How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot

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Meal Prep Instant Pot Chicken

If you love to meal prep then you’ll love the convince of cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot. Having the chicken pre-cooked and ready to use for multiple meals during the week is a game-changer. The only accessory you’ll need to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot is the trivet with handles that came with your pot.

I use the Instant Pot 6 qt Duo and I can fit 4-6 lb whole chickens in my pot. I start by placing the trivet with handles in the bottom of the inner pot. The trivet is important because it keeps the meat off of the bottom and allows the pot to come to pressure without getting a burn message. Then I add the liquid to the inner pot. I typically use 1.5 cups of water but you could also use chicken stock if you prefer.

Place the chicken on the trivet breast side down and lock the lid in place. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your whole chicken. The recommended time is 6 minutes per pound for thawed chicken and 10 minutes per pound for frozen on manual high pressure, and always NPR for at least 15 minutes.

Once the pot is safe to open carefully lift the trivet out using the handles. I recommend these silicone mitts to remove the hot trivet. Place the chicken directly onto a large cutting board like this one to help catch the juice from the chicken. Using two forks I remove the skin and shred up the meat. The meat will all but fall off the bone.

Cooking a chicken in the Instant Pot is not only efficient on-time bu,t I think that you also render more chicken because the meat comes off the bone so easily nothing goes to waste. Once you are done deboning the chicken you can also use the bones and the stock left in the pot to make your own chicken bone broth.

Check out these Instant Pot Recipes