How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot

Knowing how to cook chicken breast in the Instant Pot is a real time saver. I love cooking several chicken breasts at once to use throughout the week. It makes meal prep so easy! Instant Pot chicken breast can be cooked from thawed or frozen, which is particularly handy when you forget to thaw your meat (this happens more than I’ll admit).

The Instant Pot makes perfectly cooked chicken every time. The pressure keeps it juicy, and it’s easy to shred, slice or leave whole. You can make this chicken in any pressure cooker by following the step by step instructions and tips below.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast: Boneless skinless chicken breast is my go to. Removing the skin removes a large percentage of the fat from chicken, and boneless makes the prep easier.
• Water: You can also use low sodium chicken broth for extra flavor.
• Seasonings are optional: I like to sprinkle breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. If you’re prepping chicken for a specific recipe you can add any seasonings you prefer.

How to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot

I see so many questions about how to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, and it’s so easy! Here’s how I do it:

1. Place one cup of water or broth in the bottom of the Instant Pot Insert
2. Add chicken to the bottom of the pot, being careful not to overlap too much. You can lean breasts along the sides of the pot too.
3. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and any other spices you prefer.
4. Close the lid and place the pressure valve in the sealed position.
5. Set your Instant Pot to Pressure Cook High:
   • For fresh chicken under 2 inches thick set cook time for 12 minutes.
   • For fresh chicken over 2 inches thick set cook time for 15 minutes.
   • For frozen chicken set cook time for 15 minutes.
   • Note: When cooking Instant Pot frozen chicken breast, the pot takes a bit longer to come to pressure. It’s cooking during that time, which is why there isn’t a huge difference in the amount of time the chicken cooks for.
6. Once cook time is complete, allow your pot to pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes (this means don’t touch the sealing valve–let it slowly release on its own) then quick release the remaining pressure by moving the valve from Sealing to Venting. Steam will spray out, so watch your hands and any cabinets on top of the pot.

Recipe Tips:

• Instructions and cooking times are for boneless chicken breasts. If you’re cooking bone in chicken breasts, cook for 8 minutes per pound of chicken.
• The key to cook frozen chicken breasts is to pull your chicken apart before adding to the pot. Often times chicken is not cooked through when it is all stuck together or stacked on one another. If this happens and your chicken isn’t cooked through after the timer goes off, simple pull your chicken apart and cook for a few more minutes. If you’d like, you can cut off the cooked pieces and remove them from the pot first to make sure it’s not overcooked.
• When cooking frozen meat, your pot will take longer to come to pressure. This is totally normal. If you’d like to hurry this process along a bit, add the liquid right away and turn your pot to saute while you’re pulling things out of the freezer and gathering spices.
• In addition to spices, you can add things like Rotel (diced tomatoes and chilies), salsa, green chilies, or jalapeños to the pot while the chicken is cooking. Sometimes the liquid in the pot will make the taste a little watered down, so another option is to cook the chicken with broth or water and after it’s cooked, add it to a bowl and shred it, then add your Rotel, salsa, or green chilies. Shredded chicken soaks up flavoring well, and none is watered down.
• Seasoning options for your chicken: While most of the time I cook the chicken in broth or water, sometimes I like to add seasonings on top of the chicken breast. I have a rotisserie chicken recipe with several different chicken seasonings to choose from or you could add something right from your spice cabinet like Italian seasoning or taco seasoning.

Healthy Eating Plans:

Chicken breast is a great staple for those trying to lose weight and eat healthier. Add it to salads, make dips from it, or eat it with veggies for a healthier protein boost.

• Weight Watchers: When using boneless, skinless, chicken breasts each 4 ounce (raw) serving counts as 0 Blue Plan Points | 2 Green Plan Point | 0 Purple Plan Points.
• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: Each 3/4 cup serving counts as 1 Red Container.
• 2B Mindset: In addition to this meat, fill your plate with 75% FFC for a complete breakfast. Fill your plate with 50% veggies and 25% FFC for a complete lunch, or add 75% veggies for a complete dinner.

Healthy Recipes you can use Instant Pot Frozen Chicken in:

• Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Burrito Bowl
• Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Instant Pot Boneless Wings
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken
• Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe

If you were wondering how to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, you might also be wondering about these basic items and pantry staples:

• How to cook frozen ground turkey in the Instant Pot
• How to cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot
• How to cook Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
• How to cook whole spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot
• How to cook Instant Pot Quinoa
• How to cook white rice in the Instant Pot
• How to cook brown rice in the Instant Pot