Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Whole Chicken

I love roasting whole chickens. They are always flavorful and so much better and healthier than store bought rotisserie chickens. But, I must admit – time and lack of planning used to be an issue for me until I started cooking whole chicken in the instant pot.

This Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken has been the solution to many of my meals as I can use the leftovers to prepare many other dishes like salads, quesadillas, casseroles and soups.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 (4-pounds) whole chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
Gently loosen the skin from the chicken breast, lifting and separating the skin from the meat with your fingers. Rub about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and about 1/3 (a third) of the seasonings under the skin. Next, rub another tablespoon of olive oil and the rest of the seasoning all over the chicken and chicken cavity.
Press the Saute function (Normal setting) on the Instant Pot and add the remaining olive oil to the pot.
Place the chicken in the pot, breast side down and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Using kitchen tongs flip the chicken over and sear for about 5 minutes, or until brown.
Remove the chicken from the pot and pour in the chicken broth. Gently scrape the bottom of the instapot with a wooden spoon to remove the brown bits that are stuck at the bottom.
Place the trivet at the bottom of the pot then lay the chicken on top of trivet, breast side up.
Cover and seal the pressure cooker. Press the MANUAL or HIGH PRESSURE button and set the timer to 24 minutes (this is for a 4-pounds chicken). **Check the recipe notes for smaller/bigger chickens.
After the time is up,let the instant pot naturally release for 15 minutes, after that do a quick release for any extra pressure.
Open the lid and remove the chicken from the pot. Serve.
Optional: Place the chicken under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes for extra crispy skin.