About a year ago I got an Instant Pot because I wanted a slower cooker and so many of them were made with questionable materials, like teflon. I chose the Instant Pot because the pot is made out of stainless steel and I figured I might as well get one machine that did several things.

The Instant Pot is a slow cooker and pressure cooker, as well as a steamer, fryer, rice maker and yogurt maker.  I had no idea how much I would love this appliance when I first got it… Now that I have 2 kids I use it constantly. It’s a life saver and it makes really delicious food. The best part is that I just throw all the ingredients in the pot and I’m done! This is very useful on those days that the baby won’t let me do anything.

I love using the pressure cooker option when I forget to thaw meat because I can throw some frozen chicken or fish and in less than half a hour I have meal but my favorite function is the slow cooker because it makes your meat so tasty and it falls right off the bone.  A staple in my house now is a cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker. It’s so good that just last Christmas we served slow cooker chicken to our guests. It was a success!

A whole chicken ends up being a lot for us to eat so the day I make it we just eat the chicken with the veggies I cooked it with and for the next couple of days we use the chicken in different ways. We make burritos or tacos, add the chicken to a salad or some pasta or just eat it with other vegetables.

The Instant Pot fits a whole chicken along with veggies. I love that it comes with a rack with handles. You will want to use this when making the whole chicken so the chicken doesn’t sit on the juices, plus once it’s done it’s very easy to pull out.

I personally don’t follow a recipe to make this because I usually make this chicken with whatever vegetables I have at home but I do follow certain guidelines. I like to cook it with a lot of vegetables because it gives it a better flavor and because we eat the chicken with those veggies once it’s done. You can do this with a frozen whole chicken too, you will just have to cook it a little longer.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• One whole chicken (we like to buy organic, grass-fed ones from our local farmer or the organic one from Costco)
• Seasoning for the chicken. You can use whatever seasoning you like but I use:
  • Himalayan Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Paprika
• Organic vegetables to cook along with the chicken. I add whatever I have at home and it’s usually:
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic
  • 2 big potaotes
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1-2 squash
  • 1 pepper
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 lemon + 1 onion (to stuff inside chicken)
• 3 tablespoons of grass-fed butter (we use this one or Organic Ghee)
• 1 cup of water or chicken broth

Other Instant Pot recipes you might like:

• Instant Pot Buttery Lemon Chicken
• Instant Pot 3 Minute Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
• Instant Pot Chicken Marsala with Spaghetti Squash

Instructions:

Mix the seasoning in a bowl and then rub it on the chicken. Make sure you don’t leave any part without seasoning.

If you want, stuff the chicken with an onion and a lemon.

Optional Step: Press the Sauté button and put your chicken breast side down. Leave it this way for 4-5 minutes and then turn the Instant Pot off. Pull out the whole chicken out to continue with the recipe instructions.

Put the rack that came with your instant pot inside the pot. Then, add one cup of water or chicken broth. Put the chicken on top of the rack – breast should face up and legs should be touching the rack.

Add all the vegetables around and on top of the chicken. Make sure to fill in all the gaps with vegetables.  This is what my instant pot looks like before I cook it. (You don’t need to add as many vegetables as we do if you’re making some other side dishes to eat with your chicken.

Then add 3 tablespoons of butter on top of the veggies and chicken. I usually add one tablespoon at the time and spread it out.

Put the lid on, make sure the steam release handle is on ‘venting’. Press on the ‘slow cook’ option, then adjust it so it cooks on low (less). Set the time to 7 hours.

Note: If you’re short on time, you can follow this recipe and pressure cook the whole chicken. Make sure the stream release handle is on ‘sealed’. Press the ‘Manual’ button and make sure the light is on ‘High’. Cook for 30 minutes.

Once it’s done all you have to do is dish it up and enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Recipe

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes

One pot meal: A whole chicken done in the Instant Pot with lots of veggies.

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Ingredients

• One whole chicken

Seasoning for the chicken. You can use whatever seasoning you like but I use:

• Himalayan Salt
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Poultry Seasoning
• Paprika

Organic vegetables to cook along with the chicken. I add whatever I have at home and it’s usually:

• 1 onion
• 1 garlic
• 2 big potaotes
• 1 sweet potato
• 1-2 squash
• 1 pepper
• 3 celery sticks
• 4 carrots
• 1 lemon + 1 onion to stuff inside chicken
• 3 tablespoons of grass-fed butter
• 1 cup of water or chicken broth

Instructions

1. Mix the seasoning in a bowl and then rub it on the chicken. Make sure you don’t leave any part without seasoning.
2. If you want, stuff the chicken with an onion and a lemon.
3. Optional Step: Press the Sauté button and put your chicken breast side down. Leave it this way for 4-5 minutes and then turn the Instant Pot off. Pull out the whole chicken out to continue with the recipe instructions.
4. Put the rack that came with your instant pot inside the pot. Then, add one cup of water or chicken broth. Put the chicken on top of the rack – breast should face up and legs should be touching the rack.
5. Add all the vegetables around and on top of the chicken. Make sure to fill in all the gaps with vegetables. 
6. Then add 3 tablespoons of butter on top of the veggies and chicken. I usually add one tablespoon at the time and spread it out.
7. Put the lid on, make sure the steam release handle is on ‘venting’. Press on the ‘slow cook’ option, then adjust it so it cooks on low (less). Set the time to 7 hours.
8. Once it’s done all you have to do is dish it up and enjoy!

Notes

If you’re short on time, you can follow this recipe and pressure cook the whole chicken. Make sure the stream release handle is on ‘sealed’. Press the ‘Manual’ button and make sure the light is on ‘High’. Cook for 30 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 25g

Please keep in mind that these nutritional values are estimates, based on the ingredients, and it might not be accurate.