This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe is a failproof method of making juicy chicken breasts – choose from three delicious seasonings!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like canola oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Chicken breasts – you can also try making this recipe with four boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Italian
- Italian seasoning – make your own Italian seasoning using a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, marjoram and garlic powder.
- Garlic powder – you can also use minced garlic or garlic salt. If you use garlic salt, leave out the rest of the salt in this recipe.
- Onion powder – onion flakes would also work here.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Chili Lime
- Chili powder – use a mixture of paprika, cumin and cayenne instead.
- Garlic powder – see substitution notes above.
- Lime zest – if you don’t have any lime zest, use 2 tbsp. of lime juice or ½ tsp. of lime extract.
- Salt – to taste.
Ranch
- Garlic powder – see substitution notes above.
- Onion powder – see substitution notes above.
- Lemon zest – swap out for 2 tbsp. of lemon juice or ½ tsp. of lemon extract.
- Dried parsley – dried chervil or oregano would all provide a similar flavour.
- Dried dill – tarragon would be the best substitute here.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
How to cook chicken breast in the Instant Pot
- Season the chicken breasts.
- Add water and trivet to the Instant Pot.
- Place the chicken on top of the trivet.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Serve with your favourite sides and enjoy!
The best Instant Pot chicken breast seasonings
Before you pop the chicken breast into the Instant Pot to cook, season the chicken with one of these three delicious seasoning blends:
- Italian
- Chili Lime
- Ranch
Italian seasoned chicken is the perfect choice for pasta night! Serve the chicken with marinara or Alfredo sauce over some penne or rotini. SO good!
The chili lime seasoning is great for tacos or serving with stir-fried bell peppers and rice, and the ranch seasoning goes great with sheet pan veggies or even just a simple salad. There are so many ways to make great pressure cooker chicken breast – just don’t be afraid to get creative with your seasonings!
Frequently Asked Questions
All it takes is 5 minutes at high pressure to cook fresh chicken breast in the Instant Pot! Keep in mind it will take the Instant Pot about 10 minutes to get up to high pressure so your total cooking time is about 15-20 minutes. Instant Pot chicken breast recipes are great for nights where you need something quick and easy.
Yes! Cooking frozen chicken breast in an Instant Pot is pretty easy. To thaw average-sized boneless skinless frozen chicken breasts in an Instant Pot, place 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pot. Place the chicken on a trivet and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Do a quick release and then season and cook the chicken per your desired recipe. If you’re using frozen chicken to make a recipe like chicken soup, where it isn’t necessary to season the chicken beforehand, just add 2-3 minutes of cook time to the recipe.
You’ll need to add ½ a cup of water to make sure your Instant Pot chicken breast turns out nice and moist.
Storing and reheating
You can store any leftover chicken breasts in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Pressure cooker chicken breast is great for meal prep since you can eat the chicken on its own or slice it up and use it on salads, in sandwiches or even in pasta.
When you’re ready to eat your chicken, sprinkle some water over top so it doesn’t dry out then reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until cooked through. You can also reheat it in a pan on the stovetop or in the oven for 10 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
Freezing this recipe
This Instant Pot chicken breast freezes beautifully. You can freeze it either cooked or raw in your chosen seasonings for up to 3 months. Just make sure to store it in an airtight glass container or freezer-safe Ziploc bag so it doesn’t get freezer burn.
The night before you’re ready to eat, just pop the chicken in the fridge overnight to defrost then reheat or cook as normal. If you’re in a hurry, you can cook the raw chicken breasts from frozen in the Instant Pot as well.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Lighter Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Rice
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store your Instant Pot chicken breasts and then use them in your weekly meal prep.
- Here’s an extra trivet for your Instant Pot in case you lost yours!
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen so I can use them anytime!
Instant Pot Chicken Breast {3 Ways!}
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup water
Italian
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Chili Lime
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
Ranch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Season 2 chicken breasts with seasoning mix you’d like to use, rubbing chicken all over with applicable spices and olive oil.
- Add water and trivet to Instant Pot and place seasoned breasts on top. Press the pressure cook button and select the high setting, then set to cook for 5 minutes (add 1 more minute for larger breasts). Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to preheat then the 5 minutes to pressure cook.
- Note: to double recipe to 4 breasts, add 2 more minutes cook time, and for 6 breasts add 3 more minutes to the cook time.
- Do a quick release of the pressure once chicken has finished cooking by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when safe to do so. Serve with sides of your choice and enjoy!
