A super easy rotisserie style chicken cooked in the instant pot. This chicken is tender and juicy and can be served as a main meal or shredded and used for salads, wraps, sandwiches or soups. Great for making ahead and storing for busy weeknight dinners.
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One of my favourite kitchen shortcuts is buying a rotisserie chicken and using it for various recipes throughout the week.
But depending where you buy them they can be pricey and sometimes very small. Our grocery store often has whole chickens on sale and I can usually buy two chickens for the price of one ready-made chicken.
Using the instant pot to cook them is both easy and quick. So while I’m doing other things in the kitchen I can have my chicken cooking and then all I have to do is shred it up.
It can be stored for a few days in an airtight container and used for salads, wraps, sandwiches or soups throughout the week.
Ingredients
For this recipe I kept things really simple. I mixed up a few spices, coated the chicken and then placed it in the pot along with some chicken broth.
To make this rotisserie style chicken you will need:
- 1 Whole chicken, between 3-4 pounds
- Chicken broth or water
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Mustard powder
- Dried oregano
- Chili powder
- Salt
If you don’t want to mix your own spice blend you can use your favourite store bought blend such as BBQ rub, Montreal chicken seasoning, or any other seasoning blend you like.
Instructions
Begin by mixing the spices in a small bowl.
Drizzle the olive oil over the bird, then sprinkle half the seasoning inside the cavity of the bird and the rest over the outside.
Next, tie the legs of the bird together using butcher’s twine. This will help ensure even cooking and will prevent the bird from falling apart when you lift it out of the pot.
Place the middle of a piece of twine behind the neck of the bird, bring the ends around the sides and then up and over the tips of the legs. Wrap the twine a couple of times to hold the legs together and then tie it off.
Pro Tip – While tying the chicken is not essential, it does help to ensure the bird cooks evenly. It also helps prevent the bird from falling apart as you lift it out of the instant pot.
Place the trivet that came with your cooker into the pot, then pour the chicken broth or water into the bottom.
Place the bird on the trivet then closet the pot and turn the valve to seal. Set it to cook on high pressure for 7 minutes per pound.
When the time is up, allow the pot to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to release any remaining pressure.
Remove the chicken from the pot. If you want to crisp the skin you can place it in a baking dish and set it under a broiler for 5 minutes or place in the air fryer at 350°F for 5 minutes.
Slice or shred the chicken and serve.
Cooking Time
You will want to cook the chicken for 7 minutes per pound and add 4 minutes for every half pound. Providing the chicken is fully thawed.
You will then follow with a 10 minute natural release.
| Weight of bird | Time to cook |
| 3 Pounds | 21 Minutes |
| 3.5 Pounds | 25 Minutes |
| 4 Pounds | 28 Minutes |
| 4.5 Pounds | 32 Minutes |
Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F. If the chicken is not done after the the specified cook time close the lid, seal the vent and set the timer for an extra 5 minutes. It won’t take as long to come to pressure the second time as the pot is already hot.
Serving Suggestions
The nice thing about this chicken is there are so many ways to serve it.
You can serve it as the main part of your meal, slice it as you would a roasted chicken, and serve it with some side dishes, like instant pot mashed potatoes, or air fried baked potatoes.
You can also shred it and use it for salads, soups, sandwiches or wraps. It’s also perfect for tacos, quesadillas and so much more.
I love having prepared chicken in the refrigerator to use throughout the week. It is great when you need something quick for lunch or dinner.
FAQS
For a 3-4 pound bird you will want at least a 6qt instant pot. If the bird is bigger than 4 pounds you will need a pot that is at least 8qts.
For a whole chicken, that is fully thawed, you will want to cook it for 7 minutes per pound and add 4 minutes for every half pound. Then you will need to do a 10 minute natural release.
Instant Pot Side Dishes
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Printable Recipe
Instant Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3-4 Pound whole chicken
- 2 Tbsps olive oil
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the smoked paprika, mustard powder, garlic and onion powder, oregano, chili powder and salt. Set aside.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the bird and rub to coat.
- Sprinkle half of the seasoning inside the cavity of the bird and then sprinkle the rest all over the outside of the bird.
- Using butcher’s twine, tie the legs together against bird. Take a length of twine and wrap it from the rear of the chicken and over the wings. Bring the twine along the sides of the bird then wrap it under the ends of the legs and bring the legs together. Tie the twine to hold it together.
- Pour the water or chicken broth into the bottom of the pot and then place the trivet in the pot.
- Place the chicken on the trivet then close the lid and turn the valve to seal. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 7 minutes per pound of chicken and add 4 minutes per half pound.
- After the timer has counted down, allow the pot to naturally pressure release for 10 minutes then turn the valve to vent to release remaining pressure.
- Remove the chicken from the instant pot. If you like you can place the chicken in a baking dish under the broiler for 5 minutes until skin is crisp, or pop it in the air fryer at 350°F for about 5 minutes to crisp the skin. If you are removing the skin and shredding the chicken you can skip this step.
- Shred or slice the chicken and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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