This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
I find that cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot is just about the easiest way to get dinner on the table! My method results in super flavorful, juicy, and tender chicken breasts that you don’t even have to thaw. It’s perfect for quickly cooking chicken for another recipe too, so you can always have shredded or diced chicken ready in a heartbeat!
Why I Love This Chicken Cooking Method
- Instant Pot chicken breasts really are the perfect last minute dinner protein. We’ve all been there. Dinnertime rolls around, stomachs start growling. Suddenly, it hits you. You forgot to thaw the chicken for dinner. Using this method you can take those frozen chicken breasts right out of the freezer and pop them straight into the Instant Pot with virtually zero prep, and definitely zero defrosting.
- Believe it or not, cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot those usually easy-to-dry-out chicken breasts come out tender, moist, and juicy, every single time, not dry or tough or chewy. AND, because we’re pressure cooking, cooking perfect chicken only takes 10-15 minutes.
- I love this method so much I don’t just save it for emergencies; I like to intentionally use it for weekly meal prep and for recipes that call for already-cooked chicken. Basically, anytime I need or want to eliminate the whole “defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight” step, I just get out my Instant Pot.
More Recipes You’ll Love
What I Learnt Developing This Method
- My chicken breasts cooked best sitting on a Instant Pot trivet so the frozen chicken breasts sat up and out of the broth. Essentially they steamed, rather than boil (which would yield tough chicken!) I have a trivet with feet and handles, but a trivet with just legs will work fine, too! Honestly, the trivet is probably my most-used Instant Pot accessory, so if you don’t already have one, I highly recommend getting one!
- The cooking time will vary a little depending on the size of your chicken breasts. I’ve included a list of timing recommendations in the recipe card notes below. But, if you’re still unsure about the exact cooking time you need to use, I usually set the timer for a minute or two less than recommended. You can put the chicken back in for another minute if needed, but you can’t walk back overcooked chicken.
- Don’t try to use this method for chicken breasts frozen in one block. For even cooking, the chicken breasts should be individually frozen or separated before pressure cooking. If they’re frozen into one large block, the outside will probably overcook before the middle reaches a safe temperature.
Ingredients
Chicken breasts – Skin-less, bone-less. I’ve also got a method for Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs if you want to use those instead.
Poultry seasoning – I usually use seasoning if I’m cooking chicken breasts to be the main event. It will stick surprisingly well to the frozen chicken breasts! Just salt and pepper are find if you’re using the cooked chicken for another recipe. I also sometimes use all-purpose seasoning, BBQ dry rub, and Tony Chachere’s.
Chicken broth – Cooking the chicken in chicken broth really makes the most flavorful, moist chicken breasts, but you can use vegetable broth or water instead. Pineapple juice, apple juice, or other liquids will also work, depending on the flavor you’re looking for.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
There are so many different ways you can serve this cooked and either shredded, sliced or diced chicken including salads, wraps, rice or grain bowls, in chicken salad, fried rice, pasta, soups, in tacos or quesadillas. This method is good for literally any recipe you need to cook the chicken before adding more ingredients.
Or, you can make it the main protein in a simple meal by adding a carb like baked potatoes or plain risotto, and some simple veg like these snow peas.
The cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
I tested this recipe using a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you’re using a larger pressure cooker, you may need to increase the amount of liquid used by ½-1 cup to prevent a burn notice.
If your Instant Pot is large enough that you can cook more 4 chicken breasts, you don’t need to adjust the cook time beyond what I’ve listed below. It’ll just take a little longer to fully pressurize before the cook time begins.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- Large plate or cutting board, or sheet of aluminum foil
- Instant Pot
- Instant Pot trivet
- Tongs
- internal meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 medium frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 8 ounces each, see Notes
- poultry seasoning or salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
Instructions
- Lay frozen chicken breasts out in one layer on plate, cutting board, or foil. Generously season tops of chicken breasts with poultry seasoning (or salt and pepper), gently rubbing seasoning onto chicken. Flip chicken breasts over and repeat seasoning process on other side.
- Place trivet in Instant Pot. Pour chicken broth (or water) into pot, then place frozen chicken breasts on trivet. Stacking or overlapping chicken breasts on trivet is fine.
- Secure lid on Instant Pot and set vent to Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure with 10-minute cook time (see Notes). Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.
- After cook time is up, Natural Release internal pressure 5 minutes, then Quick Release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid and set aside.
- Check chicken breasts for doneness with internal meat thermometer. Internal temperature should read 160° to 162° Fahrenheit (see Notes). Remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and set aside to rest 5 minutes.
- After resting, shred, chop, or serve chicken as-is with desired sides. Alternately, use chicken for another recipe that calls for cooked chicken.
Video
Â
Recommended Cook Times Based on Size
- For 4 chicken breasts, each weighing 6 ounces, set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 9 minutes.
- For 4 chicken breasts, each weighing 8 ounces, set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- For 4 chicken breasts, each weighing 9-10 ounces, set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 12 minutes.
- For 4 chicken breasts, each weighing 12 ounces, set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 14 minutes.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
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.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Leave A Review
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Nice recipe and works well… but why all the preamble to get to the recipe?
Hi Peter! We do have a “Jump to recipe” option at the top of the page for your convenience. I hope this helps!
I have been cooking chicken breast in my instant pot for literally years, and this is the juiciest most delicious technique! I was so tired of my chicken breast being either dry or falling apart. Thank you so much!
We’re so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing, Naomi!
I followed the directions exactly. The chicken is very tough. I cooked four frozen breasts for 10 min. Slow released for 5. One breast was done at 165°. Three were not done so I cooked them for 2 more minutes. Slow released again for 5. All four breasts are tough, not juicy.
Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear this! I’d love to troubleshoot it with you- were your chicken breasts fairly large?
Turns out perfect every time. I use 10 minutes and the 5 minutes rest time before Instant release. It’s so easy and so many uses. I use Better than Bouillon low sodium vegetable broth for the liquid.
We’re so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing, Lynn!
This method of cooking chicken breast is loved by my family! Guaranteed delicious and tender every time and oh how easy! Thank you for the notes and advice. You’ll definitely have to adjust the cooking time for size and quantity but it’s easy to figure out with your notes.
We’re so glad it’s a family favorite! Thanks for sharing, Brenda! 😊
I followed the recipe exactly using frozen tenderloins & they were 170°F & they came out tender & juicy. Very easy & I will definitely revisit this recipe in the future!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing, Kali!
I did one chicken breast for 10 minutes (just to be safe) and ended up needing to return it to the instapot 2 times for another 5 minutes each before it was cooked through!
We always recommend trying it and making adjustments, just as you did, because your Instant Pot won’t behave exactly like the one we used. Some discrepancy is to be expected because of that. The size and age of the Instant Pot and the age of the sealing ring will make a difference, too.
What was the weight of the chicken breast you used? You’ll need to adjust the cook time based on the size of the chicken breast – we have recommendations in the notes section!
Also, did you Natural Release the pressure for 5 minutes after the initial cook time? The chicken continues cooking during the release, so if you Quick Released instead, that can give you undercooked chicken.
Thank you for advice and recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elsa! 😊