Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
30 min for a whole rotisserie chicken? YES, please! And the chicken comes out incredibly tender, juicy, moist and packed with so much flavor!
Featured Comment
Why you’ll love this instant pot rotisserie chicken
- Tender, juicy goodness. Making a rotisserie chicken in the Instant Pot® will yield the most tender, juicy, fall apart and flavorful rotisserie chicken. So good, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought rotisserie chicken again!
- Cooks so fast. A rotisserie chicken will generally take about 1 – 1.5 hrs to cook in the oven, but it can finish cooking in the pressure cooker in just 28 minutes!
- Ridiculously easy. This recipe requires minimal prep, pantry staples and zero babysitting, the best kind of set-and-forget dinner. And the natural release of the Instant Pot even gives you time to prep your side dishes!
- Freezer-friendly and versatile. The chicken is perfect to freeze whole, in pieces or shredded, and has so many uses. It’s great on its own with a few roasted veggies or with pastas and soups as a fill-in for the quickest dinners.
Uses for rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken is the ultimate meal-prep hack, repurposing leftovers for so many dishes for a quick and easy budget-friendly weeknight meal!
Tex-mex favorites
Shredded chicken can be used for tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas or even lazy enchiladas
Soups
Leftovers work so well for shortcut creamy chicken noodle soup, white chicken chili, or chicken tortilla soup
Salads
Transform leftovers into everyone’s favorite Chinese Chicken Salad
Wraps and sandwiches
Quickly whip up BBQ chicken sandwiches with your favorite BBQ sauce on toasted buns with coleslaw and pickles
Comfort food
Biscuit pot pie makes for the coziest comfort food dinner using up all the shredded chicken, topped with the flakiest biscuits
How to make instant pot rotisserie chicken
- Mix the dry seasonings. Combine the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder – this will be used to season the chicken.
- Prep the chicken. Remove the giblets, if not done already, and dry the chicken thoroughly. This will prevent steaming and allow the seasoning to adhere while yielding that crisp, flavorful, golden brown crust. Rub the dry seasoning mix on the chicken, seasoning the cavity as well for even seasoning throughout.
- Sear the chicken. Using the saute function of the Instant Pot, sear the chicken until golden brown. This will help lock in all the moisture and build deep flavor through caramelization (and give it that classic rotisserie look!).
- Pressure cook. Add the metal trivet to the Instant Pot (this will ensure even steaming, drain excess fat and avoid the burn notice!) and the stock before returning the chicken to the pot. Pressure cook on high for 28 minutes, naturally releasing for 20-30 minutes.
- Let it rest. Let the chicken rest, allowing the juices to redistribute for maximum juiciness and tenderness.
- Broil. For crispy rotisserie-style skin, broil the chicken until golden brown and desired crispness is achieved, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve or store. Carve and serve warm, or shred the meat for salads, tacos, soups, casseroles and so much more for time-saving meals throughout the week.
freezing and storage
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Separate the meat from the bones for easy reheating. Bones can be saved for later for homemade stock.
Freezing
Let the chicken cool completely; shred or dice into bite-sized pieces, portioning into 1-2 cup servings in airtight, resealable freezer bags, adding a few tablespoons of cooking liquid to prevent the meat from drying out. Squeeze out any excess air before sealing and lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Freeze up to 3 months.
Defrosting and reheating
For best results and an even thaw, thaw overnight, adding directly to boiling soups or casseroles. It can also be warmed gently on the stovetop, covered, over medium low heat with a splash of water or stock, until heated through.
what to serve with instant pot rotisserie chicken
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
The metal trivet helps elevate the chicken from the bottom of the Instant Pot, ensuring even cooking and avoiding the dreaded “burn” error.
Place the chicken back in the Instant Pot, cooking for an additional 2 minutes for every 5 degrees below 165°F.
For that crispy rotisserie-feel, broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. If you have the Instant Pot Air Fryer lid, you can also air fry the chicken for a few minutes without broiling.
Yes! But be sure to increase the chicken stock to 1.5 cups.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Rotisserie chicken is very freezer-friendly and can be frozen whole, in pieces or shredded in plastic freezer bags. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (4-pound) whole roasting chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Remove giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Season chicken and chicken cavity with salt mixture. Stuff cavity with lemon.
- Set 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Add canola oil and chicken, breast side down, and cook until evenly golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, flip, and cook for an additional 4 minutes; set aside.
- Place metal trivet into the pot and add chicken stock. Gently place chicken on top of the trivet. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 28 minutes. When finished cooking, naturally release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions, about 20-30 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Stuff the cavity. Seasoning and stuffing the cavity with lemon will add moisture from the inside out, allowing the flavors to penetrate even in the thickest parts of the chicken.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your chicken. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Don’t skip the metal trivet. After browning the chicken, place the chicken on top of the metal trivet. This will help ensure that the chicken does not burn and provide better circulation for even cooking throughout.
- Lift the trivet to remove the chicken. The chicken will be very fall-off-the-bone tender (quite literally). Working carefully, lift the trivet to remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and serve.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F, inserting through the thickest part of the thigh between the breast and leg but avoiding the bone.
- Natural release is key. Once the chicken is finished cooking, naturally release for 20-30 minutes, giving ample time for the chicken to rest. Quick release of pressure can cause the chicken to dry out.
- Broil for crispy skin. As an optional step, broil the chicken on a sheet pan until crispy (and for that rotisserie-feel!), about 3-5 minutes, watching carefully so that the skin does not burn.
- Let your chicken rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Save the chicken bones. Store the leftover chicken bones, skin and wing tips in an airtight, resealable freezer bag to repurpose for homemade stock.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
this is our first time using our instapot following your recipe. The recipe looks great and easy to follow, when was all said and done the chicken didn’t come out like it does on the grill. That’s my idea of rotisserie chicken. Is there something I did wrong, since this is the first time constructive criticism accepted thank you I will keep you posted on more recipes
This is the most amazing homemade rotisserie chicken recipe. It’s easy and flavorful and super tender. I love the addition of lemons. It gives the chicken a nice subtle citrus flavor. This is the first recipe that popped up when I wanted to cook a chicken in the instant pot, and it’s the only one I will use because I love it so much!
Easy to make and delicious!
I made this before I saw your recipe. I lather mine with butter and brown all sides of the chicken. Even turn it to brown the neck and cavity side. I have even marinated it in seasonings without butter and then marinated it with more same seasonings in a 1/2 cup of yogurt and then brown on all sides making a moroccan style chicken. I serve it with a Lebanese garlic rice recipe I got from YouTube and made a yogurt sauce and salad. I cook my chicken for 30 to 35 minutes. Pour out juices and slide my chicken into a baking dish because it’s so tender it will fall apart.
Question, does the skin actually crisp up? I love crispy skin on Rotisserie chicken. It just doesn’t seem like it would. Curious?
I can only find 51/2 lb whole chickens. Can you tell me how much time I need to add?
The chart that came with my Instant Pot says 8 min. per lb for whole chicken.
I read in another post its 30 mins for a 5lb chicken. Add 6 minutes for every pound and 3 minutes for every half a lb. So I’d say 33 minutes for a 5 1/2 lb bird. Hope that helps!
Can you tell me if it would be possible to sauté it ahead of time and then place it back into the insta -pot to cook it later? I would like to prep it and sauté it the night before so my family can begin the actual cooking process on a might I have to work a bit later than normal.
This is absolutely damn delicious!!
Best tasting chicken that I have had in a long time!!!
It was easy to prepare and tasted great. BUT the cook time for was not 28 minutes. I put it on for 32 and then had to cook it an additional 20 minutes because it was not completely done all the way through. I’m not sure why it took double the time to cook ?? Next time I’ll just have to remember to cook it longer.
To those having a hard time with the length of cook time, the time can typically be averaged out per pound. An example is a four pound chicken for 28 minutes equals 7 minutes per pound.
This turned out so delicious! It was moist an tender. It’s a recipe that I will make again!
Can I substitute olive oil or avocado oil for canola oil?
sooo good, i won’t be buying supermarket rotisserie chicken any longer. thank you for a great recipe, it turned out wonderful! the chicken was literally falling off the bone before i could get it out of the instant pot. may i post your recipe and link to your site?
I’ve made this twice now and it is delicious. So juicy, tender and full of flavor. I used the leftover broth in chicken soup the next day. My husband, King of the roasted chicken and my son who is a chef, were gobsmacked when they had this! Thanks for a great go-to recipe!
Can you use the left over bones and meat to put back in IP for homemade bone broth?
We made this a few days ago, and it turned out absolutely fantastic!
We crisped it up on the grill afterwards, but honestly unless you need crispy skin, this is not a necessary step.
And the bone broth we made the next day (also in the IP) is incredible! 8 cups!
We’re making it again tonight.
I’m not a huge fan of rotisserie chicken because I find it dry,kind of chewy and bland. This is anything BUT. It’s juicy, tender, full of flavor! I also made a cornstarch slurry to make a gravy out of what was leftover in my pot for my husband. My kids and I don’t even LIKE gravy, but we were all licking our plates. The lemon really make it! This is one of our new favorite recipes! My dad is a pretty picky eater, but I raced about it so much to my mom that she made it the other night and said that even he adores it. Definitely going to become a normal meal in our rotation!
How long would you cook a 3lb chicken for? Recipe sounds delicious! And so many great reviews!!
My first attempt at a whole chicken in Instantpot. This recipe was simple and so delicious! Will definitely make again.
I found this website yesterday, looking for a roasted chicken recipe for my brand new Instant Pot. It just finished and I had a sandwich on large hamburger buns with pico de gallo, mayo and mustard.
I had to come here immediately to praise this recipe! It’s the best, most flavorful, tender roast chicken I’ve ever eaten, much less cooked. Excellent! Bravo!
Has anyone added veggies like potatoes or carrots to the pot to roast at the same time as the chicken? I’d love to do this but I’m not sure how they’d turn out with the extra time they’d be cooking.
Yes! I just tried this recipe last week and added carrots, onions and potatoes. I had a 1.1kg (2.3lbs) chicken so I reduced the pressure cook time to 15 minutes. I added the carrots, onions and potatoes, and didn’t have a lemon so used oranges instead, and the recipe turned out sooo great! So easy too.
I am at this very moment!! 5 quartered yellow potatoes, a whole bag of baby carrots, an onion cut in orange slice sizes!! Let’s see in about an 18 minute cook let’s see what happens. I might have to cook a bit longer but I did cover in a butter and other flavor rub and added buttery Panko to the top and broiled it!