How to Effortlessly Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker Recipe) (2024)

It seems like everywhere I look–from blogs to social media–people aredeclaring the praises of the Instant Pot.

I purchased an Instant Pot a couple of years ago on the very first Amazon Prime Day. At the time, the pots were about $200+, which just seemed outrageous for an appliance that I didn’t even know how to use. But on Amazon Prime Day, the price dropped as low as $70. $70 was justifiable.

I received my Instant Pot within a couple of days (Amazon, you’ve forever spoiled me with your super fast shipping speed). I remember just looking at the box, and wondering what in the world I was going to do with this new appliance. I understood the slow cooker function, but the idea of a pressure cooker freaked me out.

For a good two years, my Instant Pot was only used as a slow cooker. I was terrified to touch any other button. What if this thing blows up in my kitchen? What if it catches on fire? What if mini aliens are born inside my pot?

I’m obviously kidding about the alien thing, but in all seriousness, I was TERRIFIEDof what might happen if I tried the pressure cooker function. And really, who can blame me? We’ve all heard the old-fashioned pressure-cooker horror stories from our grandmothers and mothers.

A few months ago, Helen, from the Live Simply Team, approached me about an Instant Pot Salisbury Steak recipe she created in herInstant Pot, using the pressure cooker function. My heart skipped a few beats at the thought of having to make a recipeusing the pressure cooker function (to test and photograph), but despite my anxiety, I responded, “YES! Let’s do it!”

Friend, I feel like Helen deserves some type of award. Thanks to her,I’ve gained the confidenceneeded to use the pressure cooker function on the Instant Pot. In fact, if you follow me over on Instagram, then you know I’m slowly becoming an Instant Pot Guru. Okay, okay, maybe I’m not ready for the “guru” status just yet, but I’m definitely using my Instant Pot more.

And in case you’re curious, I no longer wonder if my Instant Pot is a mini alien factory. Confidence is a beautiful thing.

Today’s recipe/tutorial, which was perfectedby Helen, uses the saute and pressure functions of the Instant Pot to perfectly cook a whole chicken in under an hour. I asked Helen to develop this recipe, which is now a staple recipe in my kitchen, because I regularly cooka whole chicken and shred the meat to use throughout the week in sandwiches, salads, quesadillas, soup, and enchiladas. I know many of you do the same thing. The Instant Pot offers a very quick and easy way to do exactly that.

Now, I absolutely love slowing down and cooking slow meals in the kitchen. I truly believe that’s something we need to get back to as a culture–even if it’s just once a week. You know, the act of using a stove to make a roasted chicken, a pot of soup, or some crusty bread.But, I also have two kids and work full-time on the blog and freelance recipe/photography projects. There are days–many days–when I just need to get dinner on the table quickly, with as little effort and mess as possible. That, my friend, is when the Instant Pot shines. Being able to cook a whole chicken in under an hour, with only one pot, is a huge blessing for this mom.