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June 6, 2017

How to cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot

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How to cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot–If you love getting those whole rotisserie chickens at your grocery store, you’ll love this recipe for pressure cooker whole seasoned chicken. The chicken is cooked in minutes in your Instant Pot (my chicken was actually totally frozen) and then stuck under the broiler to crisp up the skin. Slice the chicken up to eat plain or use it in any recipes that call for cooked chicken. 

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Don’t have an Instant Pot? How to cook a whole chicken in your SLOW COOKER

Jump to the recipe

How to cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot--If you love getting those whole rotisserie chickens at your grocery store, you'll love this recipe for pressure cooker whole seasoned chicken. The chicken is cooked in minutes in your Instant Pot (my chicken was actually totally frozen) and then stuck under the broiler to crisp up the skin. Slice the chicken up to eat plain or use it in any recipes that call for cooked chicken.

How to cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot

Let’s get real. Who has time to defrost? Or who actually plans ahead that far in advance? Not me, not me! I am infamous for throwing frozen meats in my pressure cooker or my slow cooker (don’t tell the food police). Even though I’m a food blogger I really don’t have my mealing planning together…at all. Most of the time I just come up with something at 4 pm.

That’s why I was so excited to meet the Instant Pot. It allows me to think of something to make for dinner at 4:00 pm and have it on the table by 5:30…even if it’s a whole frozen chicken. Yes! It’s true. I know that’s hard to believe. But miracles do happen. I threw a 5 lb frozen chicken in the Instant Pot and it set the timer for 50 minutes. It took about 15 minutes to come to pressure and then I let the pressure come down for about 15 minutes before opening the pot. So about an hour and 20 minutes total time. The chicken was perfectly tender and we ate some of it plain that night with a salad and then saved the rest for wraps and sandwiches.

One thing I did notice was that I had to really work to get my 5 lb chicken to fit in my Instant Pot. It was placed on the trivet and I had to maneuver it around a bit. So next time I’ll probably choose a 4 lb chicken, which would actually take a few less minutes to cook, as well as fit better.

If you’re a fan of the crispy skin on a chicken then you’ll probably want to take the extra step of placing the chicken under the broiler after it cooks. I just stuck my chicken on a cookie sheet and put it under a broiler set on high for about 5 minutes. That way my daughter and husband, who live for the skin, can be happy.

Other frozen chicken pressure cooker recipes…

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breasts from Frozen from Or Whatever You Do

Pressure Cooker Chicken Taco Filling from Pressure Cooking Today

Instant Pot Chicken Gyros with Frozen Chicken

Ultimate Whole Chicken in Slow Cooker from All Free Slow Cooker Recipes

What Instant Pot Did You Use?

To cook this frozen chicken I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1 for this recipe. I also own the 6 quart Instant Pot IP-LUX60 V3 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker. They are both great pressure cookers! The first one I mentioned has a yogurt making function but other than that they are fairly similar. The price difference between the two is about $20.

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How to cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot


★★★★★

4.2 from 27 reviews

  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
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Description

If you love getting those whole rotisserie chickens at your grocery store, you’ll love this recipe for pressure cooker whole seasoned chicken. The chicken is cooked in minutes in your Instant Pot (my chicken was actually totally frozen) and then stuck under the broiler to crisp up the skin. Slice the chicken up to eat plain or use it in any recipes that call for cooked chicken. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 whole chicken (mine was 5 lbs and almost too big to fit in my IP. So I’d recommend a 4 lb chicken)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Remove packaging from frozen chicken. Run a little hot water over the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. (During this whole process I like to wear disposable gloves.)
  2. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot and put the bay leaf in there too. Place the trivet in the bottom.
  3. In a little bowl combine the butter, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use your fingers to run this mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the trivet.
  4. Cover the Instant Pot and set the timer on manual for 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.
  5. Use a 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.
  6. Optional: Place the chicken on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp up the skin.
  7. Slice chicken and serve. Season to taste. We like to save the leftovers to use in other recipes or make sandwiches and wraps with it.

Notes

Don’t have an Instant Pot? How to cook a whole chicken in your SLOW COOKER

  • Method: Instant Pot

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135 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Instant Pot Tagged With: 5 stars, 0-2 hours, instant pot

Recommendations

Comments

  1. June Reeves says

    August 17, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    There are so many comments I may be asking a question already answered. Sorry if that is the case. How much time for a whole chicken that is NOT frozen?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 17, 2022 at 6:31 pm

      6 minutes times the number of pounds of your chicken. So if it’s a 4 pound chicken then 24 minutes. With a natural pressure release.

      Reply
  2. Arline says

    June 11, 2022 at 7:38 pm

    This is the first time making your recipe which I followed to the letter. I had a 4.5 lb frozen Trader Joe’s organic chicken. The chicken had so much flavor from the spice mixture and was perfectly cooked. I’ll never use any other recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipes and knowledge using the instant pot it is much appreciated.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 14, 2022 at 3:06 pm

      Thanks so much for the 5 stars!

      Reply
  3. Liz says

    January 29, 2021 at 4:40 am

    Worked perfectly for me, followed the recipe as written. Water came to just bottom of trivet. 3Lb frozen solid chicken cooked in 50 mins on high manual with a 15 minute natural release. Chicken was juicy and easily shredded for use in other recipes. Just what I was looking for, thank you !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 29, 2021 at 12:40 pm

      You’re welcome Liz!

      Reply
  4. Sara says

    January 9, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    I was thrilled to find this recipe! One of my biggest problems is remembering to pull meat out of the freezer. I have the 8 qt. Instant pot so fitting a chicken in was no problem. My chicken was 4.5 lbs. and really frozen solid, it was in our big chest freezer which has a colder temp and freezes things more than a regular refrigerator freezer. I always have to allow more time for thawing. That all being said I figured I was going to need significantly more time for cooking it. I set the time for 1.5 hours, figuring i’d Probably need even more time. Nope! It was literally falling off the bone! I think it’s safe to say it was done sooner than 1.5 hours. I was surprised that so many people had problems with this simple recipe. My suspicion is that they selected a chicken/poultry setting on their instant pot instead of the manual or custom HIGH pressure!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 11, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      1.5 hours is a long time! Glad it was still good!

      Reply
    • Angela Hermann says

      November 17, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      I followed this recipe, for the most part. I didn’t have a bay leaf or sage so, I used poultry seasoning instead of sage which already had some of the other spices in it. I wound up having to use twice as many spices and 5 tablespoons of butter in order to spread it all around my frozen chicken. I cooked it on high pressure for an hour. The meat was falling off the wings but it wasn’t done in the middle so I had to put it back in the pressure cooler for an additional 20 minutes.

      Reply
      • Angela Hermann says

        November 17, 2021 at 6:12 pm

        Pressure cooker*

        Reply
  5. JustChattin says

    November 15, 2020 at 9:36 am

    We used this as a base recipe for rabbit. Had 2 whole and frozen from our last harvest. We have a garden and some critters to help supplement our groceries. This recipe was perfect for our stew. Being new to instant pot is quite the adventure and I appreciate your help. I just put my meat (3.5# frozen solid) on a trivet and added 1.5 cups water, spices and a packet of onion soup mix. high pressure for 50 minutes and NR for 20. Then I pulled out my meat and put in the freezer, threw 4 cups of chopped carrots and 4 cups of potatoes 2in cubes right into my cooking liquid. high pressure for 5 minutes and a quick release. boned my rabbit and threw it back in. As a side note, this timing was perfect for fall off the bone meat at this weight. If I had wanted just a well-done finish probably 35 to 40 minutes would have done the trick.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 16, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      Wow! Glad it worked for you and rabbit. I have never tried rabbit before.

      Reply
  6. Arline G says

    April 23, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    Loved your recommendation for cooking a whole chicken from frozen. I had a 4.5 lb 365 frozen chicken to cook for dinner tonight. In the bottom of the pot I put sliced onions 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, a few celery tops with leaves and 1 ½ cups chicken stock. I put the trivet on top put the chicken in and spread a little olive oil on top and sprinkled it with seasoning salt. I set my Duo60 for 60 minutes . When done I did a 15 minute natural release then vented the remainder. The chicken turned out tender and juicy and I’ll be able to use the broth for something else. After checking the temperature I could have cooked it for fewer minutes, probably 55 would have done it.
    Loved it…thanks

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 24, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experience Arline.

      Reply
  7. Giselle says

    February 26, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    I’m almost done cooking my 2.8 lb chicken. I did 50 min manual High pressure, will wait for the NPR. I’m wondering if some ppl are cooking theirs on low pressure? I know i made that mistake my last recipe, I’m still new to my IP but i love it!! I’ll let you know how mine turns out!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 29, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      Yes that might have something to do with it!

      Reply
  8. CHRISTINE BIELLER says

    December 31, 2019 at 12:30 pm

    Hello! I just love your recipes and have learned so much from you! I have the 3 qt IP. Do you think we could do this recipe with a cornish game hen and if so, what might the timing be? I don’t think I can fit a whole chicken in the 3 qt but we love cornish game hens. Has anyone tried this?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 31, 2019 at 11:04 pm

      Great idea! The general rule is 6 minutes per pound for whole chicken. That’s what I would go by for timing. Although if it’s frozen you may need more time.

      Reply
  9. will says

    September 12, 2019 at 2:18 am

    it is so interesting that so many people get such widely varied results. most of the energy used is in thawing the chicken, “latent heat of whatever?” , as opposed to warming the chicken to freezing temp, then raising to cook temp after thawing. maybe drastically different chickens with more or less frozen liquid? variations in pressure cookers temp control? i sometimes have a couple of large chicken quarters take an hour.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 12, 2019 at 2:52 pm

      Yes good points. Probably all of the above!

      Reply
  10. Joe Schmoe says

    April 11, 2019 at 10:09 am

    Didn’t work for me at all. Meat was falling off bones, but breast was dry and tasteless and chicken was raw in the middle. I would have been better off defrosting in microwave and rotisserie grilling. Ckn weighed b/t 4-5 lbs.

    ★

    Reply
    • Nancy Mills says

      July 3, 2019 at 2:42 pm

      Try 45 minutes, then leave it for with 10 minute natural release. I find it works better.

      Reply
  11. Velicia Daniels says

    February 20, 2019 at 12:23 pm

    I’ve Used many of your recipes and love them! Thanks so much for sharing these. I would like a nice bras afterwards to make soup, is it OK to add a cup or so maybe 2 cups of unsalted chicken broth instead of water?

    Thanks For the delicious recipes and great tips.

    Reply
    • Velicia Daniels says

      February 20, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      Also, I have a 1.5 lb chick. How much time should I try?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Karen says

        February 20, 2019 at 10:18 pm

        That sounds great with the broth. I would set the time to 40 minutes.

        Reply
        • Bill says

          June 6, 2019 at 5:34 pm

          I’m pretty much retarded when it comes to reviews or commenting. So I’ll just reply to this. I was amazed!! 1 hour, frozen solid 4 lb chicken boom cooked to perfection. Exactly 165° moist and easiest chicken dinner ever. Broiler for a couple minutes put the perfect color on the once frozen solid, I would take 2 days to defrost bird. Thanks much!!

          Reply
          • Karen says

            June 6, 2019 at 8:26 pm

            glad you liked it!

  12. Christine says

    February 4, 2019 at 10:27 pm

    I’m currently trying this recipe; first off I believe that you are talking about a partially frozen chicken or how else could you put butter and spices on a hard piece of ice, it either falls off or freezes. I put the chicken in for 1 hour and let it pressure release naturally. The chicken was bloody on the inside. I put it back on for 30 more minutes and the meat was pulling from the bone on the legs and there was a pool of blood in the cavity. It’s now in the oven. I don’t think I’d ever try frozen chicken again in the IP :(.

    ★

    Reply
    • Miriam Allen says

      July 31, 2019 at 3:02 pm

      I put all the fat and rotisserie spices on and put a half lemon and half onion in cavity before freezing and that works great for me

      Reply
      • Tamara says

        August 12, 2019 at 1:19 pm

        I tried this recipe today and I followed it exactly. I had to put it back in on manual for 5 minutes twice and then finally reached 165. I put in the broilers directed to crisp up the skin. It did not. Also the meat had no flavor. It all sat on top. This might work for soup of maybe tacos with a lot of seasoning but I wasn’t a fan of this one.

        Reply
  13. MBT says

    February 3, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    Would it work to turn around and use the carcass for bone broth, or are most of the nutrients already extracted with the cooking method?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 4, 2019 at 4:05 pm

      I bet that would work!

      Reply
  14. Karen S Heckathorne says

    January 10, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    My husband bought a whole chicken in the cold meat section, but it was completely frozen. Don’t whole chickens have the bag of gizzards and stuff in them? If I cook it with that in, will it matter?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      If you can, try to get them out before cooking.

      Reply
    • Morgan P says

      January 18, 2019 at 12:43 pm

      We never worry about taking the giblets out when our chicken is frozen – just means you get the extra nutrients! I usually add the bags in for bone broth making anyway. And I have never noticed them affecting the taste of the chicken or juices.

      Reply
    • Karen says

      May 6, 2022 at 2:05 pm

      I’d like to try this, but instead of making the chicken to be a roast chicken I’d like to make soup. Is I were to add up to two quarts of water I imagine I would need to either increase the cooking time or the resting time. I’d love your opinion on this.

      Reply
      • Karen says

        May 6, 2022 at 2:07 pm

        Oh man, put this in the wrong spot. I’ll put it at the bottom of the whole comments.

        Reply
      • Karen says

        May 10, 2022 at 2:04 pm

        You’ll actually decrease the cooking time by 20-30 percent of so because the pot will take a very very long time to come to pressure. It reminds me of this recipe: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-whole-chicken/#recipe

        Reply
  15. Newbie says

    January 2, 2019 at 10:47 am

    How would you modify cooking time if the chicken isn’t frozen?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 3, 2019 at 10:17 pm

      I’d say 6 minutes per pound of chicken.

      Reply
  16. Lynda says

    December 29, 2018 at 8:37 am

    I am going to try this today. I am at a higher altitude (5500) so going to add a bit more time. I am also going to use a chicken that has been quartered.
    I have my tried and true spices I use for chicken so going to use those.
    Most all of my herbs are fresh.
    I use unsalted butter, a small amount of lemon zest, fresh garlic, white onions, fresh parsley, bay leaves, salt and pepper. I make a rub.
    I bought low sodium chicken broth to use as well.
    Before I cook the chicken I am going to make hard boiled eggs for the week as well.
    I will have chicken and eggs to make chicken salad for wraps and sandwiches and also a nice green salad as well.
    So excited to have an IP now!!!!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 29, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      Sounds like a plan!! If the chicken is quartererd it may not need as much time.

      Reply
  17. Jenn says

    December 22, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    This was the first thing I tried in my new pot and it worked exactly as described. Wasn’t a huge fan of the spice mixture but that’s easily changed! Thanks for this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  18. Tee in New Orleans says

    October 28, 2018 at 1:02 pm

    Tasted great! Hope this helps someone who might read the comments before cooking. I guess you could say I “kind of” made this recipe today. I didn’t have a bay leaf and used seasonings I normally cook with. Here are the changes I made and found to work (5.87 lb bird):
    1. Made a mixture of my spices with enough olive oil to make a paste and smeared under the skin on the breast side;
    2. On “sauté” I browned the whole chicken on both sides;
    3. Stuffed cavity with a quarter of an onion, small head of garlic, half a lemon;
    4. In the bottom of the pot, I filled it with small Yukon gold potatoes;
    5. Put my trivet on top of the potatoes, placed the chicken on trivet and sprinkled the breast side with Tony Chachère No Salt Seasoning Blend for color;
    6. On top of breast, I put rings of onion and thin slices of lemon and lime.

    The one issue I had was that for a bird as big as mine, 1 cup of water was too much. Once the frozen melted, that plus a full cup with as long as it had to cook was way too much broth for my potatoes, so they turned out too soft. I won’t do the potatoes in with the chicken next time.

    Reply
  19. Jackie says

    September 19, 2018 at 11:32 pm

    I used this recipe tonight with a 4.5lb giblet free frozen chicken. Followed the recipe except I used bacon grease instead of butter. I let it NPR for 25min because kids lol But it was cooked perfectly and fell off the bone. The best part was the broth in the bottom. Made some rice and veggies and had instant chicken soup. Perfect for the chilly evening we had.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 20, 2018 at 11:09 am

      bacon grease instead of butter = mind blown!!

      Reply
      • Dmitri says

        September 20, 2018 at 5:24 pm

        Lol I know you 🙂 trying this in my pot right now!

        Reply
    • Car says

      November 14, 2019 at 6:44 pm

      Live at about 4500ft and I had a slightly biggie bird (5.87#). So I upped the time to 70 minutes. After 15-17 minutes npr, I had still raw chicken in the middle. What altitude are you? I had discovered that makes a difference. My Instant pot almost always seems to take longer than most recipes I’ve seen on the internet….. And I’m thinking that’s why. The only thing I have mastered is rice and getting close with black beans…. Everything else…. Especially new recipes…. Didn’t turn out well and we’re always eating dinner late when I use it. So frustrating…. So far I have a really expensive rice maker. Ugh. I’ve started keeping a notebook of what I do exactly so I know what I can adjust later. … Anyways any idea why I had raw chicken???

      Reply
      • Karen says

        November 16, 2019 at 8:18 pm

        I bet it was the size of the bird. I am at 4000 feet. Pressure cooking is cooking to the thickness of the food/meat. So a thick piece of meat will take longer than a thin piece.

        Reply
  20. Cristy says

    September 6, 2018 at 5:10 pm

    This was my second time ever cooking a whole chicken.. first time frozen in the IP. It was fall off the bone, perfectly cooked! I’m using the leftovers for tacos and to put in an IP skinny Alfredo pasta tonight! Thanks for sharing 🙂 oh and I did my almost 5 lb chicken in my 6 qt. pot for an hour on high pressure. I didn’t have problems like some others.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Ian the Cook says

    August 25, 2018 at 6:53 pm

    I did exactly as this recipe call for an after 60 minutes, the legs of the chicken were certainly cooked, but the inside of the breasts were not even close. I had to put it in for another 30 minutes and then it was done. So done that all the chicken fell off every bone. Great taste, just took longer that I thought it should.

    Reply
    • Carol S. says

      February 2, 2021 at 6:52 pm

      I had the same experience ( at sea level and high pressure). Another 5 min didn’t help. We ate the legs and the rest is back in the IP for more cooking.

      ★★★★

      Reply
  22. Ginger Weston says

    August 14, 2018 at 10:06 am

    I did this today with great results. I forgot to remove the innards so did the first 10 minutes and then removed them. I did cook mine for ten extra minutes because of the weight. It is just so delicious. It will definitely be a recipe to be cooked again for sure.

    Reply
  23. Stephanie says

    July 29, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    I made this tonight, took almost exactly 2 hours from start to finish, including broiling. My chicken was 4.5 lbs, but since I’m at higher altitude (4500) I added 15% onto the cooking time, so I cooked on high pressure for 69 minutes. It was falling off the bone, I probably could have cooked it for a few minutes less. It was tender and tasty, got compliments from my husband! I like the spice mixture, and I used the liquid to make a good gravy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Ron says

    June 6, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Just put 5lb chicken in ip using your recipe. Do you have to set the low, normal, more gauge? First time cooking a meal with ip

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 8, 2018 at 2:30 pm

      I used high pressure.

      Reply
  25. Jessica A Olson says

    May 24, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    I didn’t have a trivet, we bought the IP second-hand. So I added carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery under the bird. I added more water and, since my bird was larger and older (we raise our own), added a little more water to ensure it was tender. While it was browning under the broiler, I processed the veggies (except potatoes) into a soup for later and skimmed the broth. We mashed the potatoes with our homemade butter and served them with the bird. It was falling off the bone. Beautiful! Just what a busy homesteader needs when working out on the property all day.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 25, 2018 at 11:30 am

      How fun Jessica! Thanks for sharing. Where do you live?

      Reply
  26. Hayley says

    May 5, 2018 at 6:03 pm

    I just did this with a frozen 3lb bird. Did the full hour and then let it naturally vent for 20 mins. To force the remaining pressure to vent it took another 40 minutes!! The bird is only 95 degrees inside. Bummed, we waited so long for it to vent that we’re hangry and confused :(.

    Reply
  27. Shannon says

    May 1, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    Mines cooking right now. fingers crossed! 4 pound frozen chicken. set it for 60 minutes after reading reviews. I poured a can of beer and used a barbecue rub as seasoning. Have about 30 minutes left and it already smells great!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 1, 2018 at 8:52 pm

      Hope you love it!

      Reply
  28. Sue R says

    March 28, 2018 at 11:13 pm

    In Australia we don’t get anything left inside the chicken so removing a bad inside isn’t an issue.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  29. Janice Cordell says

    February 24, 2018 at 11:59 am

    I’m new here and only cooked a roast that was the best in our senior life.
    But I’m trying now to cook a whole chicken almost I don’t know if you mean pressure cooking when you say normal. Please state which button to use for us newbies. I put in in with pressure cooking. Hope it was ok.

    I don’t understand how to let it natural vent either.
    Please help

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 24, 2018 at 10:05 pm

      I use the button that says “manual” on it. It’s the pressure cook button. Natural vent just means you don’t move the valve to “venting.” you leave it on sealing and let the pressure just release on it’s own. Then when you can, open the lid. It can take up to 20 minutes.

      Reply
  30. Ken says

    February 18, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    Karen can’t believe that so many people are haveing so much trouble cooking chicken in the ip. I just cook a 4 or 5 lb bird frozen pushed poultry button set it for one hour and half. No recipe just Winged it And it Fell Off The Bone yes when you buy the bird take out the giblits then put it in zip lock bag and frezz it 3/4 cup water work fine for me next time I will do less time. Just my input

    Reply
  31. Dick says

    February 14, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    The time to cook, as mentioned, is very understated. 90 mintutes woulde be closer to accurate. That aside, the finished product tasted more like boiled chicken, with the white meat having a pale gray appearance. Won’t try this one again.

    Reply
  32. Brandy Forras says

    February 1, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    I love your idea to put it under the broiler afterwards for presentation if I’m not going to just use it in a recipe. =) I also frequently forget to take meat out of the freezer in time for it to thaw but I started using a little trick that really helps. When I get meat from the freezer, I take out about 2 or 3 different packages at a time. I just let them defrost in an open container in the fridge. This method has worked great to help force me to use all the wonderful meat I have stockpiled and although I don’t have a formal menu planned out, it gives me a few days to think about how I’m going to prepare and serve each cut of meat. It also lets me be flexible with our schedule and which days I have time to cook.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 1, 2018 at 2:38 pm

      Good idea! Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  33. Debbie says

    January 19, 2018 at 12:59 pm

    Can I put a frozen whole chicken in my ip and just pour barbecue sauce on it?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 20, 2018 at 7:10 pm

      You could. I’d add a little chicken broth in the bottom of the pot so it will come to pressure. At least 1/2 cup.

      Reply
  34. K says

    January 16, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    I followed the directions but after 50 minutes my 5# frozen chicken was only 60F in the middle so I put the pot back on and I’m waiting…

    ★★★

    Reply
  35. Elle says

    January 14, 2018 at 4:44 pm

    I originally came to this site because my dear neighbors processed their egg-laying (not any more! Gasp!), free-range chickens, and I have a couple in the freezer. Thought I’d try your recipe … Should I be aware of anything while following this? I have never roasted a chicken in the oven, let alone a pressure cooker!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 14, 2018 at 4:57 pm

      Hi Elle, you may need to add more time to this recipe. There are several people that have needed it to cook longer. How many pounds is your chicken?

      Reply
      • Elle says

        January 15, 2018 at 4:28 pm

        2.5 lbs … Little one! I’m thinking that I’m going to run it for 50 mins, which will include the altitude difference … Yes? Should fall of the bone … I hope …

        Reply
  36. Elle says

    January 14, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    Altitude could be an issue. Read somewhere that you need to add 5% per every 1,000 ft if you are over 2,000 ft above sea level. For example, I live in Colorado at a little over 6000 ft. I automatically add 20% to the cooking time. Everything I’ve cooked so far has come out perfect. I have an 8-quart Duo and I cannot say enough good things about the Instant Pot!

    Reply
  37. Karen says

    January 12, 2018 at 7:44 pm

    Wonderful. Bird was “fall off the bone” nice and tender. Will do again

    Reply
  38. Julie says

    January 7, 2018 at 6:52 pm

    Worked perfectly! I was a little worried after reading all the comments about the bird not fully cooking. But after 50 mins my chicken was falling off the bones and so tender! I added the spice rub and the flavor was fantastic. I also doubled the water on the bottom and got a beautiful broth that I then cooked some rice in while I broiled the chicken. Thanks for all the tips. There must be some issues with altitude and the pot for some folks. All I can say is it works great on the Candadian prairies!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 8, 2018 at 2:51 pm

      Yay for Canadian prairies!

      Reply
  39. Rosa says

    January 4, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    This was my first Instant Pot recipe – it worked great!! I had a 4 lb. frozen chicken and it was read to eat in under 2 hours – totally amazing!!! I went exactly according to the recipe, except I used my own seasonings. The giblets bag was not cooked, so I just tossed it. There was some red liquid in the cavity due to the uncooked giblets, but I drained it and the 5 minutes under the broiler took care of it. Very moist chicken! I’m definitely trying this again! Thanks so much for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 4, 2018 at 9:09 pm

      Oh I’m so glad!

      Reply
  40. Janice says

    January 3, 2018 at 10:43 am

    I’m trying you recipe for frozen whole chicken. Actually mine is portionally thawed. I only used the one cup of water, wish I had read reviews before I would have added more water to make broth. Here’s hoping! Thanks for recipe.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 3, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      Hope it worked out well for you!

      Reply
  41. Erica says

    January 2, 2018 at 6:40 am

    We tried this last night and it turned out perfect! I put Yukon gold potatoes in the bottom of the pot & doubled the amount of liquid & they cooked perfectly. I used a 3.5 lb chicken and it fed 4 adults. Delicious, thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 2, 2018 at 5:32 pm

      You’re welcome! Glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  42. Rick Segal says

    December 31, 2017 at 5:11 pm

    Worked like a champ. Thank you for posting this and especially the reminder about the trivet in the bottom. Happy New Year and best wishes for continued success of your blog.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 2, 2018 at 5:55 pm

      Thanks so much Rick!!

      Reply
  43. Meredith says

    December 18, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    I followed the recipe as written. It turned out perfectly. It had great flavor. This was the very 1st meal I’ve made in my Instant Pot. My family loved it, even my daughter who isn’t a fan of chicken.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 19, 2017 at 2:13 pm

      wow! your first recipe 🙂 how great. I love my instant pot. I bet you’ll love yours too 🙂

      Reply
  44. lance says

    December 2, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    you have to consider altitude with pressure cookers. higher elevation longer cook time.

    Reply
  45. Jo says

    November 25, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    When should one use the poultry setting on the IP?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 25, 2017 at 7:44 pm

      This is a great question. And it’s one that I need to research more and get to the bottom of. I like to use the manual setting because that way anyone can make the food regardless if they have the special settings on their electric pressure cookers or not.

      Reply
  46. george fenzell says

    November 7, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    There are a couple of things (and destinations) going on here. Yes, we need to know what the cooking time for a frozen chicken under pressure is? Perhaps that is the first and most important question? But, when you get these chickens home, they have plastic and body parts in them (hearts, gizzards, and livers). If they are frozen, you can’t do anything about removing them.
    If you are going to do this, “this” means you don’t care about presentation, you just want cooked chicken? Chicken stock is sometimes more expensive than the chicken! Submerge the chicken, then you get both?!?!
    I’ll do it and post the times if there is enough interest?!?!

    Just trying to help,

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 13, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      sounds great George!

      Reply
  47. Memmi says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    I pressure cooked a 3 lb. frozen pastured chicken in my instant pot for 30 minutes, plus 10 minutes afterwards for slow release. Looked fully cooked (no pink) but was so tough? I tried cooking a defrosted whole chicken once and it was tough also. Any idea why??? Would it need more cooking time or less? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:27 am

      really? That is weird!!! I’m not sure why, I’ve only experienced tender chicken in the instant pot.

      Reply
    • Charis Miller says

      December 11, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      Homegrown chickens especially pastured chickens are naturally tougher. Did you allow to sit at least 24-48 hours after butcher to freezer? If you plan on cooking frozen you need time for the meat to relax. Hope this helps!

      Reply
      • Karen says

        December 12, 2017 at 1:34 pm

        Good tip, thanks Charis!

        Reply
    • Jenny says

      April 16, 2018 at 2:37 pm

      old chicken. it should have been killed younger. I have chickens..
      there a huge difference!

      Reply
  48. Cheryl says

    October 7, 2017 at 8:51 am

    Cooking for the FIRST time in my Instant Pot using your directions with my deli seasoning mix -so far doing well. 😀

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 10, 2017 at 10:13 am

      Yes! Good luck! I hope you love your Instant Pot 🙂

      Reply
  49. Carplyn says

    October 3, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    Is it manual on HIGH Pressure or Normal?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 4, 2017 at 10:11 am

      high pressure

      Reply
  50. Steve says

    September 24, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    Same issue here.. followed the instructions and my bird actually had ice in the cavity still after 50 plus 15 natural release… weird

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 25, 2017 at 2:22 pm

      It’s so weird the difference that each person gets with this recipe. I’m not sure why! I will continue looking in to it to figure it out.

      Reply
      • Suzieb says

        December 12, 2017 at 7:45 pm

        The altitude has a lot to do with cooking times.

        Reply
      • Jamie says

        January 20, 2018 at 2:37 pm

        Does it matter what size IP you are using?

        Reply
        • Karen says

          January 20, 2018 at 7:06 pm

          Not really. As long as your chicken fits inside nicely.

          Reply
          • Giselle says

            February 26, 2020 at 10:40 pm

            It might have to do with ppl cooking in low pressure instead of high??

            ★★★★★

    • IP says

      April 22, 2018 at 2:33 pm

      had same result but my chicken has been in the freezer for almost a year prehaps thats were its getting messed up most recpies say around 6 months in freezer

      Reply
  51. louise gilfoy says

    September 23, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks for the recipe. Easy, peasy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 25, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  52. Desiree says

    September 14, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    I followed this recipe to a “T” and it was delicious and came out perfect! Thank you for the great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 15, 2017 at 8:49 am

      Great to hear!

      Reply
  53. Milly says

    August 29, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    I just made this exactly like you posted and it came out perfect! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 30, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      good to hear, Milly!!

      Reply
  54. Paula says

    July 17, 2017 at 7:33 pm

    So disappointed! 50 minutes was not nearly enough! Only half my chicken got cooked. This recipe is wgat I bought the instant pot to do, and it didn’t do it! Off to town to spend $70 to feed my family now. The chicken will have to wait for another night.

    ★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 18, 2017 at 3:19 pm

      This is disappointing! What size was your chicken?

      Reply
      • Michelle says

        August 8, 2017 at 5:31 pm

        Mine was 120 degrees after 50 minutes.

        Reply
    • Jess says

      July 20, 2017 at 2:13 pm

      All you had to do was put the lid on and set it for more time. By the time you got to town and back spending your $70, the chicken would have been done long before then.

      Reply
      • Mel says

        August 3, 2017 at 4:35 pm

        After the 10 minutes to pressurize, 50 minutes to cook, anothe 15 to release, then find out still raw in middle…. then put back in, pressize another 10 minutes, cook another 15, quick release, broil, cut, serve…. 2+ hours…… I’m in this boat now…. ugh. Should’ve just thawed or used oven…. =/

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 7, 2017 at 4:29 pm

          sorry to hear this! I’m not sure the difference between why my chicken was cooked and yours wasn’t. I will have to do more experimenting.

          Reply
        • Wes says

          August 12, 2017 at 4:51 am

          I cook whole frozen chickens in my Instant Pot regularly (at least once a week) and they always come out perfectly. The reason people have been having issues with this recipe is that the chicken MUST be submerged in water. One cup of water is not nearly enough. You cannot steam a fully frozen chicken if the goal is saving time – it must be boiled.

          My method is to put the frozen chicken into the liner (I don’t bother with the trivet). Cover with water so that the chicken is fully submerged – or you can leave an inch or so of breast sticking out of the top of the water if you like. Add whatever seasonings you like to the water. I tend to use some dried herbs, salt and pepper, and maybe an onion. You can even throw in some bouillon or a stock cube if you like. But none of that is even necessary. I then pressure cook for around 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. After this time, my chicken is normally falling apart. Do a quick release, pop the lid and check for doneness.

          Carefully remove to a board (draining the liquid from the cavity as you lift the bird) and then shred. I sometimes put it under the grill (broiler? Am not American…) to crisp the skin but, most of the time, I can’t be bothered…

          This really is an incredibly easy and efficient way to cook a whole chicken, but the problem is the slightly duff recipe…

          You can also keep the cooking liquid, which will be a light stock.

          ★

          Reply
          • Dottie says

            December 5, 2017 at 10:08 am

            Thank you for clarifying how you have had success with cooking a whole frozen chicken in your IP. I am going to try this today with a 6lb rock hard frozen chicken. I will try your method of using a lot more water.

          • Karen says

            December 12, 2017 at 1:55 pm

            I hope it works well for you!

    • Smae says

      December 26, 2017 at 6:40 pm

      I just got an IP for Christmas and this was it’s maiden meal. I didn’t follow the recipe, just the cooking instructions. I used an about 4# bird. After 50 min I quick released, checked the temp, and it was 140°. I put the pot back on for 5 min and it was about 160°. I put it back on for 10 min and it was perfect. Under the broiler for 10 min to crisp and it was delicious. So next time I will know to just set the timer for 65 min (dependant on weight) and it will be perfect.

      Reply
      • Karen says

        December 28, 2017 at 8:08 pm

        ok! good to know 🙂

        Reply
    • Heidi says

      December 28, 2017 at 7:00 pm

      I always fill the water half-way up chicken if it is frozen since it will release alot of liquid. I also pressure cook it for 10 minutes, do a quick release, then remove the neck and giblets since the chicken is rock hard I can’t get them out. I also love to toss an orange inside the chicken. Yum. Throw it in on another 30 minutes and natural release the end. If I am added veggies, I will remove the chicken and broil the skin in the oven while I cook the root veggies for a few minutes. Love Love!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Karen says

        December 28, 2017 at 8:05 pm

        Nice! I love your ideas. Thanks for sharing, Heidi!

        Reply
    • Sue R says

      March 28, 2018 at 11:11 pm

      I don’t get why if someone’s chicken is under cooked they have to give up and go buy dinner. It’d be faster to just turn the Instant pot back on for another 10 minutes or however long it needs rather than go out to buy food, wait for it to be cooked then drive home again. Mine came out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe. Always best to check with a thermometer to be safe with chicken too.

      Reply
  55. Kestrel says

    July 1, 2017 at 4:06 pm

    I guess it only matters a lot if they are in plastic or butcher’s paper and stuffed back inside.
    I have a 5.67lb chicken cooking in my Duo right now. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that hard to squeeze in laying flat, not end to end. Maybe it’s stouter and not very tall. Like me. 🙂
    It’s been marinating in the actual insert overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, honey and ginger (plus bits of other things). I was here wondering what time length you cooked your chicken but mine is not frozen and a bit larger so I’ll subtract a couple of minutes from your recipe and see what happens.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 8, 2017 at 5:09 pm

      hope it turned out great!

      Reply
  56. Trish F. says

    June 13, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    I love the idea a cooking a frozen chicken from start to finish in about an hour! I have a question though. Most of the time the chickens I buy come with giblets inside the cavity. Did you remove the giblets before you froze the chicken?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 16, 2017 at 10:51 am

      didn’t remove them! I just took them out afterwards. Hopefully this was okay!

      Reply
      • Smae says

        December 26, 2017 at 6:33 pm

        I didn’t either. No issues.

        Reply
        • Karen says

          December 28, 2017 at 8:08 pm

          Good to hear.

          Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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