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If you've been around for a while on my blog, you probably might have observed how dearly I adore my instant pot. Like I previously mentioned in my previous instant pot recipe posts, gifting out my pressure cooker turned out to be a "blessing in disguise" for me. Yes, because it made it possible for me to stumble upon my instant pot, which I keep loving every day. The more I use my instant pot, the more I fall in love with it over and over and over again --- LOL. What better way or ways to express my admiration for this distinctive pot than to continue sharing amazing instant pot recipes with my lovely fans. Do you get my point? Since I purchased my instant pot, I have cooked a couple of dishes with it, and you might want to check them out here. The truth is that all the recipes I've made thus far with the instant pot have never disappointed me. They always come out so well and one of my latest addition to my list of instant pot recipes is this instant pot whole chicken. If you are just like me that loves yummy rotisserie chicken, then this is the recipe for you. This is simply because this Instant Pot whole chicken recipe ticks all the buttons. With an instant pot, cooking a whole chicken can't be any easier than it is. Personally, it is the easiest and quickest whole chicken recipe I've made - 15 mins to pressure cook the hard chicken and then 20 mins to air fry each side of the chicken, simply to obtain that crispy-looking appearance. Ask me again, and I will re-emphasize that the recipe is so easy, yet the outcome is just phenomenal. The best keywords I can describe this instant pot whole chicken are: delicious, juicy, yummy, fantastic, crispy skin, aromatic, flavorful, mouthwatering ---- the list is endless.
Did you see that beautifully-looking bird in the picture? It was properly cooked with an instant pot. Yes, and I can assure you that the chicken even cooked faster in an instant pot than if I had cooked it with a regular cooker or oven. But don't be put off from trying the recipe if you do not own an instant pot. Of course, you can still try the recipe by cooking with a regular pressure cooker or regular food cooker or with an oven. Both fresh or frozen whole chicken can be cooked with an instant pot. For this recipe, I used a frozen chicken, although I pulled it out from the freezer the previous night to give it an ample time to thaw properly. Although you can cook the bird straight outta freezer, that's not my style. This is simply because cooking a chicken that way won't allow the ingredients to infuse, permeate or marinate properly into the bird.
When cooking a whole chicken in an instant pot, you need to consider the size of the chicken to ensure that it can fit into the instant pot. Honestly, this is part of the reasons I dislike cooking a frozen chicken straightway. Once a chicken is frozen, it will definitely deny you the privilege of manoeuvring things around to fit/tuck the big bird into the pot properly. While some people pressure cook their whole chicken in an instant pot and then transfer the chicken to the oven in other to get that crispy rotisserie effect, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp plus Air Fryer does all that for you. All you need to do is to simply switch the lids and you are good to go. Basically, you use the "instant pot lid" when you are pressure cooking the chicken and then switch to the "instant pot Air Fryer Lid" when you want to air fry the chicken for that crispy final touch. Again, it might interest you to know that cooking a whole chicken in an Instant Pot is also an opportunity to obtain a delicious chicken broth - so you are basically killing two birds with one stone. You can use the chicken broth to cook other meals like stew, soup, rice, beans, yam etc. But I used the one from this recipe to cook a hot, spicy, palatable pot of jollof rice.
One thing I can never compromise on whenever I am cooking a whole chicken is getting the marinades and deep flavour right into the chicken. As a result, I always ensure that my marinade injector is at my reach. I have no doubts that you can concur with me on this - a situation where you have a fantastic flavourful marinade but find it difficult to load this aromatic mixture into the meat. Trust me on this, with a marinade injector, you can surely get your amazing flavour right deep into the meat. If probably you haven't come across a marinade injector before, it is a gigantic-looking needle or syringe-like kitchen equipment that is mostly used for injecting seasonings and flavours into any type of meat. With a marinade injector, you can easily infuse your favourite marinades and spices both deep inside and outside your meat for a wonderful outcome.INSTANT POT DUO CRISP WHOLE CHICKEN
- The first step to making a perfect Instant Pot Duo Crisp Whole Chicken is to thaw and wash the chicken well. If you are using a hard chicken, then use a knife to slit each side of the chicken thighs. However, if you are cooking a soft chicken, then you might consider trussing the chicken by tieing the two legs together so as to hold the chicken together. For this recipe, I used a very hard chicken and this is also why the cooking time was longer. But personally, I prefer hard chicken to soft chicken.
- This is then followed by mixing up the ingredients together. I don't mix all the seasonings at once simply because I use a marinade injector to inject the seasonings into the chicken. As a result, I first mix all the powdery seasonings in a jar of melted margarine and honey before filling the barrel of a marinade injector with the mixture. I then inject half of the mixture into the chicken. I then rub half of the remaining mixture all over the chicken before leaving it in the fridge for 1 hour to marinate. I reserve the rest of the seasoning mixture for later use when I'm ready for air frying the chicken.
- Once the marination time has elapsed, it is then time to pressure cook the chicken. To do this, I first add a small quantity of water (400ml) into the instant pot with rosemary and thyme. These two key spices ramp up the fragrance oozing out from the chicken.
- After pressure cooking the chicken, it is then removed from the instant pot and then set aside while you complete a few tasks. The few tasks I'm talking of include transferring the chicken broth into another container for future use, washing the inner pot of the instant pot and then placing it back into the instant pot. Then the rest of the ingredients like crushed red pepper, basil, parsley and spring onions are added into the reserved mixture. This is then mixed and rubbed all over the chicken before placing it back into the instant pot.
- The air fryer program is then selected for 10 mins at 400ºF for each side of the chicken to be air-fried. Once completed, pull out the chicken from the instant pot, garnish as desired and enjoy!
Conclusively, see the ingredient list and recipe below to try making this instant pot whole chicken by yourself. You will come back later to thank Blessing simply because you will never be disappointed. That I can assure you for sure! This instant pot whole chicken came out so well that my hubby kept screaming --- "Blessing, this chicken is so nice, mmmmmmmm, this is really nice". If you are on a low carb diet, don't worry, because it is equally a low carb dish. It is equally keto-friendly. I served this instant pot whole chicken with some fresh vegetables and a hot jollof rice. A perfect match I must confess. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lemon
- 1 onion
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ cup honey
- 400ml water
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 Knorr stock cube
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Fresh parsley leaves
- 3 fresh spring onions
- 2 tsp black peppercorn
- 3 tsp dried basil leaves
- 1 tsp crushed red cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup (150ml) margarine (melted)
Instructions:
- Wash the whole chicken thoroughly and set aside.
- In a clean jar, add the melted margarine, honey, salt and Knorr stock cubes then stir.
- Add the paprika, curry, nutmeg and ginger then mix well.
- Fill the barrel of a marinade injector with the mixture by pulling the plunger back.
- Use a knife to slit each side of the chicken thighs.
- Stuff the chicken with half lemon and half onion.
- Inject the chicken with half of the mixture by pushing the plunger. Pull the needle slowly out of the meat, and not totally. This will help to fully circulate the mixture being injected into the chicken without creating pockets.
- Repeat the process by repositioning the needle at various fleshy angles on the chicken.
- Rub half of the mixture all over the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
- Place the instant pot inner pot into the instant pot cooker base.
- Pour water into an instant pot inner pot then add rosemary and thyme.
- Place the chicken into the instant pot and the remaining onions.
- Secure the instant pot lid.
- Set the pressure cooker timer to 15 mins (if cooking hard chicken) or 8 mins (if cooking soft chicken).
- Afterwards, release the steam.
- Bring out the chicken from the instant pot and set aside. You can use the chicken broth to cook other meals or discard it.
- Add the crushed red pepper, dried basil leaves, parsley leaves (cuts) and spring onions (cuts) into the remaining chicken mixture then stir.
- Rub the mixture all over the chicken and grind the black peppercorn over the chicken.
- Wash the instant pot inner pot and place it back into the instant pot cooker base.
- Place the chicken into the instant pot inner pot.
- Secure the Air Fryer Lid.
- Air fry each side of the chicken for 10 mins at 400ºF.
- Bring out the chicken from the instant pot.
- Garnish the instant pot whole chicken as desired and serve.
- Note - The Instant pot cook time does not include the heat up or release times.
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