This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe is the method I rely on when I need tender, juicy chicken breasts using either fresh or frozen chicken breast. It's simple, incredibly versatile, and the perfected timing makes this recipe reliable.
Chicken breast is a weeknight hero. It is affordable, lean, and picky-eater approved. But let's be honest, chicken breast cooked in the Instant Pot has a reputation for turning rubbery. This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe changes that and has been a staple in millions of homes since 2017.
Kristen's Keys for Perfect Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Paying attention to these tips helps ensure your chicken breast is flavorful and tender, rather than dried-out or rubbery.
- Cook based on size, not total weight. Chicken breasts cook evenly when each breast is similar in size, as timing is determined by the size of each breast, not the combined weight.
- Skip the poultry button. That setting uses a preset time meant for average chicken, which is vague and unreliable. Manually setting the cook time gives you full control and consistent results.
- Allow for at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release. This gentle release keeps the meat tender and prevents moisture loss, which is key for lean protein like chicken breast.
- I prefer to use pineapple juice as the cooking liquid. I know this is unexpected, but the pineapple juice works to slightly tenderize the chicken while adding just a subtle background flavor. Paired with garlic, salt, and pepper, the chicken stays savory, not sweet. If pineapple juice isn't something you keep on hand, chicken stock works beautifully too.
- Cook from fresh or frozen. We have all forgotten to thaw chicken at times. The Instant Pot can safely cook chicken from frozen, but it's best to separate the breasts first, as cooking chicken in one solid hunk leads to uneven results. If your chicken breasts are frozen together, place them in a bowl of cold water just until you can break them apart into individual pieces.
5-Star Reader Review
This is my go to recipe for making shredded chicken! It's so moist and easy to shred. I almost always cook from frozen because I'm not really a planner when it comes to making meals. I've made this so many times now and it always comes out delicious! This recipe is for sure a keeper. Thank you for your recipes! -Brittany
How to Make Perfect Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Whether you are cooking fresh or frozen chicken breasts, just learning to use your Instant pot, or are a seasoned user, this section will guide you through the process of making chicken breast in the Instant Pot, giving you helpful tips along the way.
Step One: Layer Ingredients
Place the chicken breasts in the inner pot and season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the pineapple juice (or chicken stock).
👉🏻Can the chicken breast overlap? Absolutely! It is best for the chicken not to be be frozen together, but you can stack the chicken breasts on top of eachother without issue or needing to change the cook time.
Step Two: Pressure Cook
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the vent knob is sealed. Use the pressure cook or manual button to determine the cook time.
- Small (about 6 oz): 6 minutes fresh / 10 minutes frozen
- Medium (about 8 oz): 7 minutes fresh / 11 minutes frozen
- Large (about 10 oz): 8 minutes fresh / 12 minutes frozen
👉🏻No scale needed! You don't need a kitchen scale to determine the weight of each chicken breast. Most organic chicken breasts will be about 6 ounces, most fresh chicken breasts you purchase at the grocery store are about 8 ounces, and bulk chicken breasts are typically about 10 ounces in size.
Step Three: Natural Pressure Release
After the cook time has elapsed, leave the Instant Pot alone for at least 10 minutes. The slow pressure release prevents the muscle fibers from tightening, which keeps the chicken tender. After 10 minutes has elapsed, you can release any remaining pressure if needed by carefully knocking the vent knob from sealed to venting (stand back to prevent yourself from getting burned from steam).
Step Four: Shred or Enjoy
After the chicken has cooked, you can opt to enjoy whole, dice it into bite size pieces, or shred the chicken. It makes a delicious entree and is perfect for any recipe calling for cooked chicken.
👉🏻Note for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: After cooking, place the chicken in a bowl with about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Shred using two forks, a hand mixer on medium speed, or a stand mixer on low. Or you can also shred it right in the Instant Pot if you prefer fewer dishes (always a win).
A Few Final Tips & Notes
- Serving Suggestions: Instant Pot chicken works as a simple entrée or as a building block for other meals. Slice it over salads, toss it with BBQ or buffalo sauce, use it in chicken salad, or shred it for casseroles, enchiladas, pot pie, or cheesy rice dishes. It's the kind of recipe that earns its spot in your weekly rotation.
- Season to match your meal plan. This recipe works with taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, or any blend your family loves.
- Check doneness with a digital thermometer. Chicken is safe to consume once it reaches 165°F. If it's around 163°F after cooking, let it rest, the residual heat will finish cooking. If it's lower, reseal and cook for 2-5 more minutes.
- Storage: Store cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and use as desired.
More Tried-and-True Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 to 1½ cups pineapple juice or chicken broth, see recipe notes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts into the inner pan of the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt and minced garlic. Pour 1 cup of pineapple juice or chicken stock into a 3 or 6-quart Instant Pot and 1½ cups of liquid for an 8-quart Instant Pot.
- Close the lid and turn the vent to the closed (sealed) position.
- Set the cooking time using the manual or pressure cook button BASED on the size of the individual chicken breast, not the TOTAL weight. For 6-ounce chicken breast: 6 minutes on high pressure for fresh/thawed or 10 minutes on high pressure for frozen. For 8-ounce chicken breast: 7 minutes on high pressure for fresh/thawed or 11 minutes on high pressure for frozen. For 10-ounce chicken breast: 8 minutes on high pressure for fresh/thawed or 12 minutes on high pressure for frozen.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally on its own for at least 10 minutes. Then do a quick release of pressure if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the liquid and rest for 5-10 minutes. If desired, shred the chicken with ½ cup of cooking liquid and 2 forks or handheld mixer on low speed. Use or serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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 😉
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 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.
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.
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!
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.
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 🙂