fresh thyme, if desired.
