Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Potatoes
Whether it’s for a Sunday dinner, holiday, or busy weeknight, you’ve got to try this Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Potatoes recipe. This one-pot dish pairs hearty root vegetables like potatoes and carrots with tender, cooked chicken.
Cooking a tender and moist whole chicken with potatoes and vegetables has never been easier. The Instant Pot electric pressure cooker does all the work for you!
You can season the chicken with whatever rub you love the most, or just season it with salt and pepper.
This dish is perfect for a no-fuss weeknight meal or an easy holiday dinner. It’s one of my favorite easy Instant Pot recipes.
Why You Need This Recipe
- If you don’t want to cook a whole turkey this year for Thanksgiving (or for any holiday or special dinner), try cooking a whole chicken instead. This chicken recipe serves 2-4 people, and you’ll still probably have leftovers.
- Make this Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Potatoes and leave your oven open for your side dishes or pie.
- Feel free to use whatever root vegetables you like. I recommend carrots and potatoes, but you could also use sweet potatoes, parsnips, or turnips.
Key Ingredients
Whole chicken that’s fresh or thawed will work the best in this recipe. A frozen chicken will take quite a bit longer to cook and the vegetables may be overcooked by then. So, use a whole fresh chicken or defrosted chicken.
Look for a smaller chicken to ensure it will fit in the bottom of the pot.
Chicken broth is the perfect liquid base to cook all the vegetables while adding instant flavor to them. You can also use vegetable broth if you prefer.
Carrots taste amazing with potatoes. You can peel and cut up whole carrots or use baby carrots as a short cut.
Potatoes in any variety will taste great but waxy and all purpose potatoes will hold their shape better. Yukon gold or red potatoes work perfectly here.
Fresh herbs add flavor to the broth and vegetables.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Add the chicken stock to your 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot, and along with your chopped vegetables and herbs.
You don’t need to use the trivet since the chicken will sit right on top of the vegetables.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient list with measurements.
Step Two
Remove the chicken from any packages and discard the giblets and neck. Place the halved lemon pieces inside the cavity of the chicken and place the chicken on top of the vegetables inside the Instant Pot.
I prefer to cook the chicken breast side up, but it doesn’t really matter.
Sprinkle the top of the chicken with some salt and pepper (you can also use seasonings like onion powder, garlic powder, or dried herbs). You can also rub the chicken with olive oil first, but I usually don’t do it.
Step Three
Lock on the lid and set the cooking time to 25 minutes at manual high pressure.
When the cook time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes (using the natural pressure release), and then quick release any remaining pressure.
Step Four
Use a spatula and tongs to carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a serving dish. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the tray with the chicken. Discard the herbs.
Serve the chicken and vegetables with fresh lemon and chopped parsley, if desired.
Let the chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Slice the chicken before serving and serve hot.
Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
So, the next time you want to cook a one-pot dinner for the whole family, try this easy recipe.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Choose a whole chicken that weighs 4 pounds or less. You want to make sure you have room for the vegetables too, so try to use a 3-4 pound chicken.
- Use whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand to season the chicken and veggies.
- Place a halved lemon inside the chicken cavity while it’s cooking to give the chicken even more flavor.
- Feel free to add your favorite seasoning to the outside of the chicken before adding it to the Instant Pot.
- I prefer to cook the chicken breast side up, but it doesn’t really matter.
Recipe FAQs
Green vegetables like broccoli will get too mushy in this particular recipe. Potatoes and other root vegetables work best because they can stand up to the long cooking time.
Yes, but you can turn the cooking time down to just 12 minutes.
If you want browned or crispy skin on your chicken, then you can place it under your oven’s broiler for a few minutes after you remove it from the Instant Pot.
You can use the leftover chicken for soups, sandwiches, chicken salad, or enchiladas. You could also add it to salads or nachos for an easy addition of protein. The opportunities are endless.
Yes! You’ll need to cook it for at least 6-8 hours.
The vegetables will be well-cooked but shouldn’t be too mushy. That’s why I like using gold potatoes that hold their shape well. Don’t cut them too small, leave them in large chunks or halves.
More Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You Might Like
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Instant Pot Chicken & Sweet Potato dinner
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Potatoes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Coconut Chicken
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Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Potatoes
Whether it’s for a Sunday dinner, holiday, or busy weeknight, you’ve got to try this Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Potatoes recipe. This one-pot dish pairs hearty root vegetables like potatoes and carrots with tender, cooked chicken.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3–4 medium potatoes, quartered
- 1 small bunch of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage
- 1 4–pound whole chicken, giblets and neck removed
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the broth to your 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot, and along with your chopped vegetables and herbs.
- Remove the chicken from any packages and discard the giblets and neck. Place the halved lemon pieces inside the chicken cavity and place the chicken on top of the vegetables inside the Instant Pot. I usually cook the chicken breast side up, but it doesn’t really matter.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top of the chicken.
- Lock on the lid and set the cooking time to 25 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes, and then quick-release any remaining pressure.
- Use a spatula and tongs to carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a serving dish. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to the tray with the chicken.
- Let the chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Slice the chicken before serving hot.
Equipment
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Notes
- You don’t need to use the trivet since the chicken will sit right on top of the vegetables.
- If you want browned or crispy skin on your chicken, then you can place it under your oven’s broiler for a few minutes after you remove it from the Instant Pot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 452.9 mg
- Fat: 9.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.3 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 38.2 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
Keywords: instant pot whole chicken, one-pot chicken and potatoes, pressure cooker chicken
About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives over 10 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
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Can I remove the skin of a whole chicken before placing in the instant pot?
Looks like a great recipe, looking forward to making it. 😊
It would be easier to remove the skin after cooking.
So moist and tasty and a big hit with my family. Next time, for something different, I might try using a paprika dry rub like I use on my drumsticks in the air fryer. Thanks for sharing healthy recipes.
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Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed. Paprika would be yummy!
This is such an easy recipe that tastes fancy! I will be making this for Thanksgiving this year.
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