Instant Pot Whole Chicken – Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!

Instant Pot Whole Chicken. These four words will make your day and solve your dinner woes. Are you looking for a flavorful, tender Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe that is easy? You have to try cooking a chicken in an instant pot. Why? 1. It is such an easy recipe. 2. The chicken meat turns out so tender and moist.

Not what you want for dinner tonight? Check out our other instant pot recipes. 

This make the perfect dinner for any night of the week! After cooking your whole chicken, let it rest, slice it and serve with a side dish and vegetable. Or use the chicken meat for chicken tacos or burritos, even use it for chicken sandwiches… If you don’t have an instant pot yet you can try any of these easy chicken recipes. 

Here’s two other chicken recipes we love

• Easy Perfectly Oven Roasted Chicken This is a recipe for a whole chicken roasted in the oven and comes out so tender.
• Lime Chicken is a 30 minute recipe perfect if you are in a hurry.  

Honestly, we love chicken dinners and cook chicken all the time, so it made sense to try making an instant pot chicken recipe. I hope you like ours because we think it’s a winner, winner chicken dinner! We always use organic chicken you can grab them online or from your favorite grocery stores. 

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I decided to get my Instant Pot! I grabbed it last year on Cyber Monday. How ironic that this chicken recipe landed on the exact day I decided to see what all the fuss was about cooking with an instant pot.

I’m happy to say I have enjoyed using mine all year long. During tennis season with Sammie it saved me more than a few times for getting dinner on the table fast. You can see a few other instant pot recipes we made at the end of today’s post.


As I make more recipes in my instant pot I promise to share them. If you are on the fence about getting one I say hop on board. You won’t regret it. For our family of 3 (or 4) the 6 quart is perfect. If you have a larger family get the 8 quart instant pot. As there need to be space at the top where liquids don’t go over.

Now, that you know that let’s get cooking this chicken dinner! 

Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

Be sure to cut your vegetables on a clean cutting board. Keep your chicken separate from vegetables until you add them into the chicken.

• 2 white onions (or yellow if you prefer which is sweeter)
• 3 garlic
• 2 lime
• 1 pobalano pepper (or jalapeno pepper) chopped
• chicken broth (1 cup)
• 1 whole chicken 
• non stick spray
• spices – 1/2 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Pepper, 2 tsp. or more of Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Cumin (If you like spicier chicken you can add a little cayenne powder)

How to make a whole chicken in the instant pot?

1. Pre spray your instant pot with non stick spray. 
2. Clean out your whole chicken, discard any packaged items.
3. Rinse out your whole chicken
4. Wipe your chicken dry with paper towels
5.  Then wash your hands with soap and water. Set your chicken to the side.
6. Cut your onion in quarters
7. Cut your limes in quarters
8. Seed (scrape seeds out with a knife) and Chop your poblano pepper ( Use care and wash hands immediately after handling peppers.) 
9. Peel your garlic cloves
10. Stuff your chicken with onion, garlic and lime
11. Spice rub your chicken (wash hands with soap and water)
12. Place the instant pot rack onto the bottom of the pot
13. Add some onion, garlic to the bottom of the pot
14. Then place stuffed chicken to pot breast side up
15. Add chicken broth
16. Set cook time to PRESSURE COOK, and move pressure valve to SEALING position (proper setting)
17. Cook for 20-26 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. (6 minutes per pound*ref) Internal temperature in thigh should be at least 165°F using instant-read thermometer. If not done cook a few minutes longer. 
18. When done you will need to let the pot release pressure; Leave valve on SEALING position and let it release naturally. (If in a hurry wait at least 10 minutes (follow your instant pot manual), then carefully push SEALING valve to VENTING- DO NOT do this before the 10 minute countdown after cooker is done cooking. )

Ta Da!

Instant Pot Chicken

When visiting back east my little grandson Henry would say, ta da all the time when he finished something. Then when watching Sesame Street with him it dawned on me that’s where he picked it up. Thanks Elmo and Henry. Now you have me saying it.

I was back there helping my daughter who just had a baby girl. You can see photos on my Instagram of behind the scenes …

If they were here they would love this finger licking chicken dinner. 

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Instant Pot Chicken

Instant Pot Whole Chicken. These four words will make your day and solve your dinner woes. Are you looking for a flavorful, tender whole chicken recipe that is easy? You have to try cooking a chicken in an instant pot. Why? 1. It is such an easy recipe. 2. The chicken meat turns out so tender and moist. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken recipe, easy chicken recipes, instant pot chicken, instant pot recipes, whole chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 26 minutes

Vent and Resting time 20 minutes

Total Time 41 minutes

Servings 6

Author Theresa Huse DearCreatives.com

Ingredients

• 2 white onions peel and quarter
• 3 cloves garlic peel
• 2 limes quarter
• 1 poblano pepper chopped roughly
• 1 cup chicken broth
• non stick spray Pam
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. Paprika or more
• 1/2 tsp. Cumin

Instructions

Pre spray your instant pot with non stick spray. Clean out your whole chicken, discard any packaged items. Rinse out your chicken Wipe your chicken dry with paper towels Cut your onion in quarters Cut your limes in quarters Seed (scrape seeds out with a knife) and Chop your poblano pepper ( Use care and wash hands immediately after handling peppers.) Peel your garlic Stuff your chicken with onion, garlic and lime Spice rub your chicken (wash hands with soap and water) Place the instant pot rack onto the bottom of the pot Add some onion, garlic to the bottom of the pot Then place stuffed chicken to pot breast side up Add chicken broth Set cook time, and move pressure valve to SEALING position (proper setting) Cook for 20-26 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Internal temperature in thigh should be at least 165°F using instant-read thermometer. If not done cook a few minutes longer. When done you will need to let the pot release pressure; Leave valve on SEALING position and let it release naturally. (If in a hurry wait at least 10 minutes, then carefully push SEALING valve to VENTING- DO NOT do this before the 10 minute countdown after cooker is done cooking. )

Recipe Notes

Start with these spices to make your rub- 1/2 tsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Pepper, 2 tsp. or more of Paprika, 1/2 tsp. Cumin (If you like spicier chicken you can add a little cayenne powder) Adjust as needed. 

The instant pot comes with the rack for cooking. 

We served this chicken dinner with Mexican rice, and a salad. But, you can serve it with any sides you like. Even tortillas, and avocados. Who says dinner has to be complicated? 

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Ready to try more instant pot recipes?

• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos and Avocado Topping Recipe (make with boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• French Dip Sandwiches (instant pot)
• The Best Potato Corn Chowder To Warm Up To (instant pot)