How Long Do You Pressure Cook Chicken

Your frozen whole chicken tin can go from your freezer to your dining table in less than an hour thanks to the Instant Pot - how crawly is that?!

Cooking a frozen whole craven in the Instant Pot in under an hour is 1 of my absolute favourite Instant Pot uses!

It's 4 pm and the whole chicken you planned on using for dinner is still in the freezer. Practice you panic? Get takeout? Whip upwards a hasty spaghetti sauce instead (for the 4th time this month)?

Nope, because cheers to your Instant Pot you've totally got this. Throw that solidly frozen whole chicken in the Instant Pot and you've got dinner in less than an hr. Whip up some sour cream mashed potatoes to become with it and dinner is in the handbag.

Or, Instant Pot, we should say. (And yeah, this footling wonder is officially in the running for A Few of My Favorite Things – forth with leggings, coffee, and dry shampoo.)

P.S. This entire post may or may not be autobiographical in nature. 😉

Instant Pot Frozen Whole Chicken

In my pre Instant Pot days, cooking a whole roast craven from frozen took at least 48 hours of planning alee.

Take the chicken out of the freezer
Defrost in the refrigerator for a few days
Brand sure to start roasting the craven past early on afternoon and so it was done past suppertime.

Thankfully I can throw that list out the window now!

Whole Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot? For real?!

The Instant Pot can cook a whole chicken that's frozen solid in less than an hour. It's a dadgum miracle, I tell you lot. And this recipe is super handy since I typically make a whole chicken every week so I'm stocked upwards on homemade bone goop.

Non simply is this recipe a time saver, it'due south succulent to boot. The fact it's salubrious and full of protein, nourishing fats, and joint, hair, and boom supporting collagen is icing on the block.

Yous'll besides notice loftier amounts of selenium, B vitamins, zinc, phosphorous, and vitamin A.

How Long to Bake a Whole Craven Frozen

It depends on the size of the bird, but a frozen whole craven in the oven can have well over 2 hours. Co-ordinate to the USDA it's safety to cook a frozen bird low and slow, like in a slow cooker, but there'due south a catch. The end outcome can be on the rubbery side.

Cooking it in the Instant Pot, though, is not just faster, only you lot go amazing results every fourth dimension! The meat is perfectly tender every unmarried time.

Can I Cook a Frozen Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot Without Thawing?

Yes, y'all certainly tin! Fresh chicken cook time is about 6-seven minutes per pound in the Instant Pot. For each pound of frozen chicken you lot'll add an actress 5 minutes.

How Do You Melt a Frozen Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot?

One succulent step at a time.

It helps to rinse the chicken beginning then the spices stick to the pare. Yous can also rub the skin with a generous helping of butter or oil commencement, merely information technology'south non necessary.

I also use a trivet in the bottom of the pot here and a natural release instead of a quick release. This helps the frozen whole craven in the Instant Pot stay tender and juicy! Pressure cooking really is a great way to cook meat, but you lot need to call back to ever do a natural release to lock those juices in.

You volition exist using the Manual or Pressure Cook setting on your Instant Pot, which defaults to High Force per unit area. Just go on that in mind when recipes mention loftier pressure that if you lot are using Manual, y'all are all gear up!

How long should you lot cook frozen chicken in the instant pot?

My rule of thumb is virtually x minutes per pound.

three lbs frozen whole chicken, 30 minutes.
iv lbs frozen whole chicken, 40 minutes.
5 lbs frozen whole chicken, l minutes.

Only be sure the craven isn't too large to fit into your inner pot! You can also reheat frozen rotisserie chicken in the Instant Pot.

Pour ane loving cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot and then put a trivet in. (You e'er need liquid for Instant Pot cooking!)
Place the leftover rotisserie chicken on the trivet, seal and steam for five minutes. Practice a quick pressure release.

How Long to Melt Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot if it's Pieces Instead of Whole?

If you don't have a full chicken, but you take other cuts of meat, here'south how to cook frozen chicken cuts. Go on in mind this is only the actual inaugural timer, and not the coming up and release of the total time.

Frozen whole chicken 10 minutes per pound, xv minutes natural pressure release.
Frozen chicken breasts 15-twenty minutes for ane-2 pounds, quick release.
Frozen craven cuts bone in (legs, thighs, etc.) 15-xx minutes for ane-2 pounds, quick release.
Frozen chicken cuts bone in (legs, thighs, etc.) 17-22 minutes for 2.v-iii pounds, quick release.

frozen whole chicken sitting in front of an instant pot on a countertop

How to Store Instant Pot Whole Craven Leftovers

Any leftovers can safely be stashed in the refrigerator for five-6 days in a tightly-covered container. You tin can also put the leftover craven meat in the freezer for upwardly to 3 months.

I don't let any part of this chicken go to waste. One time my family is washed eating the meat (nosotros tin can down a whole bird in one repast), I throw the carcass back in the Instant Pot to make chicken broth.

If your family doesn't eat quite as much chicken, the leftovers make great shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches. Add together information technology to Easy Chicken Noodle Soup or make craven salad.

Go Crispy Skin!

The simply downside to the electrical pressure level cooker method is the chicken peel doesn't go squeamish and crispy like information technology does in the oven. Nevertheless, in that location'due south an easy ready for that.

Later on your chicken is done transfer information technology to a drinking glass baking dish or a baking sheet. Apply a layer of olive oil or melted butter to the top of the craven and broil until gold brown. It takes a little more time, but it's worth it if you're a crispy pare fan.

I also know you tin get an air fryer lid for several Instant Pot models, simply I haven't tried that. Afterward cooking and pressure release, you simply swap lids and chocolate-brown the chicken correct in that location!

Supplies Needed for Cooking Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot

Evidently for an Instant Pot Chicken recipe you'll demand an Instant Pot. I likewise recommend using a trivet at the bottom (my instant pot came with one), plus a meat thermometer to check the last temp. The USDA recommends meat that's cooked to 165 degrees.

Here'south what I recommend:

I admittedly dearest my 8 quart for our family of 6. (But if you have a smaller household, the 6qt is the most pop option!)

I love this meat thermometer, and utilise information technology several times a week! The probe can go into the oven with the meat, while the display sits exterior of the oven and beeps at your target temp.

Bottom line? Cooking frozen craven in the Instant Pot is totally achievable and totally delicious!

What To Serve With an Instant Pot Chicken

Chicken goes with just about anything, but here are a few family favorite side dishes.

Sour foam mashed potatoes
Perfect homemade French fries
Maple baked beans
Thai mango salad with cashew ginger dressing
Air Fryer Broccoli (Crispy and Perfect)

Looking for more posts like this one? Check these out:

19 Easy (Real Food) Instant Pot Recipes for Hesitant Beginners
iv Things I Learned Most My Instant Pot in the First 6 Months
Quick Salubrious Meals Ultimate Guide (101 Tips, Recipes, and Strategies)

How to Cook a Frozen Whole Craven in the Instant Pot

▢ one whole chicken, frozen
▢ common salt & pepper
▢ herbs and spices of your pick dried or fresh

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My rule of pollex with frozen whole chicken in the instant pot is x minutes per pound, and so I'd cook a 3-pound craven for 30 minutes, a 4-pounder for 40 minutes, and and so on. (For a fresh chicken, I'd do 6-7 minutes per pound.)
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Identify frozen whole chicken in the instant pot on the trivet. (Yous don't need to bother cooking the meat in the liquid, as I typically do in the oven, because the Instant Pot makes perfectly moist chicken every time.)
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Add salt and pepper, seasonings of choice.
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Add 1/ii cup to 1 cup h2o (depending on the size of your chicken. Minimum half a cup is important in order for the instant pot to function correctly.).
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Gear up timer to appropriate time on manual mode (see get-go instruction to a higher place). Allow pressure to NPR (natural pressure release), and serve.
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Use the remaining liquid for gravy.

Reminder: e'er use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature earlier eating.

Nosotros typically add together the bones back to the Instant Pot after dinner (our family typically eats most of the meat from a smallish whole chicken in one meal) and add water to make bone goop while we clean the kitchen and put the kids to bed.

Don't forget to business relationship for pressurization and de-pressurization fourth dimension in your planning. An Instant Pot with a frozen whole craven takes longer to come up to pressure than nearly other recipes. I'd say it averages 25-thirty minutes, and that's earlier your timer starts the countdown of the actual cooking time.