Since discovering a few years ago how easy and QUICK it is to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot, I’ve been making it on rotation every few weeks for dinner. The chicken comes out tasting like rotisserie, and as a huge added bonus: you get the most delicious homemade gelatinous bone broth at the end – two delicious outcomes in one go! The broth is so good just for sipping (especially if you’re feeling under the weather!), and I also like to use it when simmering veggies like collard greens, or even when cooking rice. It provides that extra protein, minerals, and flavor!
A Healthy 2-in-1 recipe: How I Make Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Instant Pot Bone Broth
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds) [Take note of the weight for proper cook time]
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, ghee or butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or a few fresh Rosemary springs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 cups water
*I like to use a ton of beneficial spices for this recipe, but feel free to mix it up and use whatever you like or have on hand!
Directions:
- In a sink, remove the chicken from packaging. Also remove anything within the cavity.
- Rinse the chicken (inside and out) and pat the outside dry with paper towels.
- Press Sauté on the Instant Pot and set for 8 minutes (don’t add steam trivet/rack yet)
- While the Instant Pot is heating up, rub or baste 1 tablespoon olive oil or melted ghee/butter onto the surface of the chicken, then and add on all the seasoning.
- Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, ghee or butter into the Instant Pot.
- Once the Instant Pot is pre-heated, add in the whole chicken (breast side up or down) and sauté for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, flip the chicken to sauté the other side for the remaining 4 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot. Add in 2 cups water and the steam trivet/rack.
- Place the chicken back into the Instant Pot, centering it on the steam trivet/rack.
- Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over top of the chicken, and place the squeezed lemon inside of the cavity.
- Secure the lid onto the Instant Pot, and pressure cook on custom for 8 MINUTES PER POUND. Usually 35-40 minutes does the trick.
- Let the Instant Pot self release for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes of self-release, press the steam release button to release the remaining steam.
- Remove the chicken [and trivet/rack] from the Instant Pot and transfer to a large plate for serving.*
- Pour the stock left behind into glass mason jars, straining it first if needed. Once cooled, place the jars in the refrigerator. Let it stay in the fridge overnight (or at least for a few hours) to get cold, then scrape the bright yellow fat from the top. What’s left behind is hearty, flavorful, gelatinous broth.
*To stretch this recipe even further and pull more minerals and collagen from the chicken bones, once you’ve removed the meat from the whole chicken for your dinner, you can add the carcass back to the instant, add an extra cup or two of water (on top of the broth that has already been created), and pressure cook for another hour or so. Feel free to add more beneficial ingredients to the pot as well at this point, like onions, carrots, and celery.
Tip: If you’re not diving into the bone broth right away, freeze it in ice cube trays. A handful of these cubes, melted on the stove, makes for a cozy and soul-warming mug of homemade goodness. Cheers to easy, delicious, and nutritious cooking! 🍲✨
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