Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Instant Pot Duo Crisp
I just got my Instant Pot Duo Crisp and had to try out making an Instant Pot whole chicken in it. I have already done air fryer whole chicken in the Vortex (Instant Pot Vortex Rotisserie Chicken) and the Omni (air fryer rotisserie chicken, Instant Omni) so I was excited to try the combination of pressure cooking and air frying in the Duo Crisp.
You can also make this recipe in a regular Instant Pot and finish it in the oven. Or saute it before pressure cooking to brown the skin. I will give instructions for that as well, but this recipe is best made using the Duo Crisp and is formulated for that. It also will work wonderfully as a Ninja Foodi whole chicken.
Update: This recipe also works with the upgraded Instant Pot Pro Crisp and Air Fryer, which you can view here at Amazon: Instant Pot Pro Crisp. You can see user Instant Pot Pro Crisp reviews there too.
Want to learn more about those pressure cooker and air fryer combos? See my Instant Pot Duo Crisp review and my Ninja Foodi vs. Instant Pot Duo Crisp Comparison.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken in the Duo Crisp
With the Instant Pot Duo Crisp or a Ninja Foodi, you get the best of both worlds because you can pressure cook and broil or air fry in the same pot. So, while most Instant Pot whole chicken recipes will have you either saute your chicken first or put it under the broiler after cooking, you can do it all in one device with the Duo Crisp. This is key because normally an Instant Pot rotisserie chicken recipe will not really have that crispy skin that you want unless you broil it in the oven.
The result of using the Duo Crisp is that you really do get that truly wonderful crispy skin that you can only get from making an air fryer whole chicken.
By the way, doing a whole chicken this way is not particularity any faster than only air frying it. But it does do a nice job off getting a chicken that has that nice golden finish without being over browned because it is under the air fryer for less time.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp Whole Chicken Recipe
Start by trussing the chicken. Tie its legs and also tie up the wings and thighs. This makes it more compact and helps it hold together. Need a step-by-step tutorial in trussing a chicken? Check here for how to truss a Chicken.
Mix up a seasoning blend or grab your favorite rub and rub a bit on the chicken. Reserve most of it for later though. My mix here is a mix of Italian Seasoning and various spices.
Give it a good amount of salt and pepper too. I actually used Montreal Steak seasoning in this recipe because it is extra salty. That helps make the skin crispy.
Put the whole chicken in the air fry basket. It might be a bit of a tight fit.
Add a cup and a half of chicken broth to the pot, then put the air fryer basket on its base inside.
Pressure cook for 25 minutes on high pressure followed by 15 minutes of natural release. Then, if needed, drain the liquid. I drained mine, but probably did not have to do so because it was not touching my chicken.
Next, spray the chicken with some oil. I like to use an avocado oil spray, and then give it a good rub with the seasonings. Put on the air fryer lid and air fry at 400 for about ten minutes. Take the chicken out, flip it over, and repeat for the other side. I had to use oven mitts to pull my chicken out. Next time, I might make a foil sling for it.
Your chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees internal temperature. I recommend letting it rest in the pot for about 10 minutes starting at 160 degrees. That will help seal in the juices.
Then, remove it from the pot, carve it, and serve!
The result is an Instant Pot whole chicken with a crispy air fryer skin. I forgot to take pictures of it plated, I was so hungry when it finished! The house smelled amazing from it.
How to make Instant Pot Whole Chicken In a Regular Pressure Cooker
If you do not have a Duo Crisp or Ninja Foodi, you can still make this recipe by pressure cooking for 30 minutes, followed by natural release and then broiled in the oven to crisp the skin and until the chicken is the proper temperature. Or saute it first in the pot to brown it and then pressure cook for 35 minutes, followed by a natural release. Just put it on the trivet in the Instant Pot.
I do not particularly recommend using the method that sautes first though, because it is hard to monitor when your chicken is actually done.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Want more chicken recipes? check out this great ebook from the people over at Recipe This. They formulate a lot of good recipes. Click the image to check it out (affiliate link).
Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Instant Pot Duo Crisp
Instant Pot Whole Chicken made in the Instant Pot Duo Crisp for Pressure Cooker chicken that is also air fried for a crispy skin. Also great in the Ninja Foodi!
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- 2 T or spray of oil of choice (I use an avocado oil spray)
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t onion powder
- 1 t paprika
- 1 t Italian seasoning
- 2 T Montreal Steak Seasoning (or salt and pepper to taste)
- 1.5 c chicken broth
Instructions
- Wash and truss the chicken.
- Mix the seasonings and rub a small amount on the chicken.
- Pour the broth into the Instant Pot.
- Place the Chicken in the air fryer basket and place it in the Instant Pot .
- Pressure cook on manual high pressure for 25 minutes followed by 15 minutes of natural release.
- Discard liquid from the Instant Pot if needed (if it is touching the chicken).
- Spray or rub the top of the chicken with oil and rub it with half of the seasoning.
- Place the air fryer lid on the Duo Crisp and air fry at 400 for 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken, spray it with oil, and rub with the remaining seasoning.
- Place the air fryer lid on the Duo Crisp and air fry for another ten minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees internal temperature.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes (It will normally reach the needed 165 degrees during this time), then carve and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 1192mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 42g
What weight was the whole chicken for the Duo Crisp?
I believe it was just a bit under 5 pounds.
Just did this…and it was perfection!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Glad you liked it!
This looks amazing. Have you tried doing this without the fryer basket? Just pressure cooking the chicken on a trivet to pressure cook and then switching lids (and draining some juice if needed) to air fry? I want to try to fit some veggies in the pot with the chicken but that’s not really possible if using the basket. Thanks for your expertise!
Hi! Just a few days ago I did that with a turkey breast. I still need to write up the recipe, but it came out great. I didn’t have to drain the juice and I simply air fried for 10 minutes to crisp up the skin. Then I used the juice/drippings for soup the next day. You should be able to do the same with chicken just fine.
Has anyone tried jsut using the roasting selection on the Dou Crisp?
Yes, it drys the chicken significantly, but i have found with stuffing and a few split red bliss potatoes the roast option works great with small birds for 45min on the wire basket..add a 1/3C of broth on the bottom and it keeps it slightly more moist in the end
So I followed the instructions to a T but did not realize your whole chicken was just under 5 lbs, whereas mine was 6.5. So after completing the process, my bird wasn’t cooked yet and was barely over 100 degrees. As we speak I have put it back into pressure cook mode. I’m going to get it close to temp than run the air fryer again just because I want it it just a little bit darker. So I guess my question is, in the future should this happen, is it okay to do it this way if it’s not cooked enough? Or do you recommend another way? Like finishing it using the air fry setting or bake/roast? I’m clueless in the kitchen! I’m hoping my new Instant Pot Duo Crisp Fryer will be my savior!
For a larger bird, pressure cooking it longer is the best thing to do. It is fine to pressure cook, check it and then pressure cook it more. Ideally you would like to pressure cook once though, so with larger birds add time the initial pressure cooking time. For a chicken that large, I would try pressure cooking around 40 minutes. Instant pot tends to say 8 minutes per pound for chicken, but in the Duo Crisp where you are air frying to finish it and with a natural pressure release, that can be a bit less.
Total time in a pressure cooker for chicken is about 6-7min/lb before release. Fry or roast as needed, look in for 2 seconds every 5 mins to get my bird perfect once its roasting.
I just made this and it was great. Only thing I’m confused about is my chicken almost completely fell apart! Idk if this was do to the fact that k didnt bind it first or because it was elevated higher in the pot then it should of been due to the veggies I put underneath it (I’m a rookie only having my IP three days). But like a previous chef said she wanted to try, I loaded my pot with veggies galore, under the chicken and tucked all around it lol. It did very well still! Hey, could you tell me what your favorite accessories are for your IP or what you use most so I can get an idea? Thanks so much!
Amy
Usually if the chicken falls apart it didn’t need either quite as long under pressure or on air fry. Also trussing it is a really good idea to keep it from flopping around and tearing when you remove it. How quickly they cook can depend on size, and placement in the pot could also affect it. I doubt the veggies had much to do with it. I have had one occasionally fall apart and others hold together perfectly. I usually chalk it up to variation in size. For accessories, I really like to use a spring form pan for some baking recopies and if you start doing anything pot in pot a regular round pan that is not spring form (so that it is leak proof) is handy to have. A sling is also handy, but you can make your own sling from foil. I have a post on that here: https://instantpotcooking.com/how-to-make-an-instant-pot-sling/ Egg bite molds are nice to have as well. I suppose I really should do a post on accessories!
Falling apart chicken is good. It means that you broke down tough fibers in the chicken and it’s melt in your mouth. Like a slow cooked chicken.
Did you put your veggies under the trivet or tucked around the chicken? Did you leave the veggies in for both the pressure cook AND the crisp? Or just one?
Thanks! I’m a newbie
Hi! I did not prepare any veggies with this chicken. I just did the chicken alone. You could probably air fry some veggies with it by putting them in after the pressure cook but that might affect how well the chicken crisps. That air space around the chicken is important. Your best option would be to do a batch of veggies separately while the chicken rests. Toss some favorites in oil and air fry them for 10-15 minutes. You definitely do not want to pressure cook veggies for how long the chicken requires. They would turn to mush.
At what temperature should the chicken be before air frying to get it crisp? My chicken is has been thawing for only a few hours so I’m sure it’ll take longer to pressure cook. I’m also a vegan (making this for my meat eating husband) so this is very new to me and I can’t taste it.
The chicken should be fully thawed. If not fully thawed, you would have to pressure cook longer but the time needed would be rather uncertain.
I am going to try this tonight but instead of a whole bird I’m just using pieces of thighs, but I want to give it a try I don’t know if it’s going to be worth it or if I should just air fry the whole time? My plan is to cook a lot of thighs to start and then throughout the week just heat up some in the air fryer since the basket is small, which is fine for pressure cooking but not for air fry (too crowded). There’s just two of us but I have only a little time during the week figured this would save a step!
Depending on the size of the thighs you could probably air fry them without pressure cooking, but the main concern would be if they get too brown before getting cooked all the way though. Even with wings, I like to pressure cook before air frying. Here is my wing recipe. It could probably adapt pretty well to thighs in terms of cooking times. https://instantpotcooking.com/instant-pot-duo-crisp-chicken-wings/
I really wanted this chicken to be a perfect substitute for the great chicken we get from our rotisserie oven. Unfortunately, with the flipping of the chicken, there is a tendency to dislodge the crispy skin. The end product was dry compared to the rotisserie chicken and the steps were more involved. So it looks like we’re keeping the rotisserie oven after all. Do love the Duo for other things, just not this.
Is it possible to stuff the chicken with filling before cooking this method
Yes, you can stuff the chicken, but it could affect cooking time and this recipe has not been tested with a stuffed bird. If you do use stuffing in the chicken, be sure to measure the temperature of both the chicken and the stuffing to assure that it is sufficiently cooked for safety. A stuffed chicken often takes longer to cook.
Can I just air fry the chicken in the instant pot, and not add water to the bottom of the instant pot?
You could try but my concern would be that the chicken would not get cooked enough in the center before it got too brown from the air frying. The pressure cooking step helps assure that you get everything properly cooked. To air fry a chicken the best, I prefer a dedicated air fryer like the omni or vortex.
I really enjoyed it. Good seasoning. Good crispiness. Breast was just a tad on the dry side but it’s not an exact science. Overall very happy with it!
Your recipe is exactly why I wanted to get this Instant Pot/Air Fryer…….and it turned out perfect! You also addressed all the lingering questions I had in your explanation. I’ve only used my IP a few times. since getting it as a gift for Christmas. Thank you!
Glad that it was helpful!
I tend to overcook meat because I’ve never been able to find a good, reliable meat thermometer. Could you recommend a good one?
Hi! I use a thermometer in this style. I like that it folds and the backlight makes it easy to read: https://amzn.to/37yg3yz
Are these Celsius or F temperatures
F
My chicken (skin) keeps sticking to the bottom so it all comes off when I try to turn over the chicken for the air frying part. Any tips on this? Also any tips on turning over the chicken? It is really hard to get a hold of it and turn it over.
Try giving the chicken itself a good spray of oil before pressure cooking. I have some silicone glove hand protectors that I use to grab the chicken and pull it out.
I use a silicon sling for lifting; very cheap on-line. It also prevents sticking. But it is important to oil all surfaces of the bird. Interestinly enough, I read something in the OLD Cook’s Illustrated ( Chris Kimball) that said the spray oil has a component in it that makes browning better. Just don’t use too much. (Sorry I don’t have the site). I think the order the “flipping” is does matter : that is, after pressure cooking and then the oil thing with spices, I place the Chicken breast into the sling SKIN SIDE down first, then after ten min. flip and allow the wonders of the air fryer do it’s crisping activity!
Made this tonight with some time adjustments for my little 3lb bird and it was absolutely amazing! That seasoning mix is perfection!
I am new to this instant pot thing and air fried chicken tonite. Smaller bird but the space is tight in there.
Turning it over and lowering temperature, the chicken came out dry and in between thighs and the body it was red, inside red. Half way through cooking I removed the air frying basket to give it more space (drain liquid and put it on trivet, removed thighs.
My dogs got it for snack-without bones!
I am pressure cooking another one and will air fry it after.
It is a learning curve. Will try other settings and much lower temp.
Other than that, I love the instant pot.
I am confused about flipping the chicken near the end. Do you cook it breast down under pressure and then flip it to finish browning at the end? I would think that you would want to do the last browning part breast up. Thank You.
You can cook it either way under pressure. When browning, you may want to flip it to brown both sides. I usually brown breast up first and then flip and do the other side as needed.
I’m not sure what’s going on but I cannot put the pressure lid on with the crisper basket inside the pot. Also, timing per pound would be a good addition here. According to Instant Pot, 8 minutes per pound on high is best for a whole chicken.
I do not have the DuoCrisp. I have a regular IP with a separate air fryer lid. I had planned to cook the chicken as directed with just a regular trivet, then put on the air fryer lid to crisp up the skin. Will the timings work as written?
Hi! Yes, it generally should work. You might find you have to adjust the air fry time a bit simply based on differences in the lids. It should be pretty close to the same though.
Marking as a best recipe for combined dúo crisp use. Blew away store rotisserie. Used 5.2 lbs organic chicken, no trussing but put on Instant Pot silicon sling for easy flip. Times given were perfect. Pressure made it juicy inside and air fry crisp outside. Montreal seasoning really made it. Steamed veggies separate on stove while chicken cooked. Too risky to combine with such a perfect chicken, but loved combining leftover veggies with leftover broth for next day soup.
I’m glad you liked it!
This recipe was so good, that with Thansgiving coming up, family is begging I do the same with a small turkey. I have the 8 qt Duo Crisp and an 8.5 pound turkey, do I treat/season turkey the same as chicken and increase the pressure cook time of 6-7 minutes per pound (thinking 55 min) and then give the same crisper of 10 minutes at 400 degrees of air fry on each side regardless of weight or type of bird?
Hi! I haven’t done a turkey in the Duo Crisp, but that seems like a good plan to me. The only worry I would have is making sure the bird fits in the pot OK. But you can truss it up fairly tight if need be. If it is crowding the pot too much to crisp well after pressure cooking, try carving the legs off and crisping those separately. Happy Thanksgiving and let me know how it goes!