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+ servings
Instant Pot whole chicken with lemons.

Instant Pot Whole Chicken

This Instant Pot Whole Chicken comes out super tender and cooks extraordinarily fast!
Prep 25 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 1 hour
Fat 40
Carbs 7
Protein 45
Yield 8

Ingredients

  • 4-5 lbs. raw whole chicken
  • 3 teaspoons whole peppercorns
  • 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 3 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons of oil olive oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 small white onion diced
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 large lemon sliced
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons dried chives
  • 4 tablespoons butter cold and cut into pads
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

  • Remove any innards from a whole chicken and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove moisture. Set aside.
  • Add peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind until the pepper turns into a coarse pepper. Add the garlic, brown sugar, thyme, and kosher salt to the mortar and mix together.
    spices on plate.
  • Season the whole chicken with the spices and massage the spice mixture into the chicken. Over the skin, under the skin, and in between the skin.
    spices on whole chicken.
  • Turn on the saute function of the Instant Pot and add oil to the pot. When the oil is fragrant, add the whole chicken to the pot, skin and breast side down to brown the chicken. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and set aside.
  • Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and use a wooden utensil to break the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add half of the onion, garlic, and lemon slices into the pot. Then add the thyme and chives to the pot and stir. Place the Instant Pot’s metal rack on the bottom of the pot.
    liquid and onions in instant pot.
  • Next, carefully place the pads of butter under the chicken skin and then take the remaining onion, garlic, and lemon slices and place it in the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken on top of the metal rack breast side up.
    raw chicken in instant pot.
  • Seal the Instant Pot and cook for 25 minutes on high pressure. Natural release for 15 minutes and remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
  • Make the gravy. Remove the metal rack from the Instant Pot and scoop out ⅓ cup of the gravy from the bottom of the pot. Add 2 teaspoons to the ⅓ cup of gravy and whisk until combined. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into the Instant Pot and bring to a simmer with the saute function. The gravy should thicken quickly.
  • Carve the chicken and serve with gravy.
    instant pot whole chicken on plate.

Tips & Notes

  • Be sure you have at least a 6-qt Instant Pot for this recipe, any smaller will not fit a full chicken.
  • We used grapeseed oil for this recipe because it browns the chicken really well, but any oil will work. How brown your chicken is will vary by oil.
    Feel free to use different spices or fresh herbs.
  • You can omit the gravy and serve this chicken shredded or for any other recipe that uses chicken.
  • If you would like the chicken skin to be more crispy, after the chicken is removed from the Instant Pot, place it under a high broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until it reaches your desired crispiness.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 40g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g