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!

Prep: 10

Cook: 15

Total: 25

Yield:4 servings

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

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 into 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.

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.

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.