Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Gravy (VIDEO)
Instant Pot Whole Chicken is the fastest way to cook a rotisserie chicken. Cooking Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot is so juicy and you’ll love the easy 3-ingredient chicken gravy made from the drippings.
We love the instant pot not just for the speed of making dinner, but because it comes together in one pot. One and done – just like our Instant Pot White Chicken Chili and Instant Pot Chicken and Rice. Explore our best Instant Pot Recipes Here.
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Instant Pot whole Chicken Recipe:
The ingredients here are so simple and you probably have everything you need in your refrigerator and pantry. We used 1 whole chicken (4 to 4 1/2 lbs), chicken broth, fresh garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon juice, butter and a few dried spices (salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and paprika).
The combination of seasonings makes for the best taking gravy made from the pan drippings and prepared right in the instant pot. The gravy is amazing poured over mashed potatoes and the sliced chicken.
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken:
- Cook the chicken for 6 minutes per pound and allow a 15-minute natural pressure release. Releasing the pressure gradually will ensure your chicken is fully cooked through and rested for the juiciest chicken. It also prevents foam from shooting out of the valve.
- Weigh the chicken to ensure the proper cooking time (see timing chart below). Overcooking the bird will cause it to fall apart and will make it difficult to transfer.
- Make sure your chicken fits your instant pot size. Our 6 qt instant pot fits up to a 5 lb chicken. An 8 qt pressure cooker is better for the larger sized chickens.
- Use a Trivet for even cooking and to help remove the chicken from the instant pot.
- Broil the chicken for a crisp salty skin
- Do not discard the drippings – they make the best gravy to pour over your chicken.
- Keep the carcass and bones for Instant Pot Chicken Broth.
How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot:
Prepare Chicken: Separate the skin over the chicken breast using a spoon.
Set up Instant Pot: Place the trivet inside the instant pot and pour in 1 cup chicken broth. Add the chicken breast-side-up and stuff the cavity with garlic cloves and half of the squeezed lemon.
Make Butter Sauce: Combine melted butter with all of the seasonings. Pour half of the mixture under the skin and pour the remaining mixture all over the outside of the chicken.
Pressure Cook Chicken: Cover with the lid, set the lever to “sealing” position, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound followed by 15-minute natural pressure release before manually releasing remaining pressure.
Broil for Crisp Browned Skin: Transfer chicken to a foiled lined baking sheet, season with more salt, pepper, and paprika and broil in the center of the oven 4-5 minutes or until the desired color is reached.
Cooking Times for I.P. Whole Chicken:
As a general rule of thumb, cook your chicken on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound, then do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
- 3 lbs = 18 minutes on high pressure with 15-min natural release
- 3 1/2 lbs = 21 minutes on high pressure with 15-min natural release
- 4 lb = 24 minutes on high pressure with 15-min natural release
- 4 1/2 lb = 27 minutes on high pressure with 15-min natural release
- 5 lb = 30 minutes on high pressure with 15-min natural release
Can I Cook a Frozen Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot?
For this recipe, a fresh or thawed chicken works best. You can cook a frozen whole chicken but it will take significantly longer (60-70 minutes on high pressure) and we found a thawed or fresh chicken will cook more evenly. Also, you won’t be able to pour the flavored butter under the chicken skin.
If you want to use a frozen chicken, a dry rub would work better like in this Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Recipe from my friend Olena of Ifoodreal. She also shares some great tips like what to do with the bag of giblets that are stuck inside the chicken and timings for different sized frozen chickens.
Recipes for Leftover Rotisserie Chicken:
We love cooking a whole chicken because the options are endless for easy dinners using leftover chicken. Don’t forget to keep the carcass to make the best homemade chicken stock.
- Avocado Chicken Salad – our most viral salad
- Chicken Fried Rice – our favorite recipe for leftovers
- Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad – you’ll love this dressing
- Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich – restaurant favorite
- Chicken in Gravy – combine shredded chicken with gravy and you have a fresh new meal
- Chicken Noodle Soup – even easier with shredded rotisserie chicken!
Watch Natasha Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken:
I hope this Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe becomes a new favorite Instant Pot recipe for you. It will change the way you make chicken. If you enjoyed this video tutorial, please subscribe to our Youtube Channel and click the bell icon so you can be the first to know when we post a new video. THANK YOU for subscribing!
Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Ingredients
Instant Pot Whole Chicken:
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and lightly smashed
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 sprig of rosemary leaves stripped and minced
- 1 sprig of thyme leaves stripped and minced
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 lemon (squeeze 1 Tbsp juice and use same lemon to stuff chicken)
For the Chicken Gravy:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
How to Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken:
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Take out the giblets bag from inside the chicken. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place chicken breast-side-up. Starting from the drumstick side, loosen the skin from the breast, using the back of a spoon to help. Set aside.
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In a small bowl combine: all of the seasonings, the minced rosemary and thyme and 1 Tbsp lemon juice and one stick of melted butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.
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Place a rack in the inner pot of your instant pot and add 1 cup of chicken broth. Add chicken breast-side-up. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with crushed garlic cloves and half a lemon.
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Pour half the butter mixture under the skin, (you can use your fingers to massage the chicken and distribute the mixture) then spread the remaining butter mixture evenly over the top of the chicken.
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Pressure cook for 24 min with 15 min natural pressure release, remove the chicken with trivet, allowing any excess juice to drip into the pot (keep that liquid for gravy).
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Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet, season with more salt and pepper and paprika if desired for a little color then broil at 500˚F, or air fry 5 min or until the skin is browned. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
To Make the Chicken Gravy:
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Pour all of the liquid from the pot into a bowl or measuring cup and skim off the excess fat at the top. You should have about 2 cups after straining off the fat.
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Set the instant pot to the sauté function and melt in 3 Tbsp butter. Whisk in 3 Tbsp flour, whisking for 1 minute until golden. Add the remaining drippings and whisk until simmering and thickened then remove from heat. Serve with chicken.
Recipe Notes
As a general rule of thumb, cook your chicken on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound, then do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes before manually releasing remaining pressure.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This was amazing. Followed the recipe. Skin didn’t crisp up but it didn’t matter as the meat was so tender and falling apart. Gravy was really good too💕
Thanks for sharing that with us, Nina. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you Natasha I am waiting for my instapot to get through cooking and it smells so good in here now I have a question and that is how could we cook the giblets with that and then use them in the gravy , just wondering if you had any ideas
Oh, I bet your home smells so good right now! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I usually do not include the bag of giblets but remove and discard it. I know there are probably recipes out there for using the giblets, like making gravy but we don’t personally.
Natasha, you are awesome! I sincerely love your recipes and the creative and quality manner in which you teach us how to prepare and cook them. You and your production are “top shelf”! As to the Instant Pot chicken… do you think adding some potatoes and carrots to the Instant pot while cooking the chicken would be okay? If not, please tell us why. Again, thanks for being a GREAT inspiration to your fans and for producing such great videos and recipes! Sincerely, Tom
Hi Tom! That will actually work with this recipe. Here’s what one of our readers wrote: “The flavor of this chicken was wonderful and I put some root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, onions and then some Brussel sprouts under the chicken to cook as well” I hope you find this helpful!
This was the first instant pot recipe I tried and it came out absolutely perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing. I served it with noodles and we put the gravy on them as well and it was sooo good. I’m so excited about my instant pot now . Thank you Natasha!!!
Yay, that’s great! I’m glad your first try using your instant pot recipe was a success. I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try!
I was really excited about the instaPot whole chicken recipe. I followed the directions exactly, only substituting olive oil for butter. Might you be able to guess why the breast meat of the chicken turned out stringy and chewy? The chicken was totally fresh, slaughtered one day ago… first ever for me to buy a chicken so fresh…$28!! Didn’t want to wreck it, but something is not right with the texture. Ideas?
Hi T, it’s hard to say with substitutions and not being there if that was the culprit or not, and I haven’t had that experience. I wish I could say it was the butter – but I recommend trying the original recipe with no substitutions.
Hands down my favorite recipe, I try to make it every Sunday! I’m obsessed with how delicious it is, how easy it is and how happy it makes my family, we all look forward to it. Not only is it an amazing dinner but I usually get a couple of days of the best chicken sandwiches out of it and then fresh chicken stock! Cannot say enough nice things about this recipe, so recommended!
Thanks for your good comments and review, Stephanie. I’m glad you loved the recipe!
This is an absolutely full proof recipe that makes a wonderfully addictive gravy. I shared the recipe with my daughter that loves gravy but has a hard time making it. The chicken comes out juicy and the gravy is plentiful as well as tasty.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cheryl!
Hello,
Is the nutrition information per serving? If so, how many servings per 3 pound bird? I really just want to know how many calories per serving and how many ounces per serving. Thanks so much!
Hi Aimee, Yes, the nutrition information is per serving. We made a 4-pound chicken that serves 6.
Oh gosh, I forgot to add the stars!
Hi Natasha! I just made this but with a lot of alterations – I hope it’s ok if I share? I have a 6qt PowerQuick Pot – fantastic appliance. So, I didn’t use butter, but I did use avocado oil. I also cut the chicken in half – because I wanted to do a side-by-side comparison to sous-vide. My spice was Weber’s Kick’N Chicken. I pulled back the skin, dried it all off, sprayed the avocado oil on then added the spice. I did this on the flesh, on the skin and on the bottom side of the chicken. I also placed my chicken on the egg trivet so it wasn’t too close to the liquid. I didn’t have chicken broth. I used 3/4 cup water with about 1/4 cup liquid smoke, 2 fresh bay leaves, dried white sage leaves and stalks, dried rosemary along with a bit of butter emulsion to see if I could detect a butter taste (no – maybe too many flavors). I put the liquid and aromatics in the pot and put it on sauté to warm it up to open the spices – about 5-10 minutes with the lid on – I didn’t want the liquid to evaporate too much. Popped in the chicken and used your time chart to determine length of time. When it was done it smelled amazing. I didn’t want to heat up my place to crisp up the skin, so I put on my air fryer lid and let it go for about 10 minutes, with another spray of avocado oil to help it along. Too bad I can’t add a picture! The flavor is amazing, it is not overcooked. The texture reminds me of what good poached chicken would be like and the skin? Perfect!
Thank you so. much for sharing!
Made this tonight. Delious!. The only thing I would do differently is leave the chicken under the broiler longer
Thanks for your good feedback, Bruce. That sounds good too!
Hi Natasha,
I’m planning to try this recipe tonight but I have two chickens that will fit in my 8 quart ip. If I keep the timing consistent with 6 minutes per pound do you think this will work out ok? Should I add more stock or any other modifications? Thank you!
Hi Karen, that is a great question. I would assume that but I haven’t tested with two chickens in one instant pot. You might do a quick google search to see if others have tried it and what settings they used. I would increase the stock and double everything.
Thanks for this recipe, which I made again tonight. I learned putting the spices inside the skin and broiling afterward from you.
I was out of homemade chicken broth and didn’t want to open a box when I had half a cup of TJ ginger miso broth left in the fridge, so I topped it up with cheap pino grigio… I may have to do that from now on; the gravy was spectacular.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jack!
Wow. I don’t remember the last time I had chicken that tasted so good. The gravy is to die for. I enjoyed it with a strawberry/feta/almond salad. The flavours were like sunshine 🌞 🙏🏻
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Kari!
I love this recipe! How can I adapt it using chicken thighs? Mainly just wondering about the cooking time, I plan on using 6 or so pieces of thighs.
Thanks!
Hi Donna, I haven’t tested this recipe with chicken thighs so you might have to reference some instant pot chicken thigh recipes to gauge and experiment with timing.
Quick question!Can I cook frozen chicken too or I have to defrost it first?
Hi Katherine, we have this note in the recipe you may find helpful “If you want to use a frozen chicken, a dry rub would work better like in this Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Recipe from my friend Olena of Ifoodreal”
Hands down the BEST whole chicken I have ever had!! It’s a keeper and will be made often!!
That’s just awesome, Ann! Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me!
Hi it looks delicious but I don’t have the instant pot what can i do please? Thank you
Hi Vanessa, you might enjoy our oven-baked Roast Chicken
Thanks a lot
would it be okay to prepare the day before and let it marinate over night in the fridge?
Hi Sean, I don’t see why not. I think that should work fine but you would want to let it sit at room temp for about 30 min to cook more evenly.
came out great! thank you! 🙂
The absolute best chicken recipe and that gravy, Omg!! Mouth watering!! 👌🏼
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sarah!
Amazing recipe! The chicken was so tender and my kids already asked me to make this again. A winner in our family.
Hello Rachel! It’s great to read your great comments and feedback, thank you for sharing that with us!
At this point I’ve tried Instapot whole chickens 2, maybe 3 dozen times. I get some useful meat, a lot of dry stringy meat.
This time I got 100% juicy meat for my white enchiladas and I even accidentally left it on the warm setting for 1.5 hrs while I was at the park. Still came home to a beautiful chicken.
I’m a Natasha’s Kitchen fan now and I’ll be trying out more of your recipes!
Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Lily!
I never leave comments on recipes (I always forget), but this was the best Instapot Chicken recipe we’ve ever tried! The flavor was awesome and the gravy was the best I’ve ever made! So good.
Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me, Ethan! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
I have never had luck with cooking a whole chicken, until now! This recipe is a game changer! The chicken was so tender and juicy and the gravy is to die for. This has given me confidence to cook whole chicken again! My entire family loved it! Thank you Natasha for another delicious and easy recipe.
Yay, so perfect! Thanks so much for your awesome comments and feedback, Robyn. I’m glad you finally found your perfect recipe for whole chicken.
This has quickly become a favorite recipe. I’ve made this several times and the chicken is always moist, juicy, and flavorful. The gravy is the best I’ve ever tasted.
Love it! Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback, Mary Ann.
This recipe is awesome, the chicken was juicy and came out really nice. Also, SO EASY. Even for me, who hates cooking.
Don’t you just love easy recipes! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’d like to offer a suggestion that I tried and found extremely helpful. First, this is an awesome recipe with the most delicious gravy I’ve every tasted! I wouldn’t change a single ingredient! My tip, after mixing all the spices with the butter – place in fridge until butter sets up to a mushy state. Then massage into and on chicken. You can “push” the butter under the skin and then using your fingers on the outside skin to move it and massage it as you push the mixture around under the skin. Then apply the remaining to the outside skin. Enjoy this flavorful recipe and many thanks to Natasha for sharing it with all of us!
Be thankful, we have been given so much.
Hello Jackson, thank you so much for sharing some suggestions with us. It is very useful information, we appreciate it!
I don’t have an instant pot can I use slow cooker?
Hi Char, You can make this in a slow cooker just following whole chicken slow cooker instructions – it may be a little difficult to transfer to the oven afterward though.
I made this tonight for dinner and it turned out great!! The chicken had great flavor and was so juicy. The gravy had the best flavor. I will be making this again.
Thank you for sharing
Hi Cindy, I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for your wonderful review.
This is our go-to recipe! If I could give it 10 ⭐️ I would! Question: if making for guests and I want to make 2 chickens, could they be roasted in oven using that same butter/herb marinade? Would I end up with enough broth to make the gravy?
Hi Christie, that may work, for oven-roasted chicken, I would recommend roasting at 425 degrees F for 1 hour 30 minutes (for a 5-5 1/2 lb chicken), or until juices run clear when you slice between the leg and thigh. A smaller chicken will roast faster. I highly recommend a meat thermometer since not all chickens are the same in size. The deepest/thickest part of the thigh should read 165˚F. Rest 15-20 minutes before serving after it’s out of the oven.
We cooked this chicken last night, and it was the best we have ever tasted, and we have brough home many rotisserie chickens from the store. This was better.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This has become a family favorite for us! It is so easy that even I, a totally timid cook at best, can pull it off and so yummy that my whole family loves it. The only thing is that I have trouble finding chickens small enough!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for your good feedback and for sharing that with us, Danielle.
I found chickens from Costco in the 2 pack fit in my 8 qt nicely!
I only have one cup of the drippings, what can I do to make it to 2 cups?
Hi Brenda, you can add chicken broth to make more gravy.
Absolutely fantastic! I had a 5.5lb chicken and did 33 minutes +15 minute release. Made exactly as written but used all dry herbs as I didn’t have fresh. The gravy was the bomb! Just a note for those commenters about having some redish meat still: some of the dark meat that is near the bone stays a little reddish-brown. When cutting, the juice should run clear. And to be sure, use an instant read thermometer. If you don’t have one – it will become one of your favorite and most useful items! Thanks Natasha!
I’m so glad you found a favorite! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Just learning our instant pot and came across your video. Thank you so much! I made it for my wife. It was so juicy and delicious and very easy! It was so much healthier than the store bought oven roasters! We used half the salt and butter due to diet restrictions. I’ll use the drippings and bones to make broth! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Sounds great! I hope you and your family will love every recipe that you will try, Terry.
Absolutely delicious. And so easy.
I made this for my family and they all loved it. The gravy was different but was delicious as well. My picky son told me he liked it better cooked this way!!!
Thank you so much!
New instant pot user.
Very nice! Thanks for sharing your good feedback with us, Christine!
Just made the chicken. One bad outcome – the chicken literally exploded inside. So, although it was not appetizing to look at, and I had to be sure to fish out all the bones – the chicken was good. The chicken weighed 5.27 lbs. I set the time for 33 minutes, perhaps a minute too long but my wife insists on well cooked food. I’ll try again at some point, and use exact cook time guidelines.
Hi Jim, that is likely due to cooking too long in the instant pot.
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! Chicken was so tender, tasty and the gravy was so good. Husband and I both loved it!! I did have to make a few changes; used dried grounded rosemary and thyme spice as I did not have any fresh on hand. Also, had no paprika so I used a maple bacon spice instead.
Well definitely make again; added to my favorite list. 🙂 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Shirley! Thank you for your wonderful review.
Really delicious recipe. My chicken was about 5.5 pounds so just increase the time slightly. Juice and delish! The gravy was excellent as well. This will be a “go to” recipe.
Adding that I’m serving this as left over, warmed on the stove and it is just as good. One of the first Instant Pot/Pressure Cook recipes I’ve tried that needed no adjustments. Really good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
I gave this a try and it was awesome…my entire family devoured it in minutes…
That’s just awesome, Anita! Thank you for that wonderful review.
I agree with Gina, this was ridiculously yummy. I’m a gravy maniac and this was fabulous. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you found a new favorite, Brenda! Our favorite way to make chicken!
This was ridiculously good! My husband went on and on about it. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Gina. Wow, that is awesome! Thanks to you and your husband for trying out this recipe and for sharing your great review with us!
What?!?!? This is AMAZING. I ate an entire four pounds of chicken in less than a week. So good! Who knew an instant pot could do this? I didn’t have onion powder so I used about a teaspoon of ginger powder. And I added a little sprinkle of turmeric powder and a few sprinkles of hingvastak. And I put a few tablespoons of ghee in as well. So good! Thank you for making my life easy and delicious!
You’re welcome! It sounds like you found a new favorite!
D’lish
Easy to make, flavorful….tender, juicy…the gravy was soooo good
Perfect! Thanks for your awesome feedback.
Made this tonight for dinner. Followed the recipe and it was awesome and so easy. Only the broiling didn’t work out so well for me 🙂 Will definitely make this again!
Hi Lis, thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe. Great to hear that you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, thank you for the recipe.. making it now.. We’ll see how it turns out 🙂 I really hope you can post the recipe of how to make juicy chicken breast in the slow cooker/instant pot too.. PLEASE 🙂 and Thank you!
Hi Anna! I hope you love this recipe! We look forward to your feedback!
Delish. I made this for my family tonight. So good. We served with garlic-pepper mashed potatoes and corn. Yum!
So yummy and definitely a great combo! I’m glad your family enjoyed this recipe!
I am writing this review for other newbies and things don’t always go perfect as we plan. Let me start by saying this was so awesome and delicious. I ran into several obstacles but it still turned out delicious. My IP didn’t seal correctly for some reason therefore I lost a lot of the water while cooking. When it came time to make the delicious gravy I only yeilded about 1 cup of usuable juice so it came out very salty however I finished it off on the stove and added water and that helped a lot. For some reason the skin on the chicken breast slid off the chicken while cooking so I missed out on the crispy skin but the flavor on the skin was superior. I did brown the chicken in the oven and it came out looking nice and was still very moist and tender. I look forward to cooking this again and perfecting it. I have been buying store bought cooked chickens and this just showed me that while they are ok, this receipe is unbeatable. I plan on using the remainder of the chicken and some of the gravy in a chicken pot pie, I can’t wait. So, even though it did’t go the way I planned it was still absolutely delicious.
Hello there Kap, thank you for sharing your experience with us making this recipe. Good to know that you still enjoyed it despite some challenges! I’m sure that you’ll be able to make this recipe perfect on your next try.
Dear Natasha I am happy of being one your followers you bring the joy to us while cooking so clean so pretty and sooo delecious easy recipes and a lot of varieties I really enjoy watching and learning and trying of course thank you so much keep going
Hello Nada, that is so sweet of you. Thank you for your kind words and support. I really appreciate it!
Fabulous! My 1st try at an Instant Pot Whole Chicken. So juicy and delicious. The gravy came out wonderfully too! We complimented it with sweet potato and green beans 😋
Hi Anastasia, that sounds perfect! That’s a great combo, I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I absolutely loved the flavor of this chicken and the gravy was amazing! My timing didn’t work out quite right and I am wondering if I did it wrong. I am new to pressure cooking. When you say natural release, do you turn the cooker completely off and wait 15 min, or do you keep it going on the “keep warm” feature for 15 min?
Also, does the chicken reach its fully cooked internal temp in the oven or is it supposed to be fully cooked before you broil it?
Hi Elise, once the instant pot is done with the timer, it will automatically start a new counter and you want to let that new counter go for 15 minutes which is the natural pressure release phase. Then release the remaining pressure on the valve (using an oven mitt or tongs for safety) before opening the lid. The chicken should be fully cooked through before broiling.
Thank you for your quick reply! So if the temperature is at 140, how much longer would you cook it to get it up to 165?
Hi Elise, you will have to experiment. Maybe another 5 minutes on high pressure? You could also finish off baking it in the oven to get to the right internal temp before broiling at the end.
Made this tonight!!! It was delicious! Next time I will add a few more cook time minutes. The meat was redish in the middle. But the spices … it was really good.
Sounds great! THanks for sharing your feedback with us, Lucie.
Can you make this recipe in a crock pot?
Hi Michelle, You can make this in a slow cooker just following whole chicken slow cooker instructions – it may be a little difficult to transfer to the oven afterward though.
This is the BEST recipe for a roasted chicken in the instant pot! I have tried cooking a chicken a few times in the instant pot and it was never really that good but this is excellent and that gravy……delicious! I am so glad I tried your recipe.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Followed directions exactly and my chicken came out fantastic! I did crisp it up under the broiler. My chicken was tender and juicy. The gravy was fantastic too! Thank you for your recipe!
Love it! Thanks for your good comments and feedback, Shelley. We appreciate you sharing that with us.
Outstanding! Juicy and flavorful, simple and fast. Added peeled potatoes (boiled in salt water) and a colorful salad as side dishes. Will make it again. How do you feel about curry/lime/ginger and cilantro instead of paprika/lemon? Thank you for sharing this five star dinner.
Hi Sam, I haven’t tested that exact substitution, but I imagine it may work; the flavor profile would be different. If you experiment, I would love to know how you like it.
This was amazing! Such a delicious recipe. I made a just over 3 lb chicken, and your recipe was quite perfect. I’m really impressed by how easy it was to pull it off too.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I had to put the 4lb chicken on for 6 minutes more with natural release twice. Total 36 min. But, it turned out to be excellent. The gravy was fabulous. Definitely a keeper. Thankyou.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Karen! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Absolutely delicious and so moist. My family loved it!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Oh my! Absolutely the BEST chicken and gravy I’ve ever had. So flavourful! My 24 year old daughter said it’s better than any restaurant meal she’s ever had! I’ve also tried your Instant Pot mashed potatoes and they are so easy and delicious! Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tanya!
It looked like you pressed the multigrain button when you started the pot. Is that what does the 15 minute slow release?
Hi Katherine, we cooked on manual high pressure. A natural pressure release is when you leave the pressure release switch in the Sealed position when the cooking time ends. This lets the pressure release slowly, without you doing anything. When the pressure is fully released, the float valve will drop and the lid will unlock and open.
Yum! Best whole chicken I have ever made! Moist and flavorful! Thank you!
Excellent! Thank you for your awesome review, Carmen.
OMG!!! This is absolutely fabulous. I just got an Instant Pot for Christmas and have been trying to figure it out. This recipe was delicious. The only thing I changed was I used salted butter (all I had). AND the gravy… I could drink it. Thank you for sharing. I’m going to have to buy another chicken and do this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Michelle!
Is there a low cal way to do this recipe without using the butter?
Hi Bruce, I am assuming that should work fine with oil instead of butter.
Thanks, Natasha! Tonight’s the first attempt at even using the Instant pot and this recipe is just what the Doctor ordered! I’ll let you know what we think!
Please do, I would love to know how it goes!
Got an instant pot for Christmas so this was a first for me. The chicken was perfect! Juicy,tender and the best gravy ever according to my husband who is Danish and is used to great homemade gravy!
Will definitely make this again.
The perfect gift, Diane! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This was amazing! So tender and juicy and very easy to make. I’d been wanting to try a whole chicken in the instant pot for awhile now and I figured I couldn’t go wrong with one of your recipes and yup, I was right. And the gravy came out perfect too (which is highly unusual for me). Thanks so much for this recipe.
Hello Jennifer, you are very welcome. Thank you for giving this recipe a try, I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
Hi. I love the combination of spices for this recipe but do not own an instapot. Would you have an oven version but using the same ingredients and gravy? TIA!
Hi Lidia, have you seen my Juicy Roast Chicken Recipe?
I just finished my chicken diner it was amazing it was so juicy and the gravy was delish, my Grandson who will not eat a rotisserie chicken loved it, Thanks Natasha everything I make with your recipes are amazing and I have been cooking for over 50 years it is nice to have different ways of preparing, Thanks love to watch you, you are so cute!
You are very welcome, Barbara. Thank you for always trusting my recipes, I hope that you and your family will love every recipe that you will try!
I am assuming that this chicken is thawed? What would be your time be if it were frozen?
Hi Erika, please check this part in the recipe “Can I Cook a Frozen Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot?” for your question. I hope that helps.
I never leave reviews, but this is most definitely the best chicken I’ve ever made. My husband said it’s the best chicken he’s ever had! Cooked to perfection and full of flavor. I will make this again and again!! Thank you!
That is so heart warming, thank you so much to you and your husband! I appreciate your kind words and good feedback.
I bought a 4.37 pound chicken. Do I still cook it same time as yours since yours is 4, or how many more minutes would you say?
Hi Olga, it would need slightly more time but not much! Several readers left comments cooking a 4.5-5 lb turkey at 30-35 minutes.
I was looking for a healthy Instant Pot recipe and I decided to give it a try. Delicious!!! I just replaced the butter with avocado oil and turn out pretty good. I made the gravy with butter thinking of not even try it but I couldn’t resist it. Best chicken ever!
Love it! Thank you for your kind words and great feedback, Mari!
Could I omit the lemon that goes inside?
The lemon really adds flavor to the recipe, you can omit it but might not be as tasty as the original recipe.
BEST chicken I have ever made. Delicious. Perfectly moist. Great flavor, tasty gravy. Yum!! Will make this again and again and already shared recipe with my mom. Thank you for this outstanding recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Do you have to do the broil part?
Hi Nina, you don’t have to do it since the chicken should be fully cooked. It’s just prettier when you do broil.
I just got my instapot, and I did this incredible recipe for New Year’s Eve. The gravy is the most delicious I have ever had. I wanted to drink it! It was so good! The video helped so much as well! Thank you and I am a fan !
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Erika!
So I made this recipe…really good. Made a few changes, used smoked paprika and didn’t have any thyme (grocery store didn’t either!) Still turned out great. I couldn’t broil it for crispy cause the skin split while cooking.
I’m glad you enjoyed that, Julie. Thank you for sharing that with me!
My first whole chicken in the IP and wow! How easy and delicious! I did make a couple changes because I like a little spicy flavor and I hate rosemary, so I left that out and added a Tbsp of creole seasoning. The rest I followed to the T. The flavor is the bomb, and the gravy was so easy and flavorful! Thank you for this recipe! I will be making this forever!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Delicious. I’m not typically a chicken gravy fan but this recipe resulted in delicious gravy that I had night after night. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Danielle.
Got this for Christmas! Made my first foodie item this evening. Made the I.P. whole chicken. Oh my god…. Delicious!!!!! Can’t wait to try more, but this chicken will be a regular.
Love it! Thanks for your great feedback, Ron!
Made this tonight. A 100% winner. Thank you!
You’re welcome. Glad you loved it, Lisa!
Just finished our Christmas Day dinner. Borrowed a second Instant Pot and made a 6.08 and a 5.23 pound chicken simultaneously, multiplying cook time by 6 mins per pound. Even my grandkids raved about how delicious the chickens were including the gravy which needed no additional condiments. Thank you!
Very nice! Thanks for sharing that with us, Rich!
Can i cook a 6.lb chicken in a 6 quart instant pot?
Hi Linda, as long as you can easily cover it with the lid, that should work fine.
This is so moist and flavorful!
Thank you for your great review, Lisa!
When you say Broil in the oven to brown the skin is that with a radiant element (as in a Grill) or simply – well – an oven?
Because I thought Broil was the same as the English Grill but my Grill does not have sufficient space beneath for a whole chicken.
Hi James I meant broil on high heat in the oven. Thank you for asking and I will clarify that in the instructions.
Cooking time a little long, but was a little dry, but delicious. Great technique. Thanks
Used half the butter and accidentally cooked on low pressure part of the time. It still came out delicious. We served it with white rice. A new favorite, for sure! Thanks
I’m glad that worked out, Pam! Thank you for sharing that with me!
My kids are picky eaters, and their only option for meat was barbecue chicken from the grocery store (which I hate) … Today I tried your recipe and it was absolutely a winner !!! Now it’s our favorite whole chicken recipe. Thank you so much.
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
OMG! This is absolutely the BEST chicken recipe. I was a bit nervous cooking a whole 5 lb chicken for only 30 min. (still kinda new to the Instant Pot), but it turned out beautiful and soooo freaking moist. And the buttery flavors where the BOMB! I didn’t have a lemon, so I added an onion. THE BEST! As suggested by my husband, I’ll be buying more hole chickens…just for this recipe.
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your great experience trying out this recipe. Sounds like this is going to be your new favorite!
I don’t have an instant pot, but do have an old school pressure cooker. How would I adjust the release time? Should I simply turn it off and let the pressure naturally come down?
Hi Kathy, I don’t have experience with those so I would follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Hi Natasha,
I would just like some help adding carrots onions potatoes and sweet potatoes (maybe pumpkin) to this recipe to have an all in one. By the way, I live in Japan and am using Japanese veggies. Can you help me? Thank you in advance
HI Michael, I haven’t tested it that way so I’m not sure how that would work out and if the veggies would get mushy by the time the chicken was done. You might consider baking them in a separate casserole like we did with our roasted vegetables recipe.
Natasha thank you for this recipe. This chicken is excellent. The IP can be a little tricky, but explain the minutes perfectly. Again, thank you.
You are most welcome, Renee. Thank you for your great feedback!
I am a brand new Instant Pot owner, and this was my FIRST recipe to give the new appliance a test run. Wonderful! I can see why Instant Pot has such a fan base, and your recipe was PERFECT! So flavourful, moist… the flavours were blended in a way that I’ve just never experienced in a traditional roast chicken. Thank you for this – I’ll be keeping this recipe close at hand for future use~and I’ll also be looking at your other recipes for my Instant Pot!
Hello Christina, I’m happy that you loved the recipe! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, we appreciate it!
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! You can eat the gravy by itself it’s so delicious!! The chicken was so moist and juicy. I should’ve increased the pressure cooking by a couple of minutes since I did have a wee bit of pink in the fleshier parts (my chicken weighed 3 lbs-10oz. and I used cook time for a 3.5 lb bird.) Thank-you, Natasha, for consistently delicious and reliable recipes!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jackie!
This recipe is amazing! The gravy is good enough to eat on its own! My chicken was 3 lbs- 10oz. I pressure cooked it according to the chart for a 3.5 lb. I should’ve let it go a couple of minutes longer (was a wee bit pink near the bone). So moist and so tasty! Don’t throw out the extra gravy!!! So good!
Love it! Thanks for your great review and feedback, Jackie. We appreciate you sharing these info with us.
WOW. I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE THIS AGAIN . MY HUSBAND LOVED IT TOO. Very moist meat. My chicken was 5.60 pds. Did 34 minutes plus the 15 minute depressure. Gravy so good,just a tad saltybut we like salty. I measured the 2 cups juice,3 Tbsp next time I’ll ad another tbsp or so. Was too thin for our liking,BUT tasted sooo good. I even splurged and had a piece of bread covered with gravy. A WINNER. thank you.
You are so welcome, Donna! Thank you for sharing your good experience making this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is my 2nd review and my third time using this recipe. I made this again last night, but this time changing up the spices completely. I didn’t have an onion, whole lemon, or much butter, so decided to improvise. I used lemon pepper and olive oil to season under the skin. I used 1T dehydrated onion, 1t garlic powder, 1 t lemon pepper, and 3T Lemon juice (I keep juice cubes in the freezer) in the cavity. I rubbed the outside with olive oil and sprinkled some seasoned salt on the outside before closing the instant pot lid and cooking as directed. My chicken still came out great! The gravy had a more pronounced lemon flavor and was delicious! I still will use Natasha’s recipe, but nice to know I can improvise in a pinch and the method makes a perfect juicy and lovely chicken to serve up!
Hello Ellen, thank you so much for your detailed feedback and for sharing the changes that you tried for this recipe. That is so helpful, we appreciate it!
I have made this three times so far. It is always delicious and moist!!! I serve it with the gravy, mashed potatoes, and some veggie I’ve got laying around. I have some gravy and chicken leftover. I will use it to make chicken pot pie. I also save the bones to make chicken stock. I love this recipe bc it can be stretched to get many meals out of it! Thank you!
Hello Diana, you are most welcome! It’s my pleasure to be able to share with you this recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I made the recipe for my wife, daughter and her husband last night and we all loved it, juicy and delicious. The gravy was to die for. We had mashed potatoes and sauteed asparagus to go with it. I have cooked quite a few of Natasha’s recipes and always find them delicious.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I’ve made this a few times and it’s my absolute favourite chicken recipe. Do you think I could use the same recipe with Turkey instead?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Deana! I haven’t tried it with turkey but I imagine that may work! If you experiment I would love to know how you like that!
This was simple and absolutely delicious! The chicken was very moist and the gravy was wonderful. Definitely going to be making this again.
Love it, Judy. Thanks for sharing that with us!
HI. I’m wondering if ever use Idaho Huckleberry in any of your recipes?
Love your show.
Mitch
Hi Mitch, I don’t have a recipe for that yet but thanks for your suggestion. I’ll just add that to the list.
Used this recipe last night, and it came out great!
However, instead of broiling at the end I just lifted the chicken out the Instant Pot with the trivet, and dropped it into the Air Fryer at 380 degrees for 10 minutes. Super crispy skin!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
It is not a rotisserie chicken unless it is cooked on a rotisserie which turns it round and round and slow cooks it. This is basically a BAKED chicken. It is important to distinguish the difference.
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try this. What gloves are you using? Did not see the link to them. Thank you
Kathy
I hope you love this recipe, Kathy! We have our gloves linked in our Amazon Shop HERE.
Will this same recipe work for a Ninja Foodi? Same cook times etc..
Hi Cecil, I haven’t tested this in a Ninja, but here is what one of our readers wrote: “I followed the recipe as written with my ninja, and it turned out fantastic. My family loved the chicken, and it came out of the oven looking like the picture. But the gravy words can not express how fantastic it was and what makes the meat great is that it’s infused with that gravy.” I hope that helps
Hi Cecil, I haven’t tested this in a Ninja, but here is what one of our readers wrote: “I followed the recipe as written with my ninja, and it turned out fantastic. My family loved the chicken, and it came out of the oven, looking like the picture. But the gravy words can not express how fantastic it was and what makes the meat great is that it’s infused with that gravy.” I hope that helps
I followed the simple directions tonight and my chicken and gravy came out great! I’ll be keeping this recipe to make again and again, and its company worthy for sure!
Hello Ellen, that is so awesome! Thank you for sharing your good experience with this recipe. We appreciate your great comments and feedback.
Hot dog – this was excellent, and easy too!!!
Thank you!
I’ve tried this recipe in the past and it was perfect! We are postponing our Thanksgiving roast until tomorrow so our daughter can join us – SO! Tonight, I made your whole chicken in the oven recipe (carrots and potatoes), and the gravy from this recipe. So delicious! Thanks for the great recipes!
You are so welcome, Cheryl. I hope it becomes a hit!
This is fabulous!
I used a 5 lb Oven Stuffer Roaster. Set the Instant Pot for 32 minutes. Came out PERFECT!
Gravy was spectacular!
I made a Cranberry Orange Compote using whole berry sauce and added a little Orange Marmalade.( a little at a time tasting after each addition ) So delicious and easy! (I added that in case anyone wants to try it)
Thank you Natasha!
Hi Jane, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing that with us, so helpful in case others would like to try that addition too!
Followed your recipe exactly and it was amazing. My chicken was so moist and tender and flavorful. My husband couldn’t stop eating it. Gravy was delicious too. I made this today Thanksgiving with no back up plan. I was a bit nervous, but WOW was it fantastic. ❤️💯
That is so fantastic. Thank you for sharing your awesome feedback with us, glad you all enjoyed this chicken and gravy recipe!
Hello Natasha, Would it be possible to stuff the chicken with stove top stuffing and do the same recipe?
Hi Greg, I’m sure there is room for stuffing, but I can’t advise without testing it. If you try that, I would love to know how it works for you!
I’m going to stick to your exact recipe because I’ve found out changing the instant pot recipe can be really bad. I’ll just make the items separate. I’ll have enough time.
Had our daughter and her friends over dinner. This roasted chicken came out wonderful! I didn’t look to see if it was recommended to broil a few minutes afterward, but we are off grid with no broiler. I popped it in the over to brown up. Baked potatoes with the gravy that I made keto (exchanging Xanthan Gum for flour). Added a spinach salad. Major hit with 20yos! That says a lot!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that awesome review with me!
I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving since it’s only 2 of us, a turkey is to big. Can I use minced garlic instead of smashed garlic?
Hi Sarah, we found smashed works really well but that should still work. I hope you love this recipe!
This was fantastic! My entire family wants me to make it again! Thanks for what you do!
You’re most welcome, Amy. Thank you too for sharing your good feedback with us.
Perfect! I substituted Za’atar for the thyme and rosemary (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and, second time I made this, added a bay leaf to the lemon and garlic. The gravy is soooo good. I made angel biscuits with heavy cream as one of the sides and the gravy was delicious on them.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing that with us, Merle. We appreciate your comments and great feedback.
This is deliciously fantastic. Easy. Maybe the best gravy I’ve ever made. I think it is actually. Maybe even the best chicken. So moist and flavorful. Nice butter flavor. Loved it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, April! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This was a great recipe! The gravy was amazing. It was seriously the best gravy I’ve ever made and it was so simple. I did not broil the chicken after but just put in the oven on 450 for 5 to min . Perfect with mashed potatoes and corn. Thank you Natasha! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
So nice of you to share that, thank you so much, Chelsea! I’m glad you loved this recipe.
My chicken weighed 5.20 lbs. I cooked it for 30 minutes and 15 min on natural pressure release and 5 min under the broiler. The white meat was done, however, the thighs were still pink and tiny bit bloody where they attach to the body. I roasted the thighs for another 15 minutes at 390F but at this point the roasting took away all the juice from the white meat. Can you please advise for how long should I keep it in the IP so that the thighs are done? Otherwise the seasonings were perfect and the gravy was the best I’ve ever tasted.
Hi Jana, it sounds like it could use a little more time in the Instant Pot. I would try it for a little longer, it is normal for there to be some redness but I would check it with an oven thermometer to be sure.
Delicious! We will make this again for sure! Thanks!
I’m so happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This is my favorite instant pot recipe of all time. The gravy is the best! I’ve used both fresh and dry herbs. Fresh are more flavorful but dry is still good. Thank you for this recipe
Hello Deb, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and the gravy too! Thanks for sharing that with us.
The timing for cooking the chicken is way off. My $40 pastured chicken turned out like rubber, though it tasted good. I will try it again and reduce the cooking time.
Hi Jill, if you are using a larger chicken, you would want to increase the cooking time. Please see the timing recommendations above.
I just purchased my first Instant Pot and am looking forward to trying your Chicken Recipe. But I have a few questions. Is it all right to substitute olive oil for the butter (as sadly I am lactose intolerant)? My Instant Pot calls for a minimum of 1 1/2 cups of liquid… will that be ok in your recipe? Lastly, can Arrow Root be used to thicken the gravy instead of flour? PS I loved your video!
Hi Gwen, I am assuming that should work fine with oil instead of butter and using an extra half cup of chicken broth. I hope you love the Instant Pot Chicken recipe!
Delicious! The recipe is so easy and the gravy is so flavorful! My daughter who claims she doesn’t like mashed potatoes (I know crazy!) LOVED the gravy on top so much, she ate up all her mashed potatoes! Win!! And the chicken is very moist, just falling off the bone. Thanks, Natasha!
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this great review with me Jeanne!
Fantastic! By far the tastiest while chicken instant pot recipe I’ve made. I couldn’t help but to test several bite right out of the pot because it smelled so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly!
Hello Megan, I’m glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience with us!
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! Once again, you did not disappoint this family! Some of the best gravy I have ever had. Served with mashed potatoes and maple-glazed carrots. Yum! Broiled the chicken for only four minutes which ALMOST too long(smoke detectors went off). Love your recipes and videos!
Aah sounds like a perfect meal! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback with us, Tricia!
I would love to stuff the chicken then cook it. Any suggestions on how long to cook it? Thanks!!
Hi A.J., I haven’t tried stuffing this recipe. One of our readers did write in saying: “This is a fantastic recipe!!! It has become my go-to and is PERFECT as written. Sometimes I’ll stuff the cavity with some onion and thyme sprigs along with the lemon and garlic if I have them on hand. I’ve also used smoked paprika a few times, which is lovely. Last week I used the leftover chicken and gravy to make a pot pie, and it was AMAZING. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!” I hope this helps! I would recommend adding a few more minutes of cook time.
This chicken was so good and that gravy was amazing! I love all of your recipes and the wonderful videos you share! Thank you!
Hello Angelina, thank you for your awesome feedback. I’m so happy to know that you loved it!
Hi Natasha! I followed this recipe to the letter and it was absolutely delicious!! I used my oven because I realized that my IP didn’t have a “high pressure” feature. I have the IP Lux. What button feature on IP Lux would I need to use if I wanted to make your recipe?
Thanks again for a fantastic recipe!
Hi Jan, I recommend googling how to get the high-pressure setting on an IP lux or reading through the instructions manual. It should have that option.