How to cook a whole chicken in an Instant Pot and easily feed a crowd

• A whole chicken can be cooked in the Instant Pot fresh or frozen.
• The Instant Pot provides a juicy, evenly cooked bird.
• The leftovers can be used for up to five days, and even the scraps can be utilized.

A whole chicken is a cost-effective and healthy meal base, with plenty of left-overs that you can make use of. While whole chickens are traditionally roasted in an oven, an Instant Pot provides a quick and tasty alternative.

"The quality of moist, juicy meat is much higher than the more traditional way of cooking a whole chicken on a pan in an oven," says Jessica Randhawa, the head chef at The Forked Spoon.

Using an Instant Pot to cook whole chicken is useful for a few reasons.

• It tastes great. The Instant Pot locks in juices that would evaporate in the oven, resulting in tender, moist meat.
• It cooks evenly. An Instant Pot allows both the light and dark meat of a whole chicken to cook evenly, so you can utilize the whole bird
• It can be cooked frozen. A frozen chicken will take a bit more time, but come out just as moist.
• It's safe. In an oven, it's hard to ensure that all areas of a chicken are cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which is required for food safety. With the Instant Pot, you can rest assured all the meat is cooked thoroughly because it's exposed to heat and pressure for a long time.

Picking your chicken

Whole chickens come in all shapes and sizes, so it's important to make sure the bird will fit in the Instant Pot. In general, a four-pound chicken will fit in a 6-quart pot.

Randhawa recommends a fresh chicken for the best taste. You can brown the skin of a fresh chicken, resulting in a crispy finish. While you can also cook a whole frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, you won't get the same crispy skin since frozen chickens can't be added to oil. Using a fresh chicken will also yield more flavorful results.

Fresh chickens need to be cooked for 8 minutes per pound. Opt for the natural pressure release, which takes about 25 minutes, to let the chicken continue to cook and retain its juices, Randhawa says.

Quick tip: If you're cooking a frozen chicken, increase your cooking time to 14 minutes per pound. Never add a frozen bird to oil, since that can cause dangerous splatters.

What you'll need

• Whole chicken
• Chicken stock (1 cup)
• Canola oil (2.5 tablespoons)
• Spice blend, such as poultry, cajun or creole seasoning
• Lemon, cut into quarters
• Paper towel
• Tongs

How to make whole chicken in an Instant Pot

Important note: A frozen chicken should never be added to hot oil. If you are cooking a frozen chicken, skip steps 3 and 4 and increase your cooking time to 14 minutes per pound.

1. Prepare the chicken. Remove the innards of the chicken, and either set them off to the side for making gravy or stock, or discard. Then pat the chicken dry. Be sure to be thorough to avoid splashes when it's added to the Instant Pot.
2. Season the chicken. Spread a spice blend - such as poultry, cajun, or creole seasoning - on the outside of the chicken and inside the chicken cavity. Seasoning the inside and outside will give the meat even more flavor. Add a lemon to the chicken cavity to season the meat and add moisture.
3. Put the Instant Pot on the saute setting and put the chicken in. Pour 2 ½ tablespoons of canola oil to help brown the skin, then place the chicken in the Instant Pot with the breast side down. If cooking a frozen chicken, be sure to skip this step.
4. Saute the chicken. This gives it a crispy, crunchy skin. Cook one side for five minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Once it's browned, remove the chicken and set it aside. If you're cooking a whole chicken, this step should also be skipped.
5. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock, place the metal trivet in the Instant Pot, and begin cooking the chicken. Use manual setting, high pressure, and the appropriate cook time based on the chicken's weight. The chicken stock will add moisture and flavor to the chicken while allowing pressure to build in the cooker.
6. Release the pressure naturally. This should take about 25 minutes. Then let the chicken stand out for ten minutes.

What to do with leftover chicken

Leftover chicken can be eaten about five days after cooking. During that time, store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. Whole chicken can be diced and added to sandwiches or salads, but Randhawa's favorite leftover recipe is chicken buffalo dip. Even the giblets - the organs of the bird - carcass and scraps from a whole chicken can be saved and used for homemade chicken stock.

Insider's takeaway

Cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot will result in an evenly-cooked bird that yields better results than what you might get in the oven, according to Randhawa.

The hands-off approach makes it easy to safely cook a whole chicken while multitasking in the kitchen, letting the chicken cook while you focus on other dishes. As long as the chicken will fit in your Instant Pot, you can cook any sized bird: cook for 8 minutes per pound for a fresh bird, or 14 minutes per pound for a frozen bird. "Because the Instant Pot traps the steam and moisture inside, all the dark and light meat alike stay moist and juicy compared to an oven which allows moisture to evaporate," Randhawa says.

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