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The Coronavirus is multiplying across the world. Since most do not have immunity to this virus, it is important that we focus on eating healthier and boosting our immunity. This can be quite challenging considering the grocery stores can’t keep their shelves fully stocked! Many of the aisles are empty. I’ve had to be much more flexible with our meal plan in recent days because of the lack of available meat in the store.
If you can get your hands on a whole chicken, I highly suggest making this immune boosting, instant pot whole chicken recipe. You’ll be amazed at how quick and easy it is to get dinner prepped and on the table. Cooking a whole chicken is wise during this time because the chicken can easily be stretched out and used in a variety of recipes! (Think soups, quesadillas, tacos and pastas.) Creativity is a must when our supplies are limited.
I first learned about cooking a whole chicken in a crockpot from the 100 days of real food blog. We used to use our crockpot every week but in recent days our instant pot, which has a slow cooker setting as well, is the star of the show! Our family has grown and so has the chaos around meal times! When 4pm rolls around and I have a busy day, I love that I can cook a whole chicken in less than an hour from start to finish, including prepping the chicken and letting the instant pot heat up! Simplifying EVERYTHING in motherhood is what I’m all about!
This immune boosting, instant pot whole chicken recipe is a win for our family! This recipe uses anti-inflammatory seasonings like cayenne, ginger, turmeric & garlic to give you an extra immune boost and keep you strong. We love to eat this with a salad and sweet potatoes. We often use the leftovers for our favorite chicken salad recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Immune Boosting, Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe
(This recipe makes one, 3 to 4 lb. whole chicken. We are a family of 6 and have the 8 quart instant pot.)
Ingredients:
•1 Organic Whole Chicken
•1 Yellow Onion (Cut in half)
•1 TBSP Pink Salt
•2 TSP Garlic Powder
•2 TSP Paprika
•1 TSP Turmeric
•1/2 TSP Dried Ginger
•1/2 TSP Black Pepper
•1/4 TSP Cayenne
•1 Cup Filtered Water
Directions:
1. Start by mixing all of your spices together in a small bowl. (Salt, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Turmeric, Dried Ginger, Black Pepper & Cayenne - you may want to leave the cayenne out if you have kiddos sensitive to spice.)
2. Peel, cut onion in half and set aside.
3. Prep the chicken for the instant pot. I usually use kitchen shears to cut as much of the skin off the chicken as I can. This reduces the amount of saturated fat we eat. After cutting the skin off, put the 2 onion halves inside the cavity of the chicken and place it in the instant pot on the trivet. Add 1 cup of filtered water to the pot.
4. Take the spice rub and rub it all over the chicken.
5. Make sure to check that the sealing ring is on properly before closing the lid. Place the nozzle on SEALING and cook for 40 minutes on high pressure. You can let the steam release naturally or if you’re in a hurry, you can do a quick release yourself. The chicken will taste amazing either way.
6. Separate the meat from the bones and serve! Save the bones and the remaining juice in the instant pot for some homemade bone broth.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the comments!