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Make your own rotisserie whole chicken in the Instant Pot in just 45 minutes! The juiciest and most flavorful chicken with a homemade spice rub that is so simple to make. So much healthier, easier, and yummier than the store bought variation.
I love a delicious and easy Instant Pot chicken recipe that I can throw together on a busy weeknight. My Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs, Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken and Chicken Cacciatore are just a few family and reader favorites, but this is the first time we’re taking a whole chicken. This is one of the Instant Pot recipes that I love keeping on repeat especially when I need a protein-packed dinner without much prep or cleanup. It’s seriously a game changer for busy nights!
Reasons you will love this whole chicken recipe
- One pot! This whole chicken is made in just one pot and is hands off by using the Instant Pot.
- Made with real food ingredients. As a nutritionist, I am always looking for ways to feed my family in the healthiest ways possible. We use just a handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand without any mystery ingredients!
- The flavor is incredible! The sauce that is quickly made from the leftover spices and ingredients creates the most delicious addition to serve.
- The texture is unreal! This juicy whole chicken is so tender that everyone will rave about it.
- Versatility for leftovers or future meals is also possible by meal prepping this on the weekend. You can enjoy the leftovers all week for lunch, and they also work well by pairing with an easy salad.
How to make Rotisserie Chicken in the Instant Pot
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this chicken:
- Whole chicken between 4 – 5 lbs
- Yellow onion
- Lemon
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Ground thyme
- Avocado oil or olive oil
- Water or chicken broth
- To start, remove all parts within the chicken cavity and pat dry with a paper towel. Insert onion and lemon inside the chicken.
- Mix together the spices and herbs, then add half of the oil to form a “paste”. Now select the saute function on the Instant Pot. Rub half of the spice mixture on the breast side of the chicken and place the chicken, breast side down, in the Instant Pot. Rub the remaining spice mixture over the top half. Sear for about 4 minutes, or until the chicken easily pulls away. Flip over and sear the other side for 1 -2 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and de-glaze the pot with water or broth. Place a trivet inside the pot and the chicken on top. Cover and cook on manual pressure for 25 minutes (4lb chicken) or 30 minutes (5 lb chicken). Use a natural release of 15 minutes before removing any remaining steam.
- Carefully remove the chicken with tongs, it will be tender! Spoon the sauce from the bottom on top of the chicken and serve.
Tips and Adaptations
Cook time will be based off of the chicken size. I would suggest 6 minutes per pound of chicken. So if you have an extra large chicken, bump the time! The natural release is important in order to make the chicken extra juicy and tender.
If you want a spicier variation, feel free to add in 1 tsp of cayenne pepper! If you want more of a lemon pepper, use a lemon pepper spice in place of paprika.
Serving
Serve this chicken with some rice or cauliflower rice. I also like with my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Easy Side Salad.
Juicy Rotisserie Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken, , (between 4 – 5 lbs)
- 1 medium Yellow onion, , quartered
- 1 large lemon, , quartered
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil, , divided
- 1 – 1.5 cups water or chicken broth
Instructions
- Remove all parts within the chicken cavity, and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the onion and lemon inside the chicken cavity.
- Mix together the spices: garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Add 1 tbsp the oil to form a liquid “paste”. Heat the Instant pot using the saute function and add the remaining oil. Rub half of the mixture on the breast side of the chicken. Place the chicken, breast side down, inside the instant pot once it’s hot. Sear for 3-4 minutes or until chicken easily pulls away from bottom of the pot. Flip over and sear the other side for 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot.
- Deglaze the pot with water (use 1 cup for a 6qt Instant Pot and 1.5 cups from an 8qt Instant Pot). Place the trivet on top of the water.
- Place the chicken breast side up on top of the trivet. Use the manual function and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes (4lb chicken) or 30 minutes (5lb chicken). Use a natural release of 15 minutes once chicken is done, remove any remaining steam after the 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the chicken, it will be really tender! Let rest for about 5 minutes, and serve. You can spoon any remaining juices from the Instant Pot on top.
Trying this for the first time! I usually do a slow roast at 300° but we have acquired a Rio Wide – it’s a really neat addition to our non-stove equipment, especially when we are out boondocking in our RV. We have a robust solar and battery system and limited propane – solar regenerates daily but propane requires hauling tanks around. With more people full time RVing nowadays we are among a group that rejects the standard American diet junk food our parents and sadly friends eat. It is possible to follow a clean paleo diet with proper planning and prepping. We travel with two Insrant Pots, the Rio Wide and a six qt pro. The wide can sear and double as a slow cooker. Our other tool in an Instant Air Fryer with a window. I rarely remove my stove cover now, and I use the oven to store my cutting boards. I said all this because I find a total lack of the kind of food we eat represented in food blogs. I bought your book and I love it! We are not orthorexic, and will not turn up our nose at a decent pizza or a home baked pie. But we try to keep paleo to keep our bodies healthy, lower inflammation and stay in weight limits. I will let you know how goes it with the chicken in my Rio Wide. And probably leave a second post-chicken review. For now it’s Five stars!