Instant Pot Whole Chicken with bonus recipe for Bone Broth!

Image from This is So Good

By Maria Walcott

Bone broth is one of those “buzz words” that you hear a lot about in the real food world. So what is it and what is the difference between 1) broth, 2) stock and 3) bone broth? 

1) Broth is made with a small amount of bones and simmered for 45 minutes to 2 hours. 
2) Stock is made from roasted bones and simmered for around 3 – 4 hours. 
3) Bone broth is made from roasted bones that is simmered for 8 – 24 hours to get the gelatin and trace minerals out of the bones. 

Bone broth is easy and economical to make. It’s also very good for the gut, skin, etc. Read Benefits of Bone Broth for more information. I love making bone broth in my Instant Pot because it only takes 2 hours on maximum pressure (vs 24 hours in the crockpot or on the stove). I have the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1.  If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can easily make bone broth in a crockpot (very easy) or on a stovetop (but I personally wouldn’t feel safe leaving the house or going to bed with the stove on). So far I’ve only made chicken and turkey bone broth but you can also make beef. Scroll down for how I make my Instant Pot Bone Broth, but first, here’s how to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot (because that’s where I get my bones). Note: if you’re new to the Instant Pot and want basic instructions, see Instant Pot 101

Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot

Ingredients: 

  • 1 raw whole chicken (ideally organic and free range, if possible)
  • 1/2 – 1 cup water or broth (I use my own bone broth or Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock from Costco)
  • Spices as desired (optional; I like my chicken unseasoned so I leave as is)

Instructions:

  • Place the chicken in the stainless steel interior of the Instant Pot with the trivet on the bottom; pour in water or broth.
  • Press the Manual button (high pressure) and choose 30 minutes.
  • Close the lid, making sure the pressure valve is pointed to sealed.
  • Once the 30 minutes is done, the Instant Pot will beep. Let the pressure release naturally (usually around 10 minutes) until the valve drops down.
  • Double check that the internal temperature is at least 165 F (if it’s not, pressure cook another 5 minutes and recheck temperature).
  • Enjoy chicken for dinner with some yummy colorful veggies. 🙂
  • Take all the chicken off the bones (should fall off the bone easily from being pressure cooked) and refrigerate the chicken. Set aside the bones to freeze or use in the recipe below!

Instant Pot Bone Broth

Ingredients:

  • ​Chicken bones (*see below)
  • 1-2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar 
  • Water to cover
  • Spices such as bay leaf (optional)
  • Veggies such as onion, carrot, celery (optional)
  • Salt (optional; I salt my food when I eat it, not when I cook)

Instructions:

  • Pour in apple cider vinegar (the acidity draws the gelatin and minerals out of the bones).
  • Place the bones in the Instant Pot (without a trivet) and cover with water (you may have to break the bones to fit so I hope you’re not squeamish).

* I freeze my chicken bones after I cook a whole chicken and remove the meat. So, when I want to make broth, I add bones from 2-3 chickens at a time. Makes a large batch of broth.

  • Add water to cover (with 2-3 chickens, this is usually up to the max fill line). Add any spices and veggies, if desired. 
  • Press Manual button and adjust to 120 minutes (this is the highest time it can go. To make it quicker, press the – button instead of the + to count down time instead of up. It will go to 0 minutes then 120. I learned the hard way ;)).
  • Close the lid making sure the pressure valve is pointed to sealed. 
  • When the 120 minutes are up, the Instant Pot will beep. Let the pressure release naturally (releasing the steam valve is dangerous with that much hot liquid). The Instant Pot will keep warm up to 10 hours. I found that this works well to make broth later in the evening and keep warm overnight to take care of in the morning. 
  • Let broth cool 30-60 minutes (I take out the stainless steel interior and put on the stove top. As usual, I learned the hard way that if you put the broth in the fridge right away at such a hot temperature, it raises the temperature of your refrigerator. I didn’t like that it could affect the temperature of the rest of my food. Food Safety first – make sure it stays under 40 F! 40-140 F is the “danger zone” where bacteria can grow). 
  • When the broth has cooled enough (don’t leave it out too long; yes, I’m a food safety fanatic), strain broth in a mesh strainer and pour into glass containers (1 quart mason jars work nice. Larger containers take longer to cool down (again with a food safety caution) and refrigerate until completely cool before freezing. You can keep in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze. 
  • To freeze broth – I like to freeze my broth in muffin tins. My muffin tins are around 1/3-1/2 cup each. Bone broth often “gels” so it’s pretty thick when cold and liquefies when heated up. Once frozen, I place the broth cubes or “muffins” in a gallon size ziploc freezer bag. This makes it so easy to take out the amount I need for cooking!

There are many recipes that you can use bone broth for besides soup. 
40+ Recipes That Use Bone Broth (and not one of them is soup!)

I don’t have a good way to take pictures for my blog except my phone, so here are some other tutorials and recipes with beautiful pictures!
Instant Pot Bone Broth Tutorial 
Chicken Start to Finish: Roasted Chicken & Bone Broth Recipes

Please comment below if you make bone broth and how you use it! Thank you for reading!

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.