How to Pressure Cook a Whole Chicken
Wondering how to pressure cook a whole chicken? This is our favorite method, using a rich garlic butter, onions, and your favorite seasonings. Crisp up the skin at the end for an impressive meal that’s tender, juicy, and a crowd favorite.

Why You’ll Love Making a Whole Chicken in a Pressure Cooker
This is a mostly hands-off way to cook a whole chicken that’s juicy, moist, and full of flavor. It’s great for weeknights or for entertaining!
We’ve been developing and making chicken recipes in various Instant Pot models for years, and we’ve tested all kinds of ways to cook a whole chicken. This is by far the best method we found, and it produces reliably juicy and delicious white and dark meat every time.
We love cooking chicken in the Instant Pot for quick weeknight dinners. If you’re looking for more inspiration, try our Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) BBQ Wings, Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie and Pressure Cooker Creamy Chicken and Broccoli over Rice.
If you love roast chicken but don’t want to turn on the oven or babysit it as it cooks, this simple hands-off Instant Pot whole chicken recipe is the solution you’re looking for. With one extra step at the end, you can still get the golden crispy skin you love.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Here’s what you need for this flavorful one-pot chicken recipe:
- Chicken. Use a whole 5-pound chicken for this recipe.
- Garlic butter. This is an easy way to infuse your chicken with extra flavor as it cooks.
- Seasonings. Flavor your chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Onion. This is a great flavor base for chicken.
- Broth. You can use store-bought chicken broth or make your own in the Instant Pot.
How to Make Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Start by seasoning your chicken. Coat the bird in the garlic butter, rubbing it under the skin of the chicken. Then combine the salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl and cover the buttery chicken with the seasoning blend.
Place the onion and chicken broth in the pressure cooking pot, then place your trivet on top. Place the seasoned chicken on top of the trivet (it shouldn’t block your lid from closing). Lock on your lid and cook on high pressure for 32 minutes.
When the cooking items ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Finish with a quick pressure release, then remove the lid once the pressure valve drops. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the chicken. It should be 180°F, but if not, simply resecure the lid and cook for another few minutes.
When your chicken is fully cooked, carefully transfer it from the pressure cooker to a cutting board. You can strain the juices left in the pressure cooking pot to make gravy or simply discard them.
If you’d like, for crispy skin, you can use an air fryer lid or place the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes until it’s golden and crisp. To serve, slice the meat off the bones and enjoy!
What should I serve with Instant Pot whole chicken?
We like to serve this chicken dish with Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Green Beans, or a green salad.
Important Tips for Making Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- The general rule of thumb for cooking chicken in a pressure cooker has been 6 minutes of cooking time per pound. However, I’ve always had better luck adding a few more minutes to this cooking time in general.
- The broth is essential for cooking your chicken without burning anything, so don’t leave it out! In a pinch, you can substitute water, juice, or even wine.
- If you use the broiler to crisp your chicken skin, keep a close eye on it, as all ovens differ and things can go from crisp and golden to burnt in seconds!
Products
Though you can use any brand of pressure cooker for this chicken, you’ll need at least a 6-quart pot for a 5-pound chicken. You will also need a trivet to pressure cook the chicken. And if you love crispy skin, you can use an air fryer lid attached to your Instant Pot (we love the DuoCrisp for that), or place the chicken on a baking sheet under the broiler.
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Chicken
Yes, if your chicken is less than five pounds, you can follow the same cooking instructions. You can follow the rule of thumb of 6 minutes of cooking time per pound, but note that I prefer to add a few extra minutes anyway.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It makes delicious sandwiches, or you can toss it on a salad or grain bowl. If you don’t plan to use within that time, it freezes well too.
This is a very flexible recipe, so feel free to season your chicken however you like. You can use hot pepper flakes for some heat or an Italian or Greek seasoning blend would be great too.
MORE Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Try these other easy chicken dinner recipes in the Instant Pot next:
- Chicken Lazone is a fancy-feeling dinner that we love to serve over spaghetti.
- Easy Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are a fast dinner for Taco Tuesday with your favorite toppings.
- Chicken Bacon Pasta in a Garlic Cream Sauce is smoky, savory, and rich, thanks to the garlicky cream sauce.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
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How to Pressure Cook a Whole Chicken | Instant Pot & Ninja recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken about 5 pounds
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup garlic butter
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 small onion quartered
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Rub the garlic butter underneath the skin of the chicken, all over.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and paprika. Rub evenly over the chicken.
- In the bottom of the pressure cooking pot, add the onion and broth. Place a trivet over the onion in the cooking pot, then carefully lower the chicken on top. Make sure the chicken does not interfere with closing the lid.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 32 minutes cook time.*
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally, then finish with a 10 minute release.
- Remove the lid. Check the temperature of the chicken in the breast and drumsticks, which it should be at least 180F. If not, lock the lid in place and cook a few minutes more. Once the chicken is cooked through, carefully remove it from the cooking pot and place on a cutting board.
- If desired, strain the juices in the pot to make a gravy. Otherwise, discard.
- If desired, you can use an air fryer lid or the oven broiler to crisp up the skin. Remove the meat from the bones and serve hot.
Notes
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How much broth should we use for this recipe? One cup?
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Claudia – you’ll use one cup of chicken broth in a 6-quart pressure cooker. If you’re using an 8 quart, use 1 1/2 cups instead.
Is garlic butter a commercial product, or something we make? If the latter, was proportion of garlic (minced?) to butter?
Hi Wendy – yes, we used this spread https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/p/chef-tom-s-garlic-spread/0072564344812 but you could definitely make it instead. If you wanted to make your own, this recipe looks quick and delicious https://www.loveandlemons.com/garlic-butter/#wprm-recipe-container-61177
Excellent recipe, I’m going to go grab a chicken today and make this.
I’m really surprised you would suggest discarding the liquid if not used for gravy. It is a great addition to making chicken soup, so either freeze it for that use in future or make soup with it soon after. Fat can be strained out once the liquid chills.
Good ideas Yvonne – thanks for sharing!
Your instructions state “let the pressure release naturally for X minutes”. What is X minutes? This contradicts your later instructions to “When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally, then finish with a 10 minute release.” Which is correct?
Hi Robin – the X was just a placeholder for the time which I neglected to update before posting. You do need to let the pressure release for 10 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure. Enjoy!
Why two pressure release directions? After a natural release, why the 10 minute release? I find this confusing.
Hi Sue – our recipes often incorporate using a natural release for a brief time and then releasing the remaining pressure with a quick release. Meats, things that foam, and big pots of soup benefit from using a natural pressure release initially to allow the boiling inside the pot to stop and the pressure to come down before opening the pot. Then when you release any remaining pressure (sometimes after 10 minutes all the pressure will have release and the float valve will drop) no foam/liquid comes out of the steam release valve. Large cuts of meat, get more tender during the natural release time. You could of course wait for all the pressure to release naturally, but I don’t find much benefit after 10 minutes.