Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken

Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken is one of the easiest ways to cook a whole chicken. The chicken will be done in under an hour and is tender, moist, and flavorful. Your Instant Pot will make fast work of cooking up a whole chicken. I like to pop one in my IP on Sunday and have shredded cooked chicken in my fridge to use in easy chicken recipes for the crazy weekdays! 

There is no easier way to get dinner on the table then having tender cooked chicken leftover in the fridge, ready to go. You can make everything from chicken enchiladas to chicken noodle soup. Or pop over to this post for Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Recipes for Dinner This Week.  

If you would rather roast your chicken in the oven head over to this Ultimate Guide for Roast Chicken.

Ingredients 

To make this juicy and tender chicken you only need a few simple ingredients.

1. Whole Fresh Chicken– I recommend buying a chicken that is around 4-5 lbs. and has been “air chilled” which will be written on the label. Here in the Midwest we have Smart Chicken which is air chilled and always delicious.
2. Onion– you can use white or yellow.
3. Garlic – use as much as you like. In fact I like to just cut a whole head of garlic in half!
4. Lemon – adds a nice acid balance to all the savory and salty ingredients.
5. Seasonings – If you don’t have a favorite chicken seasoning then I recommend using kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and dried oregano.
6. Water or Chicken Broth

Instant Pot Cooking Times

Since you cook the chicken as one whole piece you need to use the weight to estimate how much time it will take to cook. Before you unpackage your chicken make note of the total weight.

Whole fresh chickens are cooked at 6 minutes per pound in the Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker.

• 3 lbs. – 18 minutes.
• 4 lbs. – 24 minutes.
• 5 lbs. – 30 minutes.
• 6 lbs. – 36 minutes.

Then finish with a 15 minute natural release .

A natural release is when the cook time is finished, the pot beeps and then the time starts to count back up. The “keep warm” light may even be illuminated. The heating element is no longer on and the pressure starts to dissipate, but the chicken is still cooking during this process so don’t skip it!

Step By Step Instructions

There are 3 main steps in making an Instant Pot Whole Rotisserie Chicken:

1. Preparing
2. Seasoning
3. Pressure cooking

1. Prep The Chicken

It is very important that you remove the gizzards and neck from the inside of the chicken. Sometimes they are contained in a plastic bag and you do NOT want to cook that!

So reach in, pull out all the loose bits and pieces and then get started! You can save the neck and gizzards to make Gravy or Stock!

Remove any excess skin or fat around the openings and any feather pins left on the chicken.

Pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels.

Pro Tip: you do not need to rinse your chicken! It is actually a cross-contamination hazard and is not recommended.

2. Season The Chicken

Mix together 2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon onion powder. Sprinkle ⅓ of the seasoning into the inner cavity of the chicken. 

Quarter an onion, cut the garlic clove in half, and slice half a lemon into wedges. Stuff as much as you can into the cavity of the chicken.

Sprinkle the remaining seasoning on the outside of the chicken.

3. Pressure Cooking

Pour 1 ½ cups water (or chicken broth) into the bottom of the Pot. Place the metal trivet in the pot. Put the seasoned whole chicken, BREAST SIDE UP, on top of the trivet. 

Close the Instant Pot and set it to cook on high pressure mode for 6 MINUTES PER POUND. For example I had a 5 lb chicken so I set my cook time to 30 minutes.

At the end of cooking time do a 15 minute natural release and then quick release any remaining pressure.

Pro Tip: Use the trivet handles to pull the whole chicken out of the Instant Pot and place on a rimmed baking sheet. (this will catch any juices that spill out)

Let the chicken rest for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Storing

Keep any cut or shredded cooked chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze your cooked chicken and it should be good for up to 3 months!

8 Piece Chicken

There are 8 pieces on a whole chicken, and two types of meat: white & dark meat.

White meat is located in the two chicken breast and two wings. The white meat is traditionally considered the healthier of the two, yet can be drier when overcooked. 

Dark meat is located on the legs and thighs. This meat is considered more flavorful and juicier, yet higher in fat content.

The majority of the meat will come from the breasts and thighs.

How to Cut a Rotisserie Chicken

Here are the simple steps to remove all 8 pieces from your rotisserie style chicken:

(if you are a visual learner you can watch this video on how to cut a rotisserie chicken.)

Start by cutting the breasts off of the chicken.

The breast should now pull away easily. Repeat on the other side. 

The wings will just pull away once you cut the breasts out.

To remove the leg/thigh combo pull the leg away from the whole chicken. You will crack the bone that holds it to the carcass. You may have to run your knife between the leg and the whole chicken.

Lastly, pick any remaining chicken meat stuck to the carcass.

Tips For Shredding

If you are going to use your rotisserie chicken to make other recipes then you will want to cut or shred your chicken.

How to Brown & Crisp your Rotisserie Chicken Skin

You will notice when your chicken comes out of the Instant Pot that it definitely does not have crispy skin! If you want to serve your rotisserie chicken whole, you will probably want to brown/crisp the skin.

Once it comes out of the Instant Pot simply place it on a rimmed sheet pan, brush with a little olive oil or melted butter and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Favorite Recipes for Leftover Chicken

There are endless ways to use your chicken to make dinner. There are plenty of chicken recipes on Mom’s Dinner to look through and a great post on Leftover Chicken Recipes. But here are a few of my favorites that would make a great dinner!

• Creamy Chicken & Noodles
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Noodle Soup for Kids or Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
• Artichoke Chicken Salad

More Delicious Chicken Recipes

---