Instant Pot Whole Chicken (Great for Meal Prep)

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What if I told you that I make a whole chicken, along with homemade chicken, broth almost every week?

Would you think that I am some sort of kitchen, and meal prep wizard? Would you think that I spend hours upon hours of time prepping food for the week?

Yes, I might be a little bit of a kitchen wizard, otherwise why would I even be here sharing recipes with you once a week? 😜

But, I am also a person with a full schedule, who doesn’t ALWAYS want to cook every single day. Shocker, I know. 

And I am also a person who has a very small kitchen with limited counter space that can get cluttered with dirty dishes quickly if we don’t stay on top of them. That is real life, amongst the life of photographing and testing recipes to share with you here.

So, no, I don’t spend hours upon hours of time making a whole chicken each week, followed by making chicken broth . Because, even though my passion is cooking,  I don’t want to spend a ton of my free time meal prepping food every weekend.

Yet, I have come to learn how much a little doing a little meal prep make my week days that much easier. It’s a constant tug-of-war of finding the right amount of time and amount of food to meal prep for the week, without feeling like I just spent my entire weekend in the kitchen.

That, my friends, is exactly where this recipe for Instant pot whole chicken comes in handy.

It is a literal game changer for me when it comes to meal prepping.

Back before Covid-19 Paul would pick a rotisserie chicken up from the grocery store on his way home from work, almost every week. We would usually eat a portion of the warm chicken for dinner that night, and then I would cut up the remainder of the chicken and store it in the fridge for easy recipes throughout the week.

I have even shared easy recipes using a rotisserie chicken as the head start ingredient. One of my favorites is my 10 minute curry chicken salad.

Since Covid-19 happened, and Paul is working from home (which, we both enjoy a lot), we are ordering the bulk of our groceries online and still trying to stay out of stores as much as possible – we haven’t been getting that warm rotisserie chicken from the store anymore. 

I missed it. 

I missed the ease of having a lot of pre-cooked chicken waiting for me in the fridge, ready for me to use it however I needed to.

So, I decided to make my own. 

Since I was developing this recipe in the middle of summer, roasting a chicken for an hour was out of the question. And since I simply wanted this recipe to be as easy as possible for meal prep, the obvious choice was the instant pot!!!

It’s magic, my friends!

You can cook an entire chicken in under 1 hour, without heating up your kitchen. AND, without checking on it as it cooks.

For me, this is something I can handle in my regular weekend meal prep rotation. 

I honestly don’t think I will go back to buying a rotisserie chicken (regularly) from the store. This instant pot whole chicken tastes WAY better! And, especially if you make the Instant pot chicken broth afterwards, you get a better bang for your buck then a store bought rotisserie chicken.

How to make Instant pot whole chicken:

1. Prepare your spices – since the skin doesn’t get crispy these spices are going to infuse the meat of the chicken and make it super flavorful. Mix all of them together.
2. Prepare the remaining ingredients – cut up half of a lemon, and peel a few garlic cloves. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth, or water, into the instant pot. Place the trivet in the instant pot.
3. Prepare the chicken – Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add all of the spice mixture to the entire chicken, including the inside. Stuff the chicken with the lemons and garlic.
4. Cook the chicken – Cook for 30 minutes for a 4 pound bird (time variations are in the recipe card below).
5. Set it and go relax while the Instant pot does it’s thing! – (or do some dishes, which is what I am usually doing lol).
6. Rest – allow the chicken to rest for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Enjoy – Eat immediately. Or,  carve up the bird and store the chicken in the fridge for a later use.

That’s the gist of it! (More in depth instructions are in the recipe card blow).

See, you can totally do this whole chicken making thing!!!

Side note: you can reserve the bones of your chicken to make homemade chicken broth right in the instant pot, while it’s still dirty.

How do I know for sure that my chicken is done cooking?

Such an important question.

The only sure way to know is to use a meat thermometer to take the internal temperature of the meat. For chicken it should read 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. (If it reads higher that’s okay, this method of cooking chicken keeps it juicy and tender). 

I have absolutely been loving this waterproof food thermometer by Zulay Kitchen. It’s a fast read digital thermometer that automatically turns on when you unfold the prob. It also has the option to switch the thermometer reading between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Along with a button to light up the LCD screen.

I have had several meat thermometers in my days of cooking, and this one by Zulay is by far my favorite thermometer. 

It reads faster then any other thermometer I have used. It has a longer probe then any other thermometer I have owned. Which, is perfect for reaching into hot ovens, or over grills, or into instant pots, to take temperatures of meat.

I think my favorite feature is that the body of the thermometer is waterproof, meaning you can do a quick soap and water wash of the entire thermometer without worrying of ruining it. So great when you have sticky hands because you’re busy in the kitchen.

You know that I would never share a product with you here on the blog that I  didn’t absolutely love myself. This Zulay kitchen thermometer, is a must in any kitchen. You can buy your own Zulay Kitchen meat thermometer here. 

Be sure to use the code, ROBUSTRECIPES10 at checkout to save 10% on your purchase.  

Ways to use the instant pot whole chicken meat:

There are so many wonderful ways you can use the pre-cooked chicken from this recipe! That’s the beauty of it.

I think of this instant pot whole chicken as a head start ingredient.  Once it’s ready to go you can use it to make a variety of meals with with little effort.

Of course, you can eat the chicken just as is, which is the best when it’s fresh. But, you can also make the chicken into so many different dishes.

You can use the meat of this Instant pot whole chicken to….

• add to leafy green salads for a complete meal
• make into chicken salads
• use it in soups
• use it in casseroles
• eat it straight, with your favorite sauce
• use it in pasta dishes
• make chicken quesadillas
• freeze it – you can also store some in the freezer for future uses.

The possibilities are endless. 

Having this meat ready to go makes my our weekdays so much easier. It’s great knowing that I have a high quality protein that can be used in so many versatile ways.

I hope you will come to rely on this instant pot whole chicken recipe as much as I do.

An entire chicken, cooked in 50 minutes without a lot of effort. To me, this is a staple recipe that everyone needs to know about.

Recipes to use leftover instant pot whole chicken in:

• wild rice sweet potato soup
• BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes
• curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats
• Greek quinoa bowls with tzatziki sauce
• Mexican salads in a jar
• chicken caprese salad jars
• chicken enchilada casserole
• 10 minute curry chicken salad
• buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes

Be sure to check out the instant pot chicken broth recipe . It’s the ultimate way to get your money’s worth when making an entire chicken. And, the instant pot makes it so easy!

Did you make this recipe? The best way to say thank you is by leaving a comment down below along with a star rating. I love hearing from you, and it helps my blog to be seen by more people. Thanks, friends.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Emily
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 1 whole chicken (6 to 8 servings) 1x
• Category: chicken, meal prep, instant pot, easy, healthy
• Method: Instant Pot, Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, egg free
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Instant pot whole chicken is the perfect recipe for meal prep. You can cook a whole chicken in 50 minutes. You will have juicy, delicious pre-cooked chicken in your fridge, waiting to be used in a variety of recipes all week long. Use the chicken in salads, soups, chicken salads, casseroles, etc. The possibilities are endless.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Spices

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1.5 teaspoons dried thyme, or dried rosemary

for the remainder of the chicken

• 1 cup filtered water, or chicken broth
• half lemon, cut into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)
• 1 4 pound whole chicken

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Mix the spices:  Add all of the spices listed above to a small bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined, set aside.
2. Prepare: Cut up the lemon into wedges, and peel the garlic cloves, place them in a small bowl. At this time also add the 1 cup of filtered water or chicken broth into a 6 OT instant pot, or other electric pressure cooker. Place the trivet into the into the bottom of the instant pot.
3. Prepare the chicken: If the chicken comes with gizzards, neck, etc stuffed inside, remove them. If making instant pot chicken broth later, then reserve the insides for the chicken broth. If not making chicken broth you can discard them. Place the whole chicken onto a rimmed baking sheet – see photos. (This helps to contain the mess of the spices and keep your counters cleaner). Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry. It doesn’t have to be super dry since we aren’t going for a crispy skin, but if the chicken is super wet then the spices won’t stick. Use a sharp knife to poke holes all around the skin of the chicken (this helps the spices to infuse into the chicken better). Sprinkle the spices on the back of the chicken, even onto the legs and the wings, using your hands to press it into the skin. Turn the chicken over (breast side up) and sprinkle a good amount of the seasoning into the cavity of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon pieces, and the garlic.  Use the remaining seasoning on the top of the chicken, doing your best to cover every inch of the chicken. Use your hands to press it into the skin. Yes, some seasoning will fall off, but pressing it into the skin helps more of it to stick. Carefully transfer your chicken into your instant pot, place on top of the trivet, making sure to place it breast side up. (The drumsticks/legs should be pointing up). A friendly reminder to wash your hands really well with soap and water before touching anything else. 😉
4. Cook the chicken: Secure the lid of your instant pot. Point the valve to “sealing”. Set your instant pot to “High pressure cook”. Then set the time for 30 minutes (see notes about time variations). Make sure to turn off the “keep warm setting”.  Note: the instant pot will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
5. Release the pressure: Once the instant pot timer has elapsed, force release the pressure by carefully turning the nozzle to “venting”. Once the stem releases open the lid. Use a meat thermometer to read the temperature of the chicken. The chicken should be 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit (if it is a higher temperature, that’s okay, the method of cooking creates tender meat no matter what). If it hasn’t reached 160 degrees then bring the instant pot up to pressure for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Rest the chicken: Carefully remove the chicken from the instant pot using tongs, and allow it to rest on a plate for 25 minutes. This is important to allow the juices to settle back into the meat and keep it moist.
7. For serving the chicken immediately: Once the chicken has rested remove the lemon and garlic from the cavity of the chicken and discard. If you are serving the chicken immediately you can use a knife to cut off the pieces you are serving. I prefer to remove the skin, it’s not crispy (don’t worry, all of those seasonings have done their job of making the meat of the chicken flavorful).
8. Carve the chicken: If you are storing any (or all) of the chicken for a later use, then remove all of the skin, and discard. Use  sharp chef’s knife to cut the thighs of the chicken off. This meat is great for shredding, it falls off the bone, just use your fingers, or a fork to pull it off. Be sure to save all of the bones if you’re making broth. Use a chef knife to cut the chicken breasts off. I prefer to leave these whole and cut them just before eating because the chicken breasts tends to dry out faster then the dark meat. Use your fingers, or a fork to pull off as much chicken as you can from all of the crevices. Don’t forget to turn the chicken upside down, there is a lot of meat on the back – this is great for shredding too. Discard any fat and skin as you go, but don’t forget to reserve any bones, cartilage, and even the wings for chicken broth (if making). Note: the meat is a lot easier to remove from the chicken if it is still warm, rather then cold, or room temp.
9. Store: Store the chicken in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 7 days. Or store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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Notes

Seasoning: Yes, this seems like a lot of seasoning. Yes, you should use ALL of it. I have tested this recipe a million different ways with varying amounts of seasonings used, or even just simple salt and pepper, and this amount of seasoning and combo made by far the most flavorful chicken. Since we aren’t roasting the skin to get a crispy texture we need to make up for the flavor by allowing those seasonings to soak into the meat, so we need a lot of them.

Cook time/size of bird variations: For every extra pound in size add 5 minutes of cooking time. 3 lb bird: 25 mins. 4 lb bird: 30 mins. 5 lb bird 35 mins.

Uses for chicken: There are so many ways to use this chicken! Anywhere you need pre-cooked chicken. Examples: soups, chicken salads, on top of leafy green salads, in casseroles, in quesadillas. The possibilities are endless (see more ideas and links to recipes in the post). Also, when freshly cooked, and skin removed, the chicken is especially delicious just eaten with a sauce, or on it’s own.

Chicken broth:  Click here for the instant pot chicken broth recipe. If you want to make that recipe make sure to save all of your bones from this chicken, and reserve the cooking liquid that was used in the instant pot. It’s the perfect opportunity to use all parts of your chicken and get really flavorful broth out of the deal. It’s especially convenient to make the chicken broth while the instant pot is still dirty from cooking the chicken. The instant pot makes making homemade chicken broth SO easy!!! (You can pop the bones and the liquid into the freezer if you’re making the chicken this week, and want to make the broth next week).

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