Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Tender, juicy, and full of flavor, this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is honestly the best and easiest way to get a perfectly-cooked protein fast and with little effort. Use our simple spice blend or your favorite seasonings for delicious chicken that works as well in other recipes as it does all on its own.

🍗 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• The Instant Pot makes cooking a chicken breast pretty much foolproof. Say goodbye to boring, bland, boiled chicken. No more worrying about your skillet being too hot or not hot enough. Never again struggle with oven-baked chicken that cooks through unevenly, making the outside dry by the time the inside’s done.
• You know I love a one-pot meal. In this recipe, we sear and pressure cook the chicken breasts right in the Instant Pot, so there aren’t any extra skillets or pans to deal with. I’m not sure which is better – the quick cook time or the quick clean up!
• I opted to season the chicken breasts with a simple spice blend, but don’t be fooled. Instant Pot chicken breasts have unlimited flavor potential. Feel free to use your favorite combination of spices and seasonings for chicken that genuinely goes with literally anything.

Want to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot? Check out this recipe instead!

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Stock

Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

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👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Make sure you only sear the chicken breast in the Instant Pot at first. Don’t cook them through completely! The goal is to give the chicken a little color and to help lock in the natural juices. A few minutes on each side is all you need!
• Don’t skip the deglaze! When you pour the chicken broth into the Instant Pot, be sure to scrape up any browned bits of chicken breast that may have stuck to the bottom. If you don’t, you risk the Instant Pot giving a burn warning, which will keep the chicken from cooking like it should. Save yourself some frustration and make sure nothing’s stuck to the bottom of the insert before you start pressure cooking.
• If you end up with an extra Instant Pot chicken breast or two, let them cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container. Fully-cooked chicken can be refrigerated up to 4 days. If you don’t think you’ll eat it that soon, though, you can freeze it up to 4 months instead. I recommend wrapping the chicken breasts in foil and then freezing them in an airtight container or sealable freezer bag for maximum freshness.

🐓 Other Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

• Chicken Salad with Grapes
• Chicken Fajita Casserole
• Marry Me Chicken
• Chicken Vesuvio
• Jerk Chicken Alfredo
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
• Szechuan Chicken
• Truffle Honey Chicken
• Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Rice
• Keto Orange Chicken
• Chicken Savoy Copycat Recipe

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Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Prep:15 minutes minutes

Cook:15 minutes minutes

Total:30 minutes minutes

Perfectly juicy chicken breasts cooked in the Instant Pot in just 15 minutes for a fast, easy, nutritious dinner that's super versatile.

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4 servings

Ingredients

For the Spice Rub

• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning plus more as needed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika, plus more as needed

For the Chicken Breasts

• ▢ 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 pounds total, see Notes

To Cook the Chicken Breasts

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
• ▢ 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water

Equipment

• Small bowl
• Spoon
• Cutting board
• Paper towels
• Instant Pot
• Tongs
• Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
• Instant Pot trivet
• internal meat thermometer

Instructions 

• Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon paprika to small bowl. Stir ingredients together until well-blended. Set aside.
• Place 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Pat chicken breasts completely dry on all sides with paper towels.
• Sprinkle half of spice blend evenly over chicken breasts, then flip chicken breasts over and sprinkle remaining spice blend on other side, making sure to also season sides of chicken breasts. Add additional salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, or paprika if needed to season chicken as desired.
• Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to Instant Pot, covering as much surface as possible. Heat olive oil in Instant Pot until oil is hot and shimmering.
• When oil is ready, place seasoned chicken breasts directly in bottom of Instant Pot insert, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding pot.
• Sear chicken breasts 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom. Flip chicken breasts over and sear 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and set aside. Repeat with any remaining chicken breasts.
• Once all chicken breasts have been seared and removed from insert, turn off Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth while Instant Pot is still hot and use silicone spatula to scrape up any browned bits of chicken that may be stuck to bottom of insert.
• Place Instant Pot trivet in bottom of Instant Pot insert. Arrange seared chicken breasts on top of trivet, overlapping chicken breasts if needed to fit in Instant Pot.
• Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
• Once 5-minute cook time ends, immediately and carefully Quick Release pressure inside Instant Pot, then carefully remove lid. Use caution, as any escaping steam will be very hot.
• Carefully remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes. After chicken has rested, transfer chicken to serving plates and serve warm with desired sides.

Notes

• Spice Blend: You’re welcome to use different combinations of spices and seasonings each time you prepare this recipe.
• Chicken Breasts: Use chicken breasts that are roughly the same size and thickness, to ensure they cook at the same rate. Trim chicken as needed, or pound especially thick pieces with rolling pin or large skillet until thinned.
• Cook Times: All pressure cookers behave differently, so double-check your chicken with a food thermometer before serving to make sure it’s fully cooked. It should read 160° Fahrenheit internally immediately after cooking and 165° Fahrenheit before serving. You may need to adjust the cook time slightly depending on the age of your Instant Pot and the condition of the sealing ring.
• Make it Gluten Free: Double check that your chicken broth doesn’t contain any gluten.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 331kcal, Protein: 49g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 391mg, Potassium: 910mg, Total Carbs: 2g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Net Carbs: 1g, Vitamin A: 340IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik