In a mixing bowl add in all the mentioned in the marinade 1 or marinade 2.
Combine everything and form a paste.
Now take the cleaned whole chicken. Always go for chicken with skin. It is juicier. The skin of the chicken has fat and the chicken gets cooked in its own fat making it more juicy and flavorful. So never miss this part. Now loosen the chicken skin a bit with a spoon.
Inside the cavity of the chicken spread in some marinade and then stuff in two garlic bulbs. I slice the head of the garlic and then use them. Slice a lemon into two and stuff them as well. Stuff in some Cilantro and some thyme.
Using a brush, coat the chicken completely with the prepared marinade. I usually give a coating of the marinade under the skin and then above as well. Be generous in spreading the marinade. To make this step mess-free you may use kitchen gloves and then spread parchment paper or in a wooden cutting board and then marinate the chicken.
After the marination using a twine, Tie the legs of the chicken together. This helps the chicken hold its shape beautifully and makes it easier to handle the chicken.
Now Inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot add 1 cup of water. I am using a 6 qt Instant Pot. If using 8 qt go for 2 cups of water. And then add in the sliced lemon, Cilantro stalks, and some thyme. Place the trivet basket on top of that.
Next, place the marinated chicken on the trivet basket. You may also place the chicken in the basket and lower it inside the instant pot.
Switch on the Instant pot and select the pressure cook option. My bird is 3 lbs and hence I went with 18 mins (6* 3). Set the time as per the weight of the bird. It should be 6 minutes * the weight of the bird. Move the pressure value to the sealing position.
Wait for 15 mins and then release the pressure. The chicken will be too hot to handle at this time. Wait for 10 mins and remove the chicken from the instant pot.
Instant Pot Whole chicken is now ready but for a crispy roasted chicken we have to go an extra step