Instant Pot Chicken Breasts: The BEST way to make chicken breasts in the pressure cooker–perfectly cooked, juicy chicken EVERY SINGLE TIME! Directions on how to cook chicken in Instant Pot from fresh and frozen with a secret ingredient that will knock your socks off!
This post was sponsored by Eat Smart as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Can we all just admit that many nights cooking is HARD?!!!
Between working and shuffling kids to and from activities or shuffling yourself to and from meetings, life can get SO busy and dedicating time to cooking wholesome meals can go by the way side.
This does NOT have to be case!
With a few simple strategies, you can ALWAYS have time to get dinner on the table for your family.
Having a large batch of cooked chicken in the fridge or freezer is one of my BEST staples to getting quick meals on the table and when I can pair them with Eat Smart Salad Kits, dinner has never been easier.
My absolute favorite salad from Eat Smart Salads right now is the Sweet Kale Salad. Shredded brussel sprouts, crunchy kale, sweet cranberries, a poppyseed dressing–it is PERFECTION.
I could eat it daily as just a side dish, but when paired with chicken–a full meal is within your reach in minutes.
I love to make Rotisserie Chickens or Roasted Chicken Breast in large quanities, but if I am 100% honest, I may not always plan ahead and it is 5’oclock and my family is in melt down mode because we are HANGRY! Or we are pulling in our driveway after a long day.
This is when I pull out my trusty Instant Pot.
I view this piece of equipment as my secret weapon. Within minutes, I can have rice, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, chicken stock, beans, or pot roast, all cooked to perfection.
But what about Chicken?
That can always be a bit more tricky to cook to juicy perfection.
After 20 something tries, I have perfected perfectly cooked chicken!
Be sure to check out all my Easy Healthy Instant Pot Recipes. Or if you are a new Instant Pot user, be sure to read my Instant Pot 101, where I walk you through important must knows when using an electric pressure cooker.
How to Perfectly Cook Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot:
I start with 3 pounds of chicken–I figure if we are going to cook, might as well make extra to have for the week!
If I have forgotten to prep dinner, it is typically frozen so I have figured out how to cook chicken breasts from frozen AND fresh.
Can you guess what I add to keep my chicken full of flavor and perfectly moist?
PINEAPPLE JUICE!
Pineapple juice adds just the right sweetness to the chicken and paired with some garlic and salt and pepper, this chicken is truly tasty and perfect even in savory dishes like my Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Rice. Of course you can use chicken stock if you don’t have pineapple juice!
Pressure Cooking Frozen Chicken Breasts
If frozen, I set my pressure cooker to 10 minutes on high pressure and turn the valve to seal in the steam. It took between 3-7 minutes to get to pressure for me the times I have made it. I let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, and then if still not ready to release, I do a quick release.
I remove the meat from the liquid and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Pressure Cooking Fresh Chicken Breasts
I set my pressure cooker to 6 minutes on high pressure and turn the valve to seal in the steam. It took about 3-5 minutes each time to come to pressure and begin cooking. I let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then if still not ready to release, I do a quick release. Remove meat from liquid and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Now you can slice up the chicken breasts–perfect to use for salads or sandwiches.
Or you can shred the chicken. Tip for shredding chicken, is to add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and mix with a hand held mixer or in a stand mixer.
Perfectly cooked chicken is ready to go before you would have your family through a drive-thu.
A Few Notes on Perfectly Cooked Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
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- I use organic chicken breasts which tend to be much smaller than traditional chicken. If you use non-organic, just increase the cooking time by 2-3 minutes depending on how large your chicken breasts are.
- Be sure to seal your vent on your pressure cooker for the correct amount of pressure to build.
- It is best to allow a natural release for 5 minutes, but a quick release can be done if really in a rush.
- If you intend to shred the chicken–keep in cooking cooking liquid and use a hand held mixer to shred or put in a stand mixer with the paddle attachement and mix on medium. Get my tips on how to shred chicken with a handheld mixer here.
- The pineapple juice adds so much flavor so don’t overlook that secret ingredient. But chicken stock and water both work in a pinch.
When you paired with an Eat Smart Salad Kit, my favorite is the Sweet Kale, dinner could not be easier or healthier!
This nutrient-dense Gourmet Sweet Kale Salad Kit is 100% Clean Label. No Artificial Colors, Flavors, or Preservatives and delivers out of this world flavor with a unique blend of seven superfoods – kale, green cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chicory, roasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries – completed with a delicious poppy seed dressing.
Paired with perfectly cooked sliced chicken, this salad becomes a great light dinner, or easy lunch to go.
When the salad is tossed with shredded chicken and wrapped in a soft tortilla, it creates a perfect hand-held, easy to pack lunch.
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Be sure to check out how to cook FROZEN ground beef as well to really make cooking dinner easier than ever!
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (FROM FROZEN & FRESH)
Tried and true fail proof way to cook chicken breasts in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breasts***
- 1 cup pineapple juice or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon if using chicken stock
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in pressure cooker.
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Close lid and turn vent to sealed.
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For Frozen Chicken, cook on poultry setting on high pressure for 10 minutes.
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For Fresh Chicken, cook on poultry setting on high pressure for 6 minutes.
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Allow to release naturally for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release if needed.
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Remove chicken from liquid and rest chicken for 5-10 minutes.
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Slice and serve or shred with 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
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Serve plain or use in recipes.
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To freeze, allow chicken to cool completely and then seal in freezer safe bags and freeze for future use.
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Keeps in fridge for 3-4 days.
Recipe Notes
***I use organic chicken breasts. Each breast is about 6-8 ounces. So if your chicken breasts are larger, you may want to increase time by 1-2 minutes. Just be sure to reach 165 degrees for doneness (It can come out of pressure cooker at 160-162 and will raise to 165 as it rests.)
You do NOT need to use the poultry setting, just high pressure. (Hit manual or pressure cook and adjust pressure to high and set time.)
My Must Have Instant Pot Accessories
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Other Great Uses for Pressure Cooker Chicken Breasts:
Creamy Parmesan Chicken
Skillet Poppyseed Chicken
Thanks. That’s very helpful information.
YAY!!! I love when I can help people out!
Hello we have the Lux pot and no bean button how would i know the times for beans ?
Hi Caitlin! Here is all you need to know about cooking beans in the Instant pot. But just like you don’t need the chicken button on an instant pot, you don’t need a bean button. You just need to cook on high and adjust the time manually. https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-beans/ Hope that helps Caitlin! Reach out with any additional quetions.
I only need to cook two 5 ounce chicken breasts that are frozen. How would I adjust the recipe?
I would cut the pineapple juice to just 1/4 cup and 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. The time should be the same.
can I cook rice with it at the same time so that I have something to go with it? If so how would I do it?
Hi Tonya! If you want to cook rice at the same time, you will only be able to use white rice and then place 1 cup liquid, 1 cup rice and nestle chicken breasts into the rice mixture and season with salt and pepper, etc. Cook on High for 6 minutes.
Thank you 🙂 🙂
Hi there! I was thinking about doing some rice with it too! Would you do an extra cup of of liquid? Or would this be the liquid (juice or broth) that’s already part of the receipe?
I’m new to this… but loving the IP so far! Thanks 😊
Hi Jane!
Cooking chicken with rice together is a completely different method. Using the rice function, is low pressure on an Instant pot. So for your rice and chicken to cook harmoniously together, it can be tricky. I would put 1 1/2 cups jasmine white rice in Instant Pot with 2 cups chicken stock and FRESH chicken breasts. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, etc and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes and let naturally release. That should work!
Do you freeze the chicken breasts separately or as one massive hunk of chicken?
Hi Shannon! Great question–I freeze my chicken breasts on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper until frozen solid and then once frozen, place in a large ziplock bag and pull out one at a time. If you have them in one massive hunk, it can be really hard to use only what you need or to fit in your Instant Pot if they froze in an awkward clump 🙂
How can it possibly reach pressure in 3-5 minutes? What size Instant Pot are using? I have an 8qt. Almost everything I cook takes 15-20 minutes to reach pressure. This took 40 minutes. I preheated the juice using sauté. The pot was quite full, which I know takes longer, but still- 3-5 minutes?? Really??
Hi Angela!
I am so sorry you had such issues with your pressure cooker taking so long to come to pressue.
I have experimented many times with this recipe and have never had it take more than 10 minutes (and that was only one time) the rest of the times it took from 3-7 minutes.
I do have a 6 quart pressure cooker and have never pre-heated the pineapple juice.
My best guest is that you over-crowded your pot and since it was frozen chicken, it took extra long. It is best to only fill your pressure cooker 2/3rds of the way with frozen meat.
Best of luck next time. And again, I am sorry this took so long!
You have to add 5-7 min for frozen 🐔 to preheat
Hey Matthew, it can take an additional 5-7 minutes but it usually takes me about 7 minutes. But it will be dependant on how many chicken breasts you are trying to cook.
I’m new to ip cooking. This is my first attempt at frozen chicken. I am coming 3lb of frozen chicken beasts. The contents are below the max line. It took 21 minutes before starting the cooking count down. Am I doing something wrong or is the ip not working correctly?
Hi Geri,
Cooking in you IP the first time is completely OVERWHELMING! However, it would be normal for your pressure cooker to take that long to come to pressure with that volume of frozen meat. It typically takes 5-10 minutes to reach pressure for small volumes of food that are not frozen, but frozen foods (or large volumes of soup) can take up to 30 minutes–at times even 40. And while your ip is coming to pressure, the food is still being cooked–so it is safe 🙂
Hope that helps 🙂
If you are still worried about your IP not working correctly–try my water test method to trouble shoot.
If I want to season the meat (like make a Caribbean flavored chicken)…when do I put the seasoning in?
Hey Shannon-you can either season the pineapple juice and let the chicken cook in that seasoning, or make the chicken as directed and flavor however you like once cooked.
I have a Lux IP, so I don’t have the Poultry setting for chicken. Do I use the Manual setting for the same time for the frozen chicken breasts?
Thanks. I love your blog already.
Hi Patti! Thank you for the kind words!!
Yes, you would use the manual setting on high for the same time! Enjoy 🙂
Hi I just got my instant pot today, we made a chicken taco rice bowl recipe. It came out great. But I couldn’t figure out how to change the pressure on the manual function any tips? We have the IP-lux
Hey Dan! Read over my Instant Pot 101 to help you troubleshoot (but you should be able to just hit manual button and then use the plus or minus button to change the time, and hit pressure until it changes to low or high pressure–unless you have an old LUX then it is only high pressure) Hope that helps 🙂 https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-101/
Hi. I just got my instant pot for Christmas & haven’t used it yet. Can I just throw ingredients in & have it waiting for us when we get home from work? For example, I was thinking of throwing in some frozen chicken breasts with cream of chicken soup. Do I have to be here to release the pressure or can I set it & leave it? Most of the recipes I’m finding seem to be attended. I’d rather do my prep before work & have it ready when I get home.
Hey Terry! Congratulations on your new IP–you will love it! But it does take some getting used to, so I would not leave it the first time you use it. The IP will cook things and then hold them at warm, so you can leave it, but honestly for chicken breasts, the chicken will dry out quickly as it sits. I would have all your ingredients ready and then throw in IP when you get home. You will still have dinner ready in under 30 minutes. Also, be sure to add at least 1 cup liquid along with cream of chicken soup–you need that liquid for the IP to reach pressure. Best of luck 🙂
Kristen, thank you for this recipe. It’s my new favorite!!! I made just one breast and used the mixer to shred it in a little broth. What is your recipe for a bone-in chicken breast?
Hi Tempe!! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
I need to get a recipe for bone-in chicken breast in Instant Pot up on the blog. In the meantime, I would place 1 cup water in Instant pot and top with trivet. Add in chicken breasts onto trivet that you have seasoned with salt and pepper. Set to high pressure for 11 minutes (for fresh) and then let it naturally release for another 10 minutes. To crisp up the skin, I would brush with oil and broil for 2-3 minutes on high. Enjoy 🙂
When cooking all meats… do I have to add water or can you place meat in and turn on?
Hi Andrea, for pressure cooking, all recipes must have at least 1/2 cup (more like 1 cup) liquid in order for pressure to build up. If you don’t want your chicken to be sumberged in liquid while cooking, you can place your liquid on the bottom of the pot, then add in the trivet and set your chicken on top of the trivet. I prefer to cook my chicken in the liquid as it helps get keep the chicken moist and juicy. If you want to use the trivet method see this tutorial for help 🙂 https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-ground-beef/
Happy Pressure Cooking 🙂
Thank you so much Kristen! I love your site!! It’s very helpful.
Aw, thanks so much Andrea <3
The ip I have doesn’t have the poultry setting what other setting would work
Hi Adam! The poultry setting on the IP is just a fancy pre-setting. You can cook this on high pressure using the same times I indicated. Happy pressure cooking 🙂
Nope. After 10 min, my frozen chicken breasts were still raw. Definitely didn’t work.
Carrie, I am so sorry you had issues. Were your chicken breasts frozen solid in a one chunk? Were they larger than 6 ounces each? Did you hit high pressure instead of low pressure? Any of those issues may explain why your chicken wasn’t cooked through, but I hate you had any problems.
You just saved dinner- thank you! 🎉🎉🎉
YAY!!! I am doing a happy dance with you Laura!
This was amazing! My first time using my IP Duo 8qt. I used a whole bag of frozen chicken thighs from Trader Joe’s (approx 3lbs). Seasoned & added water. Hit the poultry button & then “-” to bring it down to 10 min. I let it release naturally for 5 min like you said, then did a quick release which took a few more min. They were falling apart. Shredded so easily & taste amazing. I can’t wait to try it with pineapple juice! Thank you so much!
YAY!!! I am so happy that this worked out so well for you Kelly! Be sure to check out my other IP recipes to fall in love with your pressure cooker even more. https://amindfullmom.com/easy-healthy-instant-pot-recipes/
Mine turned out dry. Not sure what I did wrong. I cooked frozen chicken in broth and squeezed some orange in there. Sealed it and set it on “meat” for 10 min. Where did I go wrong? I’m new to this pressure cooking thing. Help!
First of all, I am sorry you had issues.
Let me help you trouble shoot this:
1. Did you let your IP naturally release for at least 10 minutes before releasing pressure? That will help your chicken stay moist.
2. Did you happen to use thin chicken breasts or cutlets or tenderloins? I tried these with about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick chicken breasts (at their thickest point) so if you had really thin (or thick) chicken breasts that will change the cooking time.
Hope that helps.
Mine came out dry and sorry of tasteless… I followed the steps exactly… Your thoughts? With the other amazing comments, I’m sure it was operator error 😂
Hmmm, it may have to do with size of chicken breasts–if they were really small they may not have had to be cooked so long. And I know you said you followed the directions to a T, but if you didn’t release pressure after 5 minutes or released it sooner than that, that may be the issue as well.
I have something important to say. Maybe someone already commented this and I missed it? But, what I want to say is, the pineapple juice “elixir” smells heavenly after you finish cooking the chicken. I cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs in it and then removed and shredded the chicken. Then, it smelled so good and I needed rice for my lunches for the week, so I cooked my rice IN the cooked pineapple chicken juice elixir, on the Rice setting for 5 minutes. It is very tasty!!!
Oh so smart!!! I absolutely love making pineapple rice so using the leftover cooking liquid to do that is so smart!
We have frozen organic chicken delivered every few months andnit can be a challenge to remember to thaw it. I bought an instant pot to be able to cook it from frozen and had almost given up on It! Every frozen chicken recipe I tried ended up too dry, undercooked, or just plain strange-textured! I tried yours as a last resort and IT WAS PERFECT! I even got a bonus by your tip for using my hand mixer to shred it- that was an awesome hack:) Thanks so much!!!
WAHOO!!!! I am so glad you did NOT give up Christina and tried my recipe and that you loved it!! I am doing a happy dance with you right now 🙂
Hello! I am a newbie and received a mini instant pot for christmas and having trouble with my chicken coming out too tough and it is not easy to shred. Am I not cooking long enough or too short? I’ve tried various times with 1/2 cup of water and about a pound of chicken breasts. What we you recommend for times to get the nice, easy to shred chicken? Thanks! Ann Marie
Hi Ann Marie!
I am not sure which methods you have tried before–meaning what times, what pressure, natural release, etc. My recommendations for tender chicken is to use my directions and cook on high setting for 10 minutes, if frozen and for Fresh Chicken, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. And you need 1 cup liquid. For chicken, I like to cook directly in the liquid, not on the rack and allow to naturally release for at least 5 minutes, but 15 minutes is best for tender meat. I hope these tips help you!
Thanks for the reply! I had fresh chicken (about 1.25 pounds) and cooked on high pressure (no rack) for 6 minutes with 1/2 cup of broth and then did natural release for 10 minutes and the chicken came out tough again 🙁
I am sorry, but I do believe you need the full cup of water, not a half cup–it will change the amount of time needed for pressure.
Cooked 3 lbs of frozen chicken breast for 10 min w/ chicken stock, after 5 min release there were still raw looking spots & temp of 118. What am I doing wrong with this thing. I keep followers recipes but my meat hardly ever turns out right!
I am so sorry you are having issues Alison. There are a few things I addressed in the tips of this post that may help. First, my chicken breasts were pretty thin as they were organic, if your chicken was conventional or thicker breasts, I recommend increasing the time 2-3 minutes. So that right there may be all you need to do. 3 minutes dosen’t sound like a lot of time, but in IP world it is.
Also, be sure to use cold pineapple juice and if your chicken breasts were frozen in one chunk, you may need to increase the time by 7-8 minutes. Hope these tips help! Once you learn the nuiances of pressure cooking, you will LOVE it!
My organic grocer packages chicken breast is 1lb packages. How much liquid / time for cooking only 1lb of frozen breasts. There is there is usually 2-3 breasts per 1lb package.
Thanks!
Hi Barb, 1 cup still works best for this recipe 🙂 I find that for ALL pressure cooking recipes at least 1 cup of liquid helps the chicken turn out perfectly.
I had rather large breasts, partially frozen so I did 12 minutes, natural release. I also cooked 6 of them. When I flipped one over, the top of one was still raw. I freaked because some of the others were around 165 degrees so I didn’t want to dry them out. But I turned the pot back on for 2 minutes anyways and then did a 5 minute NPR and they were SO amazing! Tender, not dry and not chewy. I’m sure my initial error was too much frozen meat.
And using the mixer to shred–life changing. I made chicken quesadillas and they were the best we’ve ever had. And a ton of meat to freeze. I am so excited!!
OH YAY!!! Amanda this makes me SO SO happy that you loved this chicken so much. That hand held mixer tip is pretty incredible–isn’t it 🙂 And yes, my guess is that your chicken was larger–but so glad you did NOT freak out and tried again with success. That confidence will help you make so many more thing in the Instant Pot.
I received my IP just after Christmas. I’m a new mom, at the time my son is only a month old. As I loved cooking also I love to spend more time with my baby. Most of the time I got frustrated if I can’t finish preparing the food before my husband arrive. But thanks to the IP, no more frustration I can set the timer in my IP and it will do the job for me while I can spend more time with my baby and serve delicious meal. With the IP is like I hired a helper and the good part is I don’t have to pay. So excited to explore more on IP.
YES!!! I am so so happy for you that the Instant Pot has allowed you to cook wholesome meals and still be present for your baby. It is quite a wonderful tool. I hope you follow along with me on my Instant Pot journey and I can help you fall more in love with you IP 🙂 Enjoy your sweet baby!
You can subscribe to stay up to date with just my IP recipes here: http://bit.ly/2GoRO5X
I HATE RAW MEAT WITH A PASSION, but I had 3 pounds of raw Costco organic chicken in the freezer. This recipe worked perfectly! I cooked it on 12 minutes on high. I skipped the salt, though, and regretted it. Don’t skip the salt! Thanks for posting!
I am so so glad this worked out for you Corrie. And yes, salt is needed 😉
This looks like it will be a healthy weeknight staple. I can’t wait to try this.
Since you have experimented so much, have you tried throwing in some frozen veges from a bag? I imagine some adjustments will need to be made. I plan on using thawed thawed breasts and dump some frozen veges in there with it. Have you tried that?
thank you for sharing this technique!
Hey Noah! So frozen veggies only need about 1-2 minutes to cook. So I would place your thawed chicken breast into your pressure cooker with the liquid and set to high pressure for 5 minutes (if really large chicken breasts, do 7 minutes). Do a quick release and add in frozen veggies. Set on high for 1 minute and let naturally release. That should work. Enjoy!
Had very large chicken breasts, frozen solid, cook time was perfect. Delicious flavoring. Thank you for the recipe.
You bet Marcia! So glad you enjoyed.
Delicious. Used two frozen Trader Joe’s boneless skinless breasts and one thigh same. 6 oz can Pineapple juice and 2 tsp garlic infused oil (low fodmap) S&P. Followed timing and settings exactly. Perfect. Had with brown rice and steamed broccoli juice over all. 5 stars.
Wonderful Karen! I love that you used garlic infused oil too. Low Foodmap can help a lot of people. Have a great day.
I just tried to set my IP on the poultry setting for 6 min and it wouldn’t let me. Lowest time it allows is 10 min. Very frustrated.
I am so sorry Kara, but you don’t need to use the poultry button, just pressure cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
I am sorry this wasn’t clear.
This worked really well for us! The chicken was cooked through after 10 min cook time. I had 4 large non-organic breasts that had been thawed in the microwave for 3 to 5 minutes so they didn’t go in as one chunj. I don’t think the texture is as great as fresh chicken, but that could be related to microwave thawing, and it was still good. A small price to pay for frozen to dinner ready chicken in 28 minutes total!
Hi Savannah! So in the future, I would just put the frozen chicken breasts right into the Instant Pot and then if frozen solid into one clump increase the time by 2 minutes–and then test temperature to see if done after time has elapsed. If not cooked through, reseal, and set on manual for another 2-3 minutes. The texture will be completely different when you do any cooking/thawing in microwave 🙂
I can’t recall if I commented when I first made this or not, but this is awesome and super simple! After cooking was done I removed the chicken from the pot, shredded it and returned it to the pot with the pineapple juice. I then set the instant pot to saute and reduced the liquid down to concentrate the flavours. Delicious.
Oh Joanna, thank you for sharing!! I am so happy that you love this recipe. We used it all the time at my house 🙂
I tried to find in previous comments and failed. Any changes to use 5 lbs of half frozen chicken breast bone in or just follow your recipe and add 5 more minutes of cook time?
I there! For bone-in skin on, I would actually do 15 minutes on high pressure for frozen chicken breasts. And 5 minutes natural pressure release.
I just tried these chicken breasts and it didn’t work out so well so wondering what happened. I had 6 frozen breasts organic and I did poultry for 12 mins. Natural release for 5. 2 of the breasts needed more time – they had raw boots and the others were super over cooked. I will say that the pineapple juice was inspired. The flavor is fantastic but the texture is just so dry. Any suggestions? I used the 6qt IP.
Oh no Steph! I am sorry this recipe did not work for you. Were your chicken breasts frozen solid together? That sounds like the case to me, as then they would not cook evenly. I am sorry for your hassle though.