Instant Pot Dolly Parton Stampede Chicken

Instant Pot Dolly Parton Stampede Chicken–The Instant Pot can cook a whole chicken to moist, delicious perfection in less than an hour. This method makes THE best Instant Pot chicken every single time. Get the recipe here.

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Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below

Instant Pot Dolly Parton Stampede Chicken

I came across a recipe for Dolly Parton’s Finger-lickin’ Stampede Chicken and knew that I must try it in the pressure cooker. For one, I love Dolly Parton and, for two, I love chicken. Done and done. The original author states, “Dolly Parton’s Stampede (previously known as Dixie Stampede) is ‘the most fun place to eat’ in Pigeon Forge, TN. I’ve been to this dinner/show attraction no less than 25 times in my life…and I’d go 25 more! They’ve had the same menu all these years, and the chicken has always been my favorite part. In true Stampede fashion, you gotta eat it with your fingers!”

True story, last year for our 20 year anniversary Greg and I were near Pigeon Forge and tried to go to this show…but alas it was sold out. I guess that just means we will need to go back! There is nothing like the Great Smoky mountains in the fall…sooooo pretty!

The original recipe uses 2 cornish game hens but instead I used a more common whole chicken. You can easily find whole chickens at the grocery store and they are so affordable. I buy a whole 4-5 pound chicken for about $5-$6, around $1.20 per pound. If you’d rather use cornish game hens you totally can! You will use a shorter cooking time (half as long).

Ingredients you’ll need…

• A whole chicken
• Salt
• Butter–you can also use olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Dried rosemary
• Dried thyme
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Montreal chicken seasoning*–or you can make your spice blend own from scratch

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot or Crockpot:

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Brine the chicken: Remove anything in the chicken cavity and discard. Add the salt to Instant Pot liner. Fill with water until half full. Whisk well so that salt dissolves. Place the chicken in the pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken. Cover with foil or plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to brine for at least 8 hours. 
2. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken on a pan or a cutting board. Discard the brine solution and dry out the pot. 
3. Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Add in a trivet.
4. Season the chicken: In a small bowl stir together the butter, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme. Gently lift the skin from the chicken breast and legs. Distribute half of the garlic butter between the skin and the meat. Then rub the rest of the mixture over the outside of the entire chicken. Sprinkle the Montreal chicken seasoning over the chicken on all sides. 
5. Place 2 quarters of the lemon and the garlic into chicken cavity.
6. Pressure cook: Place the chicken on top of trivet (breast side down). Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 24 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10-20 minutes and and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
7. Crisp up the skin: If you’d like crispy skin use an air fryer lid at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. You can also do this step under your oven’s broiler.
8. Squeeze the other 2 lemon quarters over the chicken. Slice and serve. If you’d like you can use the drippings in the pot to make gravy.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Brine: Remove anything inside the chicken cavity and discard. Add the salt to a large pot or bowl. Fill with water until half full. Whisk well so that salt dissolves. Place the chicken in the pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken. Cover with foil or plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to brine for at least 8 hours. 
2. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken on a pan or a cutting board. Discard the brine solution.
3. Pour a half cup water into slow cooker. 
4. Season the chicken: In a small bowl stir together the butter, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme. Gently lift the skin from the chicken breast and legs. Distribute half of the garlic butter and spices between the skin and the meat. Then rub the rest of the mixture over the outside of the entire chicken. Sprinkle the Montreal chicken seasoning over the chicken on all sides. 
5. Place 2 quarters of the lemon and the garlic into chicken cavity.
6. Slow cook: Place the chicken into the slow cooker (breast side down). Cover and cook chicken on LOW for about 5-7 hours, until the middle of the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. 
7. Crisp up the skin: Carefully place chicken on a cookie sheet or roaster pan.  Put in the oven and broil for several minutes until the skin is crispy and brown. 
8. Squeeze the other 2 lemon quarters over the chicken. Slice and serve. 

Cooking Times for Instant Pot Whole Chicken

How do you figure out how long to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot? It’s a simple formula. After you remove the giblets from the chicken weigh it. Then multiply that number by 6 minutes. So if you have a 4 pound chicken you will pressure cook it for 24 minutes on high pressure. After the 24 minutes is up you should let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes and up to as long as you want (the chicken will be just fine on warm for a few hours). I don’t recommend using a quick-release for this instant pot whole chicken recipe because it will cause the chicken to seize up and get tough.

Can I Cook a Whole Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot?

If your chicken is frozen you can still use this recipe. Even if you brine overnight in the refrigerator it will still be mostly frozen the next day. Try to remove the giblets (sometimes they are in a plastic or paper bag) before cooking the chicken. Cover the Instant Pot and set the pressure cook/manual button for 50-60 minutes. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” When the timer beeps let some of the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes and then switch the valve to “venting” and release the rest of the pressure. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meatiest portion of the chicken. It should read 165° F. If it’s not up to temperature then you’ll want to cover the pot and cook on manual setting for 5 more minutes.

Tips for the Best Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken:

• Brine is everything–Why brine? I know it feels like extra work when you hear the word “brine”, but it’s so simple and so worth it.  Without a doubt, it will be worth it for both the flavor and tenderness it creates. When a piece of meat is soaked in a brine solution, that solution is slowly drawn into the meat, and even though some of it is inevitably lost during cooking, it still makes a big difference. Since the meat starts out with more liquid within, it ends up juicier and more moist when cooked.
• Breast side down–Cooking the chicken upside down protects the breast from drying out because the fattier dark meat is basting the breast the entire time.

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Equipment

• 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot*
• Air fryer lid* for crisping up the skin (or you can use your oven’s broiler).
• Kitchen Gloves* (I like to use these when rubbing the butter mixture all over the chicken)

How Do I Crisp the Skin Without an Air Fryer lid?

If you don’t have an air fryer lid, you can use the broil function on your oven. Prepare a baking sheet with a wire rack. Carefully place the chicken on the rack and broil for around 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on the chicken, until the skin has browned to your liking. This may take more or less time depending on your oven.

How to slice a whole chicken

Place your chicken breast-side-up on a cutting board. Pull one of the legs slightly away from the rest of the bird and carefully slice through the leg meat and skin. With a fair bit of force, pull back the leg to expose the hip joint. Keep pulling until the round end of the hip bone in the joint pops up. Place your knife between the round end of the hip bone and the chicken body. Push your knife straight down until the leg is detached. Place your knife along the natural line between the drumstick and thigh. Forcefully push straight down and cut through the joint. Separate the drumstick from the thigh and place on your serving platter. Repeat the process with the remaining leg. Slide your knife along one side of the center breastbone at the front of the breast cavity. Move your knife from the front to the back of the chicken while simultaneously pulling the breast meat away from the bone. Repeat with the remaining breast. Place the breast meat skin-side-up on your cutting board and remove the wing portion. Leaving a bit of skin attached to each piece, use a saw-like motion to cut the breast meat into smaller pieces. Repeat with the remaining breast. Arrange the carved chicken pieces on a serving platter. (See pictures and instructions from Food.com)

What to serve with Dolly Parton’s Stampede Chicken

Some ideas are:

• Collard greens
• Biscuits or French bread
• Mashed potatoes or Instant Pot Hasselback Potatoes
• Creamed Corn
• Instant Pot Reba McEntire Sweet Potato Casserole

Ways to use leftover rotisserie chicken:

• White Chicken Chili
• Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich
• Chicken Enchiladas Casserole
• Creamy Wild Rice And Chicken Soup
• Chicken salad sandwiches
• Casseroles like chicken tetrazzini 

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc. Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.