Instant Pot Roast Chicken

I love roast chicken. Actually, I just love chicken. It’s tasty and healthy and it’s inexpensive. But roasting a chicken can be time-consuming the old-fashioned way. Since my wonderful husband bought me my Instant Pot, I’ve learned that I can roast a chicken in less than half the time. Here is my fool-proof recipe for the perfect Instant Pot Roast Chicken.

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Roasting the Perfect Chicken

I love roast chicken. It’s one of the more vesatile dishes in my arsenal. I can roast a chicken on Sunday and feed us 3 times from the one chicken. If not more! I use the chicken carcass to make chicken stock also, so there’s even more meals I can make. (Chicken noodle soup anyone?)

Having my Instant Pot, I can roast a whole chicken without all of the hassles. I season it, sear it, and set the timer. Easy peasy. And it turns out perfect every time.

Season Your Chicken

Seasoning the chicken is the key to it’s flavor. I’m not a fan of bland food. Making sure that the seasoning is just right is the most important step to roasting the perfect chicken, in my opinion. Without the balance of flavors, the chicken turns out, well, just wrong somehow.

Unwrap your whole chicken and rinse it well. Sometimes you will have to dig out the organs from inside the chicken. Make sure that you check inside that bird.

Now, pat the bird dry with paper towels. On a large plate or platter, coat your bird with oil. I like to use olive oil for this, but whatever you have will work just fine. Now you get to season your bird!!

You will need:

• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• rosemary
• thyme

Sprinkle your bird, covering most of the surface area. Now, let it rest for about 1/2 hour. This helps the seasoning to penetrate into the meat through the skin.

Searing Your Chicken

Turn on your Instant Pot using the Saute function. Allow it to heat up before placing the chicken in the Instant Pot. Using a large pair of tongs, sear your chicken, breast side first. This usually takes about 4 minutes on each side. You want to get a rich golden color on your bird.

Once it is seared to your liking, remove the chicken to a plate.

Cooking Your Instant Pot Roast Chicken

Guess what? You are done with the hard work. Now your Instant Pot is going to take over.

Place your rack back in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth. I like to add in a tablespoon of lemon juice too, but that is optional.

Put your chicken, breast side up on the rack in your Instant Pot. Based on the side of your chicken, times will vary. The best rule of thumb is 6 minutes on HIGH pressure per pound.

Most chickens I get at the local grocery are around 4 pounds, so I would set my Instant Pot for 24 minutes on HIGH pressure.

Once it’s done, let it naturally release pressure for 15 minutes before manually releasing the rest.

Perfectly Cooked Instant Pot Roast Chicken

Now, there is your perfect roast chicken all pretty and ready to be served. And your kitchen is smelling amazing too. Who says you have to slave over the stove all day to get a beautiful roast chicken on the table??