This Lemon and Garlic Instant Pot Whole Chicken is a delicious and easy way to cook a whole chicken right in your pressure cooker! The chicken comes out perfectly cooked and juicy and this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or when you're entertaining guests.
This Lemon and Garlic Instant Pot Whole Chicken is a delicious and easy way to cook a whole chicken in your pressure cooker!
It's a quick and easy cooking method, and it's hands-off. Just prep your chicken, place it into the pressure cooker, set it, and let it roast your whole chicken to perfection!
Plus, the Instant Pot seals in the juices, so your chicken is moist and flavorful. You can customize it too - just add your favorite rubs, marinades, spices, or seasonings.
This recipe is super versatile. We like roasting our whole chicken in the Instant Pot, then serving it with a selection of vegetables (we usually make them in our air fryer or steam them on the stovetop), and some mashed potatoes.
Then, we love serving leftovers in sandwiches and wraps or using them in this tasty no-soup, from-scratch, Chicken and Rice Casserole.
To make the most of our budget-friendly whole chicken, we then cook up the carcass into a tasty homemade chicken stock that we can use for another recipe.
This recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or when you're entertaining guests. The chicken comes out perfectly cooked and juicy. Plus, cleanup is a breeze with the Instant Pot!
So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
Serve it up with Spicy Air Fryer Potato Wedges and Cheesy Brussels Sprouts.
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Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot is much faster than roasting it in the oven. It can be ready in under an hour!
- Moist and tender: The Instant Pot helps to lock in moisture and creates a juicy and tender chicken.
- Budget-friendly: Whole chickens are often less expensive than buying pre-cut chicken pieces, and you can use the leftover meat for other meals.
- Versatile: You can use the cooked chicken for a variety of dishes, such as chicken salad, enchiladas, soups, and stews.
- Perfect for meal prep: You can cook a whole chicken on the weekend and use it for quick and easy meals throughout the week.
- Flavorful: The Instant Pot allows you to infuse the chicken with different herbs and spices, creating a delicious and flavorful dish. In this recipe, I use a simple seasoning of lemon and garlic.
- No-fuss cooking: Cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot requires minimal prep work, and you can set it and forget it, allowing you to focus on other tasks.
- Perfectly cooked every time: The Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of cooking a whole chicken, ensuring that it's cooked perfectly every time.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken - You'll need a 4 pound whole chicken for this recipe.
- Chicken broth - or use vegetable broth if you have that to hand instead.
- Oil - Use your favorite cooking oil: vegetable, canola, olive etc...
- Lemons - whole fresh lemons.
- Garlic - an entire head of garlic!
- Chicken seasoning - use store-bought or make your own homemade chicken seasoning.
See the recipe card for the full method and quantities.
Instructions
If you're wondering how to make this Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe, don't worry, it's easy!
Just follow this step-by-step photo tutorial. Then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe method.
Mix the oil and chicken seasoning in a bowl, then brush or rub it over the chicken, including inside the cavity.
Cut the lemons into quarters and put them into the cavity of the chicken. Cut the whole head of garlic in half across the middle to expose the cloves. Place both halves into the chicken cavity.
You can also tie the chicken legs with cooking string to ensure the cooked chicken holds its shape.
Place the trivet into the Instant Pot, then pour in the chicken broth. Place the prepared chicken, breast side up, onto the trivet.
Close the lid and pressure cook for 25 minutes. Do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
To brown the chicken, remove it from the pressure cooker, then place it onto a foil-lined roasting pan and place it, breast side up, under the broiler for a few minutes.
TIPS:
- Make sure your chicken fits your instant pot. A 4- or 5-pound chicken should fit into a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot. For a larger chicken, you'll need an 8-quart machine.
- Use a trivet, or IP metal stand, for even cooking.
Recipe Tips
To cook larger or smaller chickens, allow 6 minutes per pound, plus a 15-minute natural pressure release.
It is important to release the pressure gradually to make sure that your chicken cooks fully and gets nice and juicy through 'resting' in the IP.
To make sure your chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you want your chicken browned with crispy skin, then place it briefly under the broiler after cooking in the pressure cooker.
If your chicken has giblets, remove them and the neck from the chicken cavity.
To make sure the chicken holds its shape when cooking, you can tie the legs with string.
For a more succulent chicken, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking and let it come up to room temperature.
FAQ
Food safety regulators, such as the FDA, advise that you do not wash raw chicken before cooking. This is because the process of washing makes it more likely for bacteria to spread to areas around the sink and countertops.
Food Safety Tips
- Before cooking, be sure to wash your hands and countertops.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that has touched raw meat.
- Always wash your hands after touching raw meat, fish, and poultry.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Keep those pot/pan handles turned in away from the front of the stove.
- When cooking at high temperatures, use oils with a high smoking point, to avoid harmful compounds.
- Put foods in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of cooking. Reduce this to within 1 hour if it is 90 degrees or hotter outside.
Cook to safe temperatures:
To ensure food is cooked through, it's best to use a food thermometer. Be aware that you can’t always tell by looking.
- Beef, Pork, Lamb: 145 °F
- Fish: 145 °F
- Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Ground Lamb: 160 °F
- Turkey, Chicken, Duck: 165 °F
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 teaspoons chicken seasoning
- 4 pound whole chicken (1.8kg)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lemon
- 1 head of garlic
Instructions
- Mix the oil and chicken seasoning in a bowl, then brush or rub it over the chicken, including inside the cavity.
- Cut the lemons into quarters and put them into the cavity of the chicken. Cut the whole head of garlic in half across the middle to expose the cloves. Place both halves into the chicken cavity.
- Optionally, tie the chicken legs with cooking string to ensure the cooked chicken holds its shape.
- Place the trivet into the Instant Pot, then pour in the chicken broth. Place the prepared chicken, breast side up, onto the trivet.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 25 minutes. Do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
- Optional: To brown the chicken, remove it from the pressure cooker, then place it onto a foil-lined roasting pan and place it, breast side up, under the broiler for a few minutes.
TIPS:
- Make sure your chicken fits your instant pot. A 4- or 5-pound chicken should fit into a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot. For a larger chicken, you'll need an 8-quart machine.Use a trivet, or IP metal stand, for even cooking.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Jess
So easy in the Instant Pot. Love it!
Sisley
The lemon and garlic are absolutely delicious additions to the chicken.
Cathleen
I had no idea that you could make a whole chicken in the Instant Pot. This was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Maggie
I had no idea you could make a whole chicken in the instant pot. I'm soooo glad I tried this recipe. I didn't have any lemon, so just stuffed with garlic and some rosemary. Browned it after in my air fryer. Thank you!
Mimi
Worked well! I didn't stuff anything in the chicken, and swapped the chicken seasoning with cajun, and it was really good. I didn't bother browning it because we're trying to cut calories so didn't eat the skin anyway.