All you need is about 45 minutes to have this amazing, tender, juicy Instant Pot whole rotisserie chicken. Your whole family will LOVE it!
Preparing and roasting a whole chicken used to seem like domestic goddess territory to me. After some practice (and a few disasters), I was able to master a whole roasted chicken in the oven. I was so proud.
But oh, internet friends! I just found a game-changer: you can totally make this “rotisserie” chicken fake-out in your Instant Pot. It is practically fool-proof. And it is just so much better than the store-bought kind.
I even crisp up the skin first to give it that rotisserie feel. I use the instant pot’s sauté setting to do that, and then I flip it over and add a little chicken stock before cooking it on the manual pressure setting.
Plus, I love that you can control the quality of ingredients that you use to make this. You could go organic, for example. In my experience, pre-made rotisserie chickens are almost never organic.
Not that I am a food snob by any means. I mean, I have definitely bought my share of Costco rotisserie chickens! (See my Costco grocery hauls for that proof!)
But, this! It is perfectly tender and juicy…and ready in about 45 minutes.
It fell apart a little when I was plating it up for the pictures. See that sad little chicken wing that fell off?
I know, I know. It sounds too good to be true, right?! Don’t worry, friends. I will show you exactly how to make a whole “rotisserie” chicken in the instant pot!
If you do not have an instant pot, this recipe should still work in a large stovetop pressure cooker.
Update: I have added an additional (optional) step to this recipe. If you do not want your chicken sitting in all the liquids, you can remove the chicken after browning the second side. Then add the liquids and trivet, and return the chicken (breast side up) to the pot.
Our family loved the original recipe, and it certainly was easier just to leave the bird in the pot and pour the chicken stock right in. But this extra step may be worth it to you if you don’t want the underside of your chicken sitting in liquid.
Helpful hint: Don’t throw away the liquid or the bones. Use it to make chicken bone broth.
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Whole Rotisserie Chicken
Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.
- Instant pot electric pressure cooker
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl or ramekin for mixing spices & oil
- Tongs and burger flipper for flipping over the chicken
- Meat thermometer to check internal temperature
Instant Pot Whole Rotisserie Chicken Recipe
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Instant Pot "Rotisserie" Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken mine was 4.3 pounds
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 and 3/4 Tablespoons avocado oil (or you can use coconut or canola - something with a high smoke point)
- 1 yellow onion quartered (optional)
- 1 lemon halved (optional)
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
Instructions
- Remove all parts from the chicken cavity; rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Optional: place the onion and lemon in the cavity of the chicken.
- Combine all of the spices, including salt and pepper, in a small ramekin dish; stir together.
- Add the oil to the spices, and stir until incorporated.
- Turn on your Instant Pot to preheat on the sauté setting on "normal."
- Rub the oil and spice mixture on the breast side of the chicken.
- Place the chicken, breast side down, in the preheated Instant Pot.
- Carefully rub the other half of the oil and spices mixture on the other side of the chicken.
- Allow the breast side to crisp up the chicken skin for a few minutes, about 3 to 4 minutes total.
- Carefully flip the chicken over to the other side, and let it crisp up the skin on the other side for about a minute. Flipping it over was a little awkward, but it helps to use a sturdy burger flipper and some tongs.
- Optional step: If you do not want your chicken sitting in the liquids, you can remove the chicken after it browns on the second side and place the trivet in the pot. Then place the chicken, breast side up, on the trivet.
- Add in the chicken stock.
- Place the lid on and lock it, per Instant Pot instructions.
Set to manual high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to depressurize naturally (I.e., do not use the venting lever, but allow the pressure to dissipate slowly. Mine took about 15 minutes)
- Remove the lid, and transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Mine was so tender that it was falling apart a little!
- Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes prior to serving.
- I like to spoon or brush a little of the cooking liquid over the top just prior to serving to make the chicken extra juicy.
Recipe Notes
* 40 minutes includes time for the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize.
Cooking time may vary slightly if your chicken is much different in size than this one, which was 4.3 pounds. Use a meat thermometer if you are unsure, just to be safe! Internal temperature for chicken should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.
I have an 8qt insta pot, do I need to add more juice/time to cooking?
Hi Sara! You are correct. I think the minimum liquids for 8 quart models is 1.5 cups.
your manual button is where my delay start is. What other setting should I use?
sorry for the double post
i don’t have a manual setting on my instant pot. I have a delay start where your manual button is.
Hi Connie. Manual is just pressure cook on high. For some reason they renamed this button on the new models. You are not the first person to ask.
Thanks for a great recipe! i added italian herbs and fresh rosemary and it was so tender.
Hi Sheila! I am so happy that you enjoyed it!💖
This was the first recipe I tried in my new instant pot I got for xmas and I can’t believe how perfect it turned out. Thank you!
Wahooo!🤸🏼♂️🎉 SO happy you enjoyed it Jennifer!🙌🏻
Mine is in right now! Smells amazing! Chicken was 6.5 pounds! I set it for 40 min. Hope it isn’t too long.
Woo hoo! Hope it was delicious.
I don’t see the link for the chicken stock from the bones.
Thanks
Will be trying chicken one tomorrow
Hi Kandy! Here is the stock/ bone broth link: https://www.apinchofhealthy.com/chicken-bone-broth/ I hope you enjoy!
Absolutely delicious recipe! Thank you. followed it exactly and added a few red potatoes and carrots. I will definitely be making this again.
Yay Rachel! I am happy to hear that you enjoyed it.
I followed your recipe exactly (minus the lemon and onion). I did use some extra seasonings on the skin and about 8 garlic cloves in the broth. I browned it well on both sides and pressure-cooked for exactly the amount of time you suggested. It was amazing good! My husband liked how evenly cooked and moist it was. The pre-browning is a must and serving with a little juice over the top adds flavor.
I am so glad you enjoyed it Leila!💖 Thank you for letting me know.
I cook for one with a 3-quart Instant pot. I followed the recipe, and was only able to fit one half of a 3.5 chicken along with veggies. It came out just great, and now I have another serving I can cook tomorrow!
Those like me cooking for one might substitute a cornish game hen, but the half-chicken will fit.
Yay, I am glad it turned out delicious for you!👍🏻
Oh yeah, sounds so delicious!
Thank you for walking me through my very first Instant Pot experience! I had a half chicken and adjusted the time to 15 minutes. It worked perfectly!
Woo hoo! SO glad it was helpful.👍🏻
Just wanted to say, THANKS for including the depressurization time in the cook time! The instant pot is great but cook times are so misleading! Great recipe, mine is going now 🙂
I am so glad you found that helpful! 👍🏻
i’m new to this whole Instant Pot game…any reason not to use the chicken setting versus manual for this dish? I used manual but wondered when to use the “chicken” setting. Thanks!
Confession: I use manual 95% of the time. I thought it was just me at first, but I have heard others say the same. You could use the poultry setting, and I am not sue it would change much of anything.
I am using g the poultry setting right now..my chicken is about five lbs..think it should be great..if not will let y’all know.
Poultry setting was perfect….sooo good and so tender & moist…outrageously good !
Woo hoooo! SO glad it turned out delicious for you.🤗
I’ve got this in the pressure cooker now…it sounds delicious. I just wonder why you label those of us who try to eat as organically as possible “food snobs”? I think of it as healthy!
Hi Susan! I certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone by that comment. 😬 In fact, I often refer to myself as a coffee snob.😉 Nothing’s wrong with eating organic. We do it as much as possible too…although not 100%. I can’t even remember exactly what I said or what the context was. But usually when I mention food snobbery, it make me think of people who judge or condemn other people for their “imperfect” food choices. No judgment here, is what I think I was saying. We like to do our best, but I am really chill about it.😎👍🏻
Just want to let you and anyone else reading this know, following your instructions to the T, my chicken came out over cooked. I know this is probably necessary if you are using a typical CAFO chicken, but if you have true pastured healthy chicken you don’t need to cook it to death.
I got my instant for Christmas and this was my 3rd time using it. I tried this recipe last night and I’m not sure what I did wrong. My chicken was 4.45 lbs., not that much bigger than yours. I seasoned it, browned it and then cooked for 25 minutes, and let the pressure release for 15 minutes. However, when I took it out, it was definitely not done. I put it back in for another 15 minutes of cooking. It was done then, but my family said it was too plain. 🙁
Sorry to hear that Melissa! For more flavor, try rubbing some of the spice mixture up under the skin prior to cooking. That helps. And maybe increase the salt a little. I am not sure what happened with the cook time. Was it frozen (even partially?). Lots of people say that frozen has the same cook time, but that has not been my experience. Hope that helps!
Made this tonight, easy and awesome. Perfect directions
Yay, I am so happy that you enjoyed it Esther!
I made this yesterday and the chicken came out great despite my goofs! I didn’t pay attention when I bought the chicken. It was SIX POUNDS! 😳 I compensated (made it fit!) by cutting out the back and stacking the leg quarters on top of the breast. I added 5 minutes to the cook time, figuring I’d check the meat temps and cook another 5 if required. The legs were falling off the bones & the breast was a perfect 165. I’ll definitely make it again, this time with more browning & a smaller victim! LOL
LOL! 😂 Glad it turned out well for you.💖🙌🏻
What if I wanted to do all my veggies in the pot too (I don’t like washing dishes and try to cook everything in one pot if I can 🙂 )?
I have had great luck with some red potatoes placed on top. I haven’t tried much else because I know not many other veggies can handle that long cook time. But the potatoes were good!👌🏻
That should not affect the cook time. Hmmmm, I am not sure what happened.🤔 Was it fully thawed? People swear by cooking frozen meat in the Instant Pot, but I have had mixed results, much like what you described.
That sounds amazing!😋
I hope it turned out tasty for you!
This was a truly fantastic meal. Chicken was so tender and the juice was delicious. I cooked it without the trivet. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will make it often. Bones are saved for the broth.
So happy to hear that!! 👏🏻 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed it. The bones do make great broth! I do that almost every time too.
I have had mixed results with frozen things. 🤔 Sometimes they turn out great, and other times either undercooked or tough. I am not sure if it’s just me though.🤣
Hi Marjorie…thanks for the tutorial…I have a 9 pound chicken that I intend to cook tonight. Using the 5.5 min/lb calculation brings me to about 50 minutes. Does that include the natural pressure release (set manual time for 35 minutes with 15 minutes for natural release)?
Yay, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! We had a whole chicken this week for dinner one night, and then I made chicken noodle soup in the IP with the leftovers last night. So good! I am glad you are liking the IP so far.
Thanks. I hope you enjoy it!💖
This recipe was so perfect!! I’m new to cooking and this chicken was unbelievable 🙂
Yay, so happy you enjoyed it!
Ok I tried a couple of these whole chicken recipes and this is by far the best one. It was delicious and moisty inside. I’ve tried different ones where they also incorporate liquid but for some reason this was better. I didn’t have lemon or onion but I did stuff it with a lot of garlic and wow it is good. Saved this page for Saturday and future uses
Yaaay! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for that feedback.💖
I’m late to the Instant Pot game, but I made this tonight, and everyone loved it! Thanks for posting!
Yaaaay! 👏🏻 I am so happy to hear that Alice.
I’m a relatively new instant pot owner, and tried to set it for manual 25 minutes, but could only do 20 minutes… not increments of 5. Any thoughts?
Hi Nadine. Use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the time. It should go in one minute increments. Good luck! Hope that helps.
“leftover” wine? What IS that? 🙂
Hahahaha🤣
Thanks for that feedback Curtis! You may have already done this…One way to speed up would be to leave it on sauté all the way up until the time it is to put it on pressure. OR use warmed (microwaved) water or broth to put in the bottom of the pot. Heated liquid will come to pressure a little quicker. Hope this helps!
I have never made a correct whole chicken ever. Either it isn’t good enough or I over cook it. This was PERFECT! I didn’t get the crispy skin, but no one eats it anyways.
Yaaaay! 👏🏻 So happy to hear that Rebecca! The skin won’t get truly crispy in a pressure cooker, since it is a wet environment. But browning the skin does help, and it locks in all those juices. I am so glad you liked it! And thanks for taking the time to leave that feedback. 💖
Trying my brand new insta pot with this recipe right now. Never owned any kind of pressure cooker in my life.. Not nervous.. nope. 😀
Thanks for the recipe!
LOL😂 I hope it turned out well for you! 💖
Please stop with the background music. Although lovely and lilting, your creamy voice is drowned out and is difficult for me to pick out certain words. Thank you for you wonderful effort. I enjoy your work!
Noted✅
Is this done in the 6 qt instant pot?
Hi Paula! Yes, both of mine are 6 qt Instant Pots.
My whole family liked this a lot. The only thing I could say is, if you have any chicken skin sticking to the bottom of the pot, you might get the “OVERHEAT” signal if trying to pressure cook immediately after crisping. Also, you end up with a lot more liquid than just the cup of broth – I guess chickens are juicy. Anyway, thanks for providing a really good flavor, as chicken is sometimes bland. The onion, lemon, and spice rub really helped a lot.
Yep! Very true, you don’t want a scorch error. And yes, the chicken is juicy and gives off more juice when it cooks. You can always put the chicken up on a trivet, which would keep it out of the juice as much. Glad y’all enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe…I used the leftover liquid to make a yummy gravy. I also added a sprinkle of crushed rosemary on the chicken at the beginning…one of my favorite herbs.
Great! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it Cathy. Oh, I love rosemary too. I bet that was delicious!
Hi Carol! That is a great tip!
Thanks for the recipe! The dark meat turned out to be fall-apart deliciousness while the white meat got pretty dry and not as tender. I will play with this a little and see what I can do.
Hi Kara! Maybe try a little less cook time next time? Dark meat is way more forgiving of overcooking. White meat, not so much.
I am sure you are finished with it now since I am just now seeing this comment. Sorry! But yes, it would need more time. You could try letting it sit in the hot pot on keep warm. Sometimes if the pot is still hot resting will let the temp rise a little. If not, I would put it back in for 1 minute, and let it NPR for 5 minutes.
Any suggestions on what can be done with the broth and chicken liquids that remain at the bottom of the pot?
Hi Irene! Yes, save it and dump it back in the pot with the carcas + a few other things to make chicken stock/ bone broth: http://www.apinchofhealthy.com/chicken-bone-broth/
I pour it out and measure 2 liquid cups back into the pot, then stir in 2 dry cups of white/jasmine rice (well-rinsed), and cook on Manual/HP 3 minutes, NPR 10 minutes, then QR. I don’t skim off the fat, so the rice is a bit oily, but so delicious alongside the chicken, which has rested, covered in foil, while the rice cooks. Any liquid left over after measuring for rice gets added to the broth fixings.
Marjorie, I used your reciped for a 3.5 bird. Very good!! Do you do anythin with the leftover liquid?
I am so glad that you enjoyed it Karen! I dump that liquid into the pot when I go to make chicken stock/ bone broth. I almost always make bone broth with leftover whole chicken. If I can’t get to it right away, I freeze the bones and that liquid you mention. http://www.apinchofhealthy.com/chicken-bone-broth/
Tried this recipe and loved it! I personally always make ‘jus’ after a recipe like this: strain, pour off the fat, and add a slurry of water mixed with corn starch (2T water to 2t corn starch). Passing that with the chicken plus whatever veggies I serve with it is always a hit!
That sounds amazing!😋
Hi! I can’t find a whole chicken that weighs less than 7-8lbs! How long should an 8lb chicken cook for??
I read on another site that to calculate cooking time, multiple the birds weight by 5.5. Hope that helps.
I had heard somewhere else 6 min per pound, plus 2 minutes, and that seemed a little long to me. 5.5 does sound more reasonable. Thanks for sharing that tip!
6 mins +2 for quick release of pressure, however, the chicken may be a little tougher or drier from what I read from other remarks. I haven’t tried your recipe, but will soon. Sounds delicious.
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe! It was easy to make and it turned out perfect.
When you say “Set the manual pressure cooker setting to 25 minutes,” do you mean to set it to high pressure? medium? low? Some combination? Thanks for clarifying.
Hi Anne! Yes, it is manual high pressure.
Thanks for the response, Marjorie! I’m new to pressure cooking, so I want to make sure I’ve got all the details right before embarking on a new recipe. And I’ll be trying this one soon, for sure. Thanks again.
Have you ever done this with a frozen chicken?
I never have, but I would imagine you would need to add some cook time to what I have suggested here.
I’m researching and it appears an additional 15 may do the trick! I just snatched a rather large whole chicken out of the freezer an hour ago hoping for it to be ready by 6:30pm EST. I think I’ll let it thaw until then and add ten minutes. Yay trusty meat thermometer!
How did it come out?
well, funny story… because it was frozen and I neglected to calculate the whole giblets issue… I cooked it on high for 50 minutes, then fished the giblets in paper out, lol. It was very tender and well flavored. I immediately made bone broth with the juices and bones and then chicken salad and buffalo chicken pizza with the remains.
It’s not good to PC with frozen items. Let them defrost first. That way you can be absolutely sure of the item being thoroughly cooked. I just did this chicken and it was amazing!! Thanks for the recipe. Took the chicken out of the freezer the night before so no guesswork. It was delicious! Definitely gonna do this again!
Yes, I definitely recommend doing them fully thawed for best results. 👍🏻 I am so glad it turned out well for you! 💖
“It’s not good to PC with frozen items.”
That is completely untrue and you can pressure cook meat straight out of the freezer, generally without having to even add extra time. It just takes longer to pressurize when frozen.
You left out what to do with the onion and lemon
Oops! I put those in the cavity for extra flavor, FYI. I updated the recipe to show this. Thanks for speaking up!