Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
by Chungah
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30 min for a whole rotisserie chicken? YES, please! And the chicken comes out incredibly tender, juicy, moist and packed with so much flavor!
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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?
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I used a pastured chicken from a local farm and followed the recipe exactly. Came out perfect! Tender, juicy & full of flavor. Will definitely be making again, thanks so much!
Have made this twice in 2 weeks and am now bringing it over to a friend that just had a baby. Super easy. I sear it on 4 sides so the sides of the legs and wings get a good sear. Now that I’ve made this a few times I am looking forward to trying different spice mixes. The drippings make a great gravy with just a little corn starch to thicken.
Hi there! Really want to try this recipe, but I don’t have an Instant Pot. I do have an electric pressure cooker. Would that work?
Can I use a frozen chicken?
We have made it with a frozen chicken. 60 minutes plus NPR and it was perfect.
Excellent recipe. Chicken falls off the bone.
Oh my gosh, this chicken was delicious! We made this on a super hot, super humid day and it made the house smell fantastic without making the house feel like a thousand degrees. The meat was so tender and full of flavour. We had enough drippings for a gravy, which was to die for. I can’t believe something that yummy came out of so little effort. My husband asked me specifically to hang onto this recipe. Lots of leftovers for sandwiches and salads. This is absolutely getting made again in our house!
Amazing……….so tender. I made gravy with the drippings and it was so good.
Hands down THE BEST Instant Pot rotisserie chicken! Wicked easy to make. I change out the thyme for rosemary for personal preference and couldn’t be happier with the results. The whole family enjoys this meal and leftovers are good in quesadillas, soup, sandwiches, or even cold.
Can we say fall off the bone chicken. It did take a while to natural release so in essence my chicken would have taken less time in the oven, but for the fact that one, no oven in the summer so no extra heat, barely anything to clean after, the tenderness and crispy skin, this is a win in my book and I’m making it again today for food prep. Thanks!
Have made this numerous times and it’s never fails to give us a damn delicious chicken! What flavor and texture! We love chicken fixed this way. Now that summer is I need full swing, who wants to heat up the kitchen? Not me!
This recipe is amazing! Love it!
Question: do you place the chicken breast down or breast up when you cook it?
Can you use avocado oil instead of canola?
I use grape seed oil! High smoke point!!
Avocado oil has a smoke point of 500 f so you are good to go. The creaminess of the avocaso oil will likely complement the flavor.
I have just bought an 8qt instant pot so would I need to change amount in recipe?
Turned out great!
Best chicken I’ve ever made! The meat was so moist and flavorful. This will be my weekly go to recipe. I pull all the meat and use for sandwiches the following week. Delicious! Thank you!
Question: you don’t pop it in the oven to crisp the skin?
We tried this as we were in a hurry and it was the first one we saw, definitely a keeper, it was yummy
Can I use a lime instead of lemon?
The first time I made an i.p. whole chicken, I used a mandarin orange, it was all I had on hand, now that’s all I use for my citrus ! And a couple of slices of red onion inside with the mandarin, oh so good!!
Love the recipe but did not turn out like that. With a little trial an error I will get it perfect. Thank you so much for sharing. I do have one question. When returning the chicken to the IP do I put it breast down or does it matter?.
If I may add a little FYI about breast meat chicken or turkey, I’ve never like breast meat because it was always dry till I learned breast side down allows juices to go to the breast meat it keeps it’s moisture. Even though this works I’m still a fan of dark meat. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, my Daughter just made it and loved it.
This was so easy to make! My husband and I both loved this chicken. It was tender and moist and the flavor was outstanding. He’s already planning when we’ll have this again! Please give it a try…you won’t be sorry! I
Do you think I could make the recipe without the trivet?
Amazing!
First, I can’t begin to tell you how intoxicatingly delicious the aroma is to this. I actually didn’t have onion powder, so I doubled my amount of garlic powder. I used a 5 lbs chicken and set pressure to 35 minutes, with 15 minutes of natural release before letting the pressure free. Since I love chicken livers, I cut them up and put them below the trivet as the chicken cooked. Finally, after cooking the chicken in the instant pot, I browned it in the oven at 450 degrees until brown and crispy. I made gravy with the rendered fat and flour roux. Delicious!