This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe is a failproof method of making juicy, delicious chicken breasts in your pressure cooker – I’ve listed 3 ways of seasoning them too!
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How long do you cook chicken in the Instant Pot?
It takes just 5 minutes of cook time for fresh (thawed) chicken breast in an Instant Pot, allowing an extra 10 minutes for the cooker to come to pressure.
A benefit to making Instant Pot chicken breast recipes is the juiciness of the cooked chicken.
As the pressure builds inside of the cooker, moisture is pushed into the meat. When cooking chicken in an oven or even a slow cooker, there is no way to keep the meat from drying out.
I guess “The Magic Pot” really is the perfect name for the Instant Pot!
How do I cook frozen chicken breast in the Instant Pot?
If you have a super busy day, and it’s one where you completely forgot to prep dinner, the Instant Pot can come to your rescue!
(This has never happened to me, of course… LOL *sarcastic voice*)
Cooking frozen chicken breast in an Instant Pot is pretty easy.
The only thing to keep in mind is that if you want to season the meat, you will first need to thaw the chicken, at least partially. If you fail to do this, the seasoning will not stick to the chicken very well.
To thaw average-size, skinless boneless 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 you can 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.
More Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes
Because it’s so easy to make chicken breast in the Instant Pot, I make chicken a few times each week!
Keep these other Instant Pot chicken breast recipes handy, and use them for your weekly meal prep!
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Lighter Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Rice
Seasonings for Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Before you pop the chicken breast into the Instant Pot to cook, season the breasts with one of these three 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 is great for tacos or serving with stir-fried bell peppers and rice, and the Ranch chicken goes great with sheet pan veggies or even just a simple salad. There are so many ways to make great chicken breasts full of flavour in the Instant Pot!
Just don’t be afraid to get creative with your seasonings!
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!
5-Day Instant Pot Challenge!
Learn how to use your Instant Pot to meal prep by subscribing to our newsletter!
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!
Video
Nutrition
