Instant Pot Chicken Pot Roast

In my quest to make instant pot chicken recipes, I came across this little gem in one of those circulars you find at the grocery store. I’d never thought about making a whole chicken in the pressure cooker but figured I should try it.

(Since you guys love all my instant pot chicken, I knew I needed to take one for the team and try this recipe ha!)

We love pot roast so I figured, why not try a chicken pot roast? I made this just like I make my beef version, but used a whole chicken instead.

Basically, it’s just a chicken cooked in a pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot). I’m considering it a pot roast because it’s cooked with potatoes and carrots, like a beef pot roast would be.

The flavor of the chicken is insanely good and it’s perfectly cooked with the instant pot. I love making chicken in a pressure cooker because it’s moist and juicy and never dry. Instant Pot Roast Chicken is perfect for Sunday dinner!

Ingredient Notes

• You can use any seasoning or mix you want – just make sure there are NO thickeners in the mix. I normally use onion soup mix for my pot roast but that has cornstarch in it so avoid using it, or other seasonings like it.
• For this recipe I used onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. You could add some paprika or all purpose seasoning or any other herbs.
• Like any pot roast recipe, the normal vegetables are onions, carrots and potatoes. I love to use baby potatoes because I love their flavor more than russet. If you go that route I suggest Yukon Gold Potatoes – they’re super creamy and delicious.
• I didn’t do this, but you can totally thicken the juices left in the pressure cooker to make a gravy. Like my 5-minute gravy, doing this won’t take long at all.

How do you cook a whole chicken in the instant pot?

1. Brown your chicken using the sauté feature on your pressure cooker. This gives the chicken a bit of golden brown color (the instant pot itself won’t brown it like roasting in the oven).
2. Add your vegetables to the pressure cooker along with the liquid needed for the pot to work and you cook it on high for 25 minutes (for a 3-4 pound chicken).
3. Do you want a golden brown chicken that looks like it’s been oven roasted? Place the chicken on a shallow roasting pan after it’s been cooked and broil it for a few minutes, watching it, until golden.

Storing Leftovers

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it! Store in freezer bags.
• Reheat leftovers in the microwave or air fryer.