Instant Pot vs. Slow Cooker vs. Rice Cooker: Which One Roasts Best?

Three multicookers, one whole chicken each, same recipe. The results were closer than expected — and one of them produced the crispiest skin.

Most cooks have strong opinions about their preferred appliance without ever testing the others head-to-head. After running the same roasted chicken recipe through an Instant Pot Duo, a Crock-Pot slow cooker, and a Zojirushi rice cooker, here’s what each one actually does well.

Instant Pot

The fastest option by a large margin — a whole chicken is done in about 30 minutes under pressure. The result is extremely juicy, fall-off-the-bone meat. The tradeoff: no crispy skin. If you want browned skin, you’ll need to finish the chicken under a broiler for 5–8 minutes after pressure cooking. The Instant Pot also doubles as a sauté pan for browning the bird first, which adds depth to the final result. Best for: speed and weeknight convenience.

Slow Cooker

Six to eight hours on low. The advantage is the hands-off cooking window — set it before work, serve at dinner. The chicken becomes very tender with a rich, flavorful braising liquid that doubles as a sauce. No crispy skin here either. The slow cooker shines most in winter when a long, low braise is the whole point. Best for: weekday set-and-forget cooking.

Rice Cooker

An unexpected contender. A good Japanese rice cooker like the Zojirushi can steam a chicken in 45–50 minutes and produces surprisingly moist, evenly cooked meat — more delicate than pressure-cooked, less falling-apart than slow-cooked. No skin crisping. Best for: households that already own a quality rice cooker and want a low-effort second use case.

How they compare

Speed: Instant Pot wins by far. Flavor depth: slow cooker edges it out for braised results. Texture control: rice cooker produces the most even, precise cook if you’re comfortable with the technique. Skin crispiness: none of the three — you need a real oven or broiler for that. The honest answer is that for roasted chicken as most people imagine it (browned, crisp skin), an oven is still the right tool. For a different but legitimate result, all three multicookers deliver.

Tips that apply to all three

Use a meat thermometer — internal temp at the thickest thigh should hit 165°F. Don’t overcrowd (cook in batches if needed). Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before cutting — juices redistribute and the meat relaxes.

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