Yedi Total Package Pressure Cooker
Price: $$
The Yedi Total Package Pressure Cooker holds up to 8 quarts of food and boasts 15 instant-touch cooking programs, making it an awesome weeknight dinner option for families.
It also combines nine kitchen appliances into a single device, enabling you to make yogurt and cakes, cook rice, keep food warm, and pressure cook, slow cook, steam, pasteurize, and sauté ingredients.
Whats more, it includes a recipe book, cheat sheets for using the product, and a variety of accessories, including egg racks, a rice paddle, cooking mitts, a steamer basket, a measuring cup, and a ladle.
However, its relatively expensive, and, because its very large and sturdy, those with less counter space may prefer a more compact or portable instant pot.
Price: $$
This smart cooker from Chef iQ is jam-packed with features and functions fit for tech-lovers.
In fact, its equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi and can connect to the Chef iQ app, which includes hundreds of recipes and preset cooking programs and allows you to control your instant pot using your smartphone.
You can use this high end instant pot to pressure cook, sear, sauté, steam, slow cook, and ferment foods.
It can also hold up to 6 quarts and includes a built-in smart scale, which weighs the ingredients that you add to your instant pot and calculates exactly how much liquid is needed.
Nevertheless, it comes with a higher price tag than most other instant pots, and consumers who arent tech-savvy may find it difficult to use.
Step Six : Broil Your Chicken For 5
To get crispy skin on your chicken, remove the lemon from its cavity. Then, optionally transfer the chicken to a greased baking sheet and brush olive oil all over the chicken. Broil for about 5-10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Make sure the breast of the chicken is about 8-10 inches away from the broiler.
How To Roast A Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot:
The first thing you want to do is make sure your whole chicken can fit in the Instant Pot. There is nothing like getting your chicken prepped and you find that its too big.
I used a 6-pound whole chicken for this recipe because of the size of my Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1, 6 Quart), so you will want to adjust the size of your chicken depending on the size pot you own.
Allow your chicken to completely defrost , then you can begin to remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Once the cavity is clear, dry the outside of the chicken. This ensures the seasoning sticks to the skin.
Coat the entire outside chicken with the specified external seasonings. When the outside of the chicken is coated, add the internal seasonings and herbs to the chicken cavity.
Before adding the whole chicken to your Instant Pot, youll want to brown the skin. Of course, you could do this inside the pot itself, but I prefer to use a cast-iron skillet. Add a bit of oil to your skillet and brown the skin on each side for 4 minutes.
Turn on your Instant Pot and set the pressure cooking option to High. Add your chicken broth, minced garlic, and sage to the pot while its warming then place your metal trivet into the pot as well.
Once the pot is warm, place your chicken into the Instant Pot with the breast side down. Place and seal your lid and roast your chicken for 30 minutes.
Read Also: Instant Pot Steam Tamales
Is There Anything Else I Need To Know About Cooking A Whole Chicken
Usually, whole chickens contain a bag of giblets stuffed into the cavity. In the case of an organic or fresh chicken, youll generally find the giblets and neck in the cavity without a bag.
REMOVE the neck/giblets/bag before you cook the chicken. After youve removed them, rinse the cavity out with cold water.
The Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe That Converted Me
So, I decided to consult the directions for cooking a whole chicken in my electric pressure cooker. I didnt add a ton of fancy ingredients, I just kept it simple and followed the directions that came with my Instant Pot.
The results were AMaaaazing! This chicken was moist, fall off the bone deliciousness. Ive got a completely new outlook on whole chicken now. And, with the leftovers, I threw together this Easy Chicken Pesto Pasta Dinner the next night!
If your chicken is still frozen, check out this post on how to cook a frozen whole chicken in an Instant Pot.
Don’t Miss: What To Do If Your Instant Pot Says Burn
Instant Pot Chicken Breast Variations:
- Chicken is one of my favorite proteins because it can take on a wide variety of spices, seasonings and sauces! Mix things up with your seasoning blend or use a bottled blend that you love for a new flair.
- Slice and toss in barbecue sauce for easy Instant Pot BBQ Chicken.
- This seasoning blend and cooking method works just as well for a combination or breasts and thighs if you have a chicken thigh lover, toss in some boneless, skinless chicken thighs with your breasts and everyone is happy!
How To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot:
If you have frozen chicken breasts and you want to use those to make this in your Instant Pot, follow the directions here, and add in your sauce ingredients after cooking, or see my recipe notes.
Keep in mind that frozen chicken breasts will release significantly more liquid during cooking, so youll want to drain some out before adding in the cream and all of that delicious flavour, otherwise it will be diluted significantly.
You May Like: What To Do When Instant Pot Says Food Burn
Read Also: What Does It Mean Food Burn On Instant Pot
Cooking Time For Instant Pot Whole Chicken Using Frozen Chicken
- A 3 pound chicken will need 39 minutes of High Pressure Cooking Time with a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
- A 3.5 pound chicken will need 46 minutes of High Pressure Cooking Time with a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
- A 4 pound chicken will need 52 minutes of High Pressure Cooking Time with a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
- A 4.5 pound chicken will need 59 minutes of High Pressure Cooking Time with a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
- A 5 pound chicken will need 65 minutes of High Pressure Cooking Time with a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
Instant Pot Frozen Whole Chicken
In my pre Instant Pot days, cooking a whole roast chicken from frozen took at least 48 hours of planning ahead.
- Take the chicken out of the freezer
- Defrost in the fridge for a few days
- Make sure to start roasting the chicken by early afternoon so it was done by suppertime.
Thankfully I can throw that list out the window now!
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot Ahi Tuna
How To Store Instant Pot Chicken
- Leftover cooked, shredded, or diced Instant Pot chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight.
- Shredded Instant Pot Chicken is IDEAL for meal prep. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, divide into individual containers, then use it all week long.
Recommended Reading: How Long To Cook Turkey Tenderloin In Instant Pot
Tips For Making Rotisserie Style Chicken In The Instant Pot
- Make sure the chicken fits inside your Instant Pot. What size whole chicken will fit? This recipe calls for a 1.75kg chicken, which easily fits inside a 6 qt Instant Pot. If you want to cook a chicken that is over 5lb, you will need to move up to the 8 qt Instant Pot.
- To reduce the time it takes for your chicken to get to pressure, preheat the liquid first in the inner pot using the sauté setting on high. Do this before you place the lid on the Instant Pot and before you select the manual setting.
And even more tips.
- Cook your whole chicken breast side down. Flipping the chicken and cooking it with the breast side facing down will ensure that tender white meat stays perfectly moist and juicy.
- Do remember to check the internal temperature of the chicken using an awesome Meat thermometer .
Also Check: How To Get Smell Out Of Instant Pot Ring
How Do You Cook A Whole Chicken In The Pressure Cooker
Rough chop 3 celery stalks and 1 large onion. Smash 6 large garlic cloves and rinse/dry 8 rosemary sprigs/stems and 10 parsley stems.
Make two bundles of 4 rosemary stems and 5 parsley stems, then tie them off in little bunches with kitchen twine.
Now its time to assemble. Take your whole chicken and remove any organs that are down inside, and pat it dry on the outside with paper towel. Sprinkle salt and pepper down into the cavity of the bird, then add some celery, onion, smashed garlic, and one of the herb bundles.
Next, lay the chicken on its back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. This will keep all those veggies and herbs inside, and it will make the presentation a little prettier.
Finally, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the IP inner pot. I use a 6-Quart Duo Instant Pot but if youre not sure which one is right for you, read this Instant Pot Reviewbefore you buy one.
Moving on Add the rest of the veggies and herbs.
Then put in the IP trivet and add the chicken to the pot.
Now seal and pressure cook according to the times specified for your size of bird. . At this point make sure your oven rack is in the middle and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. .
When pressure cooking is complete, allow the IP to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes. Then manually release the rest of the pressure and remove the lid.
Gently remove the chicken from the pot and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
The Whole Chicken That Made Me Want To Try Again
Typically, I wouldnt. I am totally willing to let the grocery store win. But, this weekend, I found myself staring at the fresh, organic, whole chicken that was included in my CSA bag.
Fresh. Organic. Whole chicken raised within 70 miles of my house. It seemed wrong to stuff it in the back of my freezer and forget about it.
Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Saute Mode
How Do You Cook A Frozen Whole Chicken In An Instant Pot
One delicious step at a time.
It helps to rinse the chicken first so the spices stick to the skin. You can also rub the skin with a generous helping of butter or oil first, but its not 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 chicken in the Instant Pot stay tender and juicy! Pressure cooking really is a great way to cook meat, but you need to remember to always do a natural release to lock those juices in.
You will be using the Manual or Pressure Cook setting on your Instant Pot, which defaults to High Pressure. Just keep that in mind when recipes mention high pressure that if you are using Manual, you are all set!
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
This Instant Pot whole chicken is the next best thing after Instant Pot frozen chicken. If you try this recipe, you will never go back to roasted whole chicken in the oven. With 5 minutes of prep, simple dry spices like paprika, salt and pepper, and under 60 minutes cook time, you can enjoy the most juicy and flavorful chicken for dinner!
Even the breast is super juicy and tender. I couldnt believe myself when I tried a slice next day. It didnt dry out at all.
This Instant Pot rotisserie chicken is perfect for cooking fresh chicken right after grocery shopping, sandwiches, meal prep, salads and even soup with leftover broth and bones.
Recommended Reading: How To Cook Frozen Meat In Instant Pot
Which Instant Pot To Buy
~ There are so many factors to consider in sorting out which Instant Pot to buy lots of combinations of sizes and functions! I dont know about you, but my head started to spin a little when I was sifting through all the possibilities, trying to figure out the best Instant Pot for my own family. Im sharing what I learned in all my research, with the hopes that itll be a useful Instant Pot buying guide for you and maybe save you a bit of time in making your own decision! ~
Updated November 29, 2018 to include Max, Smart WiFi, Viva, Lux colors and Nova Plus
If youve been following along during our Instant Pot Month here at THK, then you know we started at the very, very beginning holding hands as we journey together, off to Instant Pot bliss!
To begin with, we covered:
For those of you who still havent made the leap into buying one, Ive been promising Id offer some advice a little Instant Pot buyers guide.
I obsessed and researched for a long, long time before choosing my own Instant Pot , pictured below.
Then I went through it all again about a year later, when I bought my mom one as a birthday gift. After spending all that time weighing the options, I have a few insights that might help you decide which Instant Pot to buy to meet your own needs.
________________________________________________
Size Matters With Pressure Cooking
People often want to know if you have to double the cook time when you double a recipe in the Instant Pot. The answer is no.
However, the size of each individual chicken breast does matter. Larger chicken breasts will require a longer cook time than smaller chicken breasts because the thicker pieces take longer to cook through.
You can use a kitchen scale to find out the weight of your chicken breasts. Or, take the total weight of your package of chicken and divide it by the number of chicken breasts. For example, if your package of chicken weighs 1.5 pounds and contains 3 similarly sized chicken breasts, each breast weighs about 8 ounces.
Also Check: Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast Frozen
How Long To Cook A Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot
The easiest way to figure out how long to cook a chicken in the pressure cooker is to multiply the number of pounds of fresh chicken by 6 minutes.
As with all pressure cookers, cooking times can vary slightly. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before consuming. Below is a cooking time table that will help you figure out the exact timing.
How Long Do You Cook A Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot
How long to cook Instant Pot chicken:
- 3lb whole chicken in the Instant Pot: 18 minutes at high pressure
- 3½ lb whole chicken in the Instant Pot: 21 minutes at high pressure
- 4lb whole chicken in the Instant Pot: 24 minutes at high pressure
- 4½ lb chicken in the Instant Pot: 27 minutes at high pressure
- 5lb chicken in the Instant Pot: 30 minutes at high pressure
- 5½ lb chicken in the Instant Pot: 33 minutes at high pressure
- 6 lb chicken in the Instant Pot: 36 minutes at high pressure
- 6½ lb chicken in the Instant Pot: 39 minutes at high pressure
Honestly, a 6½ lb chicken is pretty big and it will fill a 6 quart Instant Pot almost to the top of the inner pot. Usually this is a no-no since youre only supposed to fill the pot 2/3 full when pressure cooking. But this is an exception to that rule.
Heres why: The IP shouldnt be filled near the top for liquids that take up the entire area within the pot like soups, stews and stocks. The same is true for foods that will be fairly solid or will expand, like rice or beans.
Foods like whole chickens have open areas so they arent considered solid, and therefore are acceptable to be above the 2/3 full line.
The largest whole chicken Ive made in my IP is a 6½ pounder. I seared it first for 5 minutes per side, then pressure cooked it for 39 minutes with a 15 minute natural pressure release. It was literally falling off the bone.
Heres my method
You May Like: How To Cook Frozen Meat In Instant Pot
Optional Ingredients And Notes
- Vegetables. Anything you add with the chicken will increase the flavor. Therefore, theyre great for using up scraps or when you have just a half onion or a few baby carrots left.
- Citrus. Add sliced or quartered lemons or oranges to the pot to brighten the flavor.
- Fresh or Dried Herbs. They truly make Instant Pot whole chicken AMAZING, but theyre not cheap. I usually use dried herbs without a problem, and only use fresh if I find them marked down.
Psst! Wanna kick this chicken up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! Just wait until the chicken is fully cooked so the salt doesnt dry out your beloved bird! I love Ava Janes Kitchen because it doesnt have microplastics and its SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a bag for just 1¢!! Just sprinkle some on after shredding and serve!
