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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.
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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
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.
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Will Montreal chicken seasoning work?
Sure!
What if it isn’t cooked through?
It depends on the ounces of your chicken breasts! The cooking times vary. 🙂
If the chicken is not cooked through after the allotted time, you can throw them on the stove in a skillet over medium heat for 2-4 minutes!
I was gifted an instapot and was looking for a basic chicken recipe. This is great! Thanks!
Let us know how it goes!
Is the weight above per breast or total? I have 2 breasts totaling 1 and 3/4 pounds
Angie, the weight is for each breast. 🙂
What size of instant pot did you use? Do you think the cook time and amount of liquid would remain the same for any size instant pot?
Absolutely! As long as your chicken can ideally sit side by side for even cooking, any size should work! Mine is a six-quart Instant Pot!
This is from the Instant Pot website:
There are only two things you need to remember to use any recipe you want in any Instant Pot.
1-Adjust quantities of each ingredient
•Use half as much ingredients for a 3 Quart
•Use at least 2 cups of water-based liquid for an 8 Quart
2-Keep cooking time the same.
I used an 8qt and came out perfect.
Question- so do we just season the frozen chicken breasts and it’ll be flavorful and completely cooked in 14 min? New cook here and thinking about using my instapot for the first time tonight lol thanks in advance
That’s right! I do the seasoning on the frozen chicken and try to pat it on a bit before transferring to the Instant Pot. Always make sure your chicken reaches 165 degrees F to be sure its safe.
This looks so good! I’m new to IP. I love breasts and my husband loves a leg/thigh combo. Can they be cooked together without one getting over/under cooked? What about bone in? Can you do that in the IP too?
You can definitely cook them together! Make sure they’re similar sizes, otherwise one will overcook or undercook. Bone-in also works but requires more time.
I tried this recipe exactly as it was written, but it only cooked the outside of the meat. The inside was still frozen. Any suggestions?
Likely a longer cook time! A lot of the chicken breasts today are MASSIVE and require a little longer cook time. If you can (before freezing), try to pound out the chicken breasts and make them more even for a better cook throughout.
I am the world’s worst cook, what If I only have 2 chicken breasts
This recipe will be so easy for you, and if you only have 2 chicken breasts that’s fine. It will still cook for the same amount of time, just decrease the water a little!
There were so good and easy!! Very moist. Thank you!
So glad you liked them!