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Cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot is just about the easiest way to get dinner on the table! This method results in super flavorful, juicy, and tender chicken breasts that you don’t even have to thaw. Perfect for quickly cooking chicken for another recipe, too. Check out my recipe for Instant Pot frozen chicken thighs, too!
😍 What Makes This Method So Good
- We’ve all been there. Dinnertime rolls around, stomachs start growling. Suddenly, it hits you. You forgot to thaw the chicken for dinner. Don’t worry! 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.
- Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts (or frozen chicken thighs, if you’ve got those on hand) are fast and easy, and the chicken comes out perfectly cooked. Tender, moist, and juicy, not dry or tough or chewy. AND, because we’re pressure cooking, cooking perfect chicken only takes 10-15 minutes.
- The usefulness of this method doesn’t stop at mealtime emergencies. I like to intentionally use it for weekly meal prep (it just makes life so EASY) 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 break out my trusty Instant Pot.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- You’ll want to use an Instant Pot trivet here so the frozen chicken breasts sit up and out of the broth. Essentially they’ll be steamed, rather than boiled. 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 the chicken breasts you’re cooking. We’ve included a quick list of timing recommendations in the recipe card notes below. If you’re still unsure about the exact cooking time you need to use, 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.
- We tested and perfected our Instant Pot frozen chicken breasts method 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’s listed below. It’ll just take a little longer to fully pressurize before the cook time begins.
🥘 More Easy Recipes We LOVE
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Crockpot Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Pittsburgh Chicken Salad
- Marry Me Chicken Salad
- Air Fryer Tater Tots
- 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Dal
- Creamy Rotel Pasta with Ground Beef
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Italian Dressing Chicken
- Creamy Instant Pot Beef Pasta
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breasts
Cooking juicy, tender frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot be the easiest way to make dinner. No thawing needed!
servings
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
- Chicken Broth: Feel free to replace the chicken broth with pineapple juice, apple juice, vegetable broth, or other liquids depending on the flavor you’re looking for.
- Seasoning: You can season the chicken with anything you like. All-purpose seasoning, poultry seasoning, BBQ dry rub, Tony Chachere’s, salt & pepper, and any dry spice blend will work just fine.
- Internal Temperature: 165° Fahrenheit is the food-safe internal temperature recommendation for chicken. To prevent dry, tough, or chewy chicken breasts, we recommend you stop cooking when then internal temperature reaches 160°F and set the chicken aside to rest. The residual cooking during the rest time will bring the chicken to 165°F while keeping the chicken moist and juicy.
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
Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 265calProtein: 49gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 481mgPotassium: 857mgTotal Carbs: 1gFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.3gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 96IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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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How do you rub sasoning into a frozen hard chicken breast?
Hi, Carlyn! You can rub seasoning over each frozen chicken breast, and sprinkle the remainder on the tops and bottoms of each piece! I hope this helps! 😊
Cooked exactly at specifications for weight and they were still raw in the middle. 🤬
Hi, Sally! I’m so sorry you had disappointing results. I’d love to help troubleshoot this recipe if I can. Of course, all Instant Pots behave differently, which is why we always recommend you go by temperature and not cook time.
Just to confirm, you set the Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for the recommended cook time, then the Instant Pot pressurized, then the cook time began, then the cook time ended, and then you let the Instant Pot Natural Release for 5 minutes, and then you let the chicken rest 5 minutes? And they were still completely raw? It sounds like your Instant Pot may not have behaved correctly. Have you checked the sealing ring on the lid to make sure it’s in place correctly and not worn out?
Did you check the chicken with an internal thermometer after the Natural Release, as instructed? Were they between 160*-162* Fahrenheit internally after cooking? If not, did you put them back in the Instant Pot to cook longer? Also, did you let them rest 5 minutes after cooking? That step is imperative – they finish cooking during that time.
I hope you’ll give this one another try!
I get it! 10 mins total cook time seems short, right? That is what make this method of cooking so amazing. It takes a few minutes for the pot to get up to pressure, but cook time for 3-4 frozen breasts is 10 mins.
So glad you enjoyed it, Denise! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks so much for the simple things you do to be a huge blessing to folks you don’t even know!
I was late to the chicken. I had to pick my daughter up from school, and go directly to the chiropractor with my son. Rush hour traffic entered into the equation, and it was already 5pm before we got home.
You saved the day. 🙂
By the way, I used six big breasts. I used a grocery, but I stood the breasts up on end so that five breasts landed against the walls of the insta pot liner pan. Then, with a couple strips of bacon, I made a barrier between the pan and the leaning breasts. One more chicken breast stood upright in the center. The bacon prevented the leaning breasts from sticking to the side of the insert. Once that was arranged, I sprinkled McCormick Grill Mates Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning over the standing breasts. I used the manual setting for 14 minutes and natural steam for . I could have done a minute less on manual, in home sight. The result was still juicy and flavorful!
So glad you loved the chicken, Sharon! Thanks for sharing! 😊
So I’m a little confused. When you say cook time or let’s say 10 minutes. Do you mean 10 minutes x the number of breasts? Or do you mean 10 minutes total for all 3 chicken breast?
Sorry, but the way it’s worded is just confusing for me. But I am very new to cooking and using the pot too.
Hi, Josh! No worries! I totally see how we worded this in a confusing way – I’ll get that updated so it’s more clear!
The cook time is based on cooking all 3 chicken breasts together. So, if you’re cooking 4 chicken breasts that each weigh 6 to 8 ounces, we recommend a cook time of 10 minutes. If you’re cooking 4 chicken breasts that each weigh 12 ounces, we recommend a cook time of 14 minutes.
Once you secure the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to the pressure and cook time you want, the Instant Pot will pressurize before the cook time actually begins. Pressurizing can take a few minutes, and that’s not factored in to the cook time. The 10-minute (or 14, etc.) cook time won’t start until the pot is pressurized.
I hope that makes sense! Don’t hesitate to ask any other questions you might have!!
What if I am doing 8 breast at 9 to 10 oz frozen weight.
Hi, Angelia! We would suggest 20 minutes for that amount of chicken. Just keep an eye on the internal temperature of the chicken as you cook- 165° Fahrenheit is the food-safe internal temperature recommendation for chicken. Be sure to let us know if you try it! 😊
It’s very easy steps I don’t understand what is the confusion but I get it and I’m gonna try this recipe sounds delicious thank you
Let us know how you like it, Marilu!
Is there an alternative if I don’t have a trivet? I’m ordering one but would like to make this tonight. Can I up the broth to avoid burning or otherwise do something in lieu of the trivet?
You should be able to place the chicken directly in the pot without a burn notice, yes. The trivet keeps the chicken up out of the broth so it steams rather than boils!
Thank you! We wound up making something else and my trivet arrived today so I’m going to give it a shot tonight!
How did it go with the trivet?
The cooked chicken does not match the recipe. You said just salt and pepper but it looks like there’s some red pepper flakes and some green stuff on the chicken.
Hi! That’s the all-purpose seasoning that you’re seeing in the photos. The ingredients list for this recipe calls for “1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning or salt and pepper”. You can use 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning, or you can use 1 tablespoon total of salt and pepper.
Hope this helps!
My instapot didn’t come with a trivet, but it looks to be nonstick. And where can you get a trivet?
You should be able to find it on Amazon!
What is the purpose of the trivet? I see some recipes call for it, others don’t. Why do you use it?
This helps keep the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the insert and burning. It also helps the steam and heat moving around the chicken to ensure it’s cooked thoroughly in this pressurized environment.