Today I am going to share how to Cook Frozen or Fresh Chicken in the Instant Pot and it will change your life! Seriously this makes having tender juicy chicken for recipes so easy!!
Do you have an Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker)? I got one for Christmas last year and I am slowly learning how to use it more and more. I have to admit, that I was a bit intimidated by it at first. It seemed complicated, but I have found that it really is simple to use and so helpful. Pressure cookers have always scared me a little, but the Instant Pot is so well made, safe and super easy to use. I love it! One of my favorite things to make is chicken. When I get home from the store, I will dump in a bag of frozen chicken breasts and start it cooking, then by the time the groceries are put away it is done and ready to shred! Boom! The chicken comes out moist, perfectly tender and ready for my dinner recipe prep! It could not be easier. I take what I need for dinner and put the rest in the freezer for another night.
This is not a sponserd post for Instant Pot, but I do recommend it. Last year around Christmas they were on sale on Amazon and this year I saw one for sale at Costco. I am going to start posting more Instant Pot recipes since I am using it more. For example, you can have a pot roast done, tender and falling apart in around 30 minutes! Very nice, huh?! You may want to put it on your Christmas list for Santa:) This is the 6 quart one that I have here.
Some of my favorite recipes for using precooked chicken is Cream Cheese Chicken Soup Chicken Taquitos, Honey Lime Enchiladas, Fantastic Chicken Tortilla Soup, Green Chicken Curry, or even this fantastic Chicken Pesto Pizza.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot (moist and tender in 10 minutes)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs frozen chicken (5–6 chicken breasts)
- 1 cup water, chicken broth or try pinappe juice or salsa for part of the liquid
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1–2 teaspoons minced garlic*optional
- Other seasonings as desired (mexican, italian, indian, asian etc)
Instructions
- Spray the Instant Pot insert with cooking oil for an easy clean up.
- Place the chicken in the pot, and then I season generously with salt and pepper and any other seasonings depending on the recipes I plan to use it for.
- Pour 1 cup of liquid (water, broth, juice or salsa) around the sides of the chicken in the pot.
- Make sure the sealing ring (inside the lid) is in position.
- Place the lid on the pot and set to the lock or seal.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the MANUAL setting for 10-12 minutes. If the chicken is not frozen, 5-6 minutes will work. This is personal preference of how you like your chicken. I use a 6qt size Instant Pot and I like to do 10 minutes for frozen or 5 for fresh.
- Now press the MANUAL button to start the cooking process.
- When the timer goes off, the pressure can be released manually by turning the valve on top of the to the VENTING position (be careful to not have your face close while the steam is releasing), or you can simply let the pressure naturally release for about 10-15 minutes before removing lid.
- Now you can remove chicken from the pot, shred or chop and use as needed or freeze for later use.
I only use boneless I am not sure with bone in breasts but I assume it would be similar. And no it doesn’t matter if they are stuck to gather frozen,
Melanie, do the chicken breasts have to be boneless? I assume they are skinless, and do you separate the pieces of frozen chicken before adding them to the Instant Pot? One last thing, Would there be a different time allotment for other cuts of chicken?
I am so glad that you like it! Thanks for letting me know! xo
This is a great way to quickly cook chicken to use in other recipes. Thanks! I keep going back to this and decided to comment this time and say thanks! This is great!
Thanks for the recipe.
Going to make this dish in the upcoming days.
Hi Becky,
The recipe is for 3 pounds, so I would cut down on the water but probably not the cooking time.
I have 1 1b of frozen chicken tenderloins. Do I change the amount of water or cooking time?
I would be happy to answer any questions you have! You can email me at melandboys@gmail.com.
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You didn’t follow her recipe at all. Try it her way. Less water; no bowl. If ANYthing, consider using the trivet that came with it… and don’t cut or beak apart until it’s done.
You didn’t follow her recipe at all. Try it her way. Less water; no bowl. If ANYthing, consider using the trivet that came with it… and don’t cut or beak apart until it’s done.
2 lbs frozzen chicken breast, broken apart, 3 cups water in bottom. Chicken in bowl above water. 10 mins in my duo 8 at n r steam 10 min. Still raw in middle, 50%, i put it back in for same settings.
2 lbs frozzen chicken breast, broken apart, 3 cups water in bottom. Chicken in bowl above water. 10 mins in my duo 8 at n r steam 10 min. Still raw in middle, 50%, i put it back in for same settings.
It took me awhile to really start to use it too! I will start sharing my favorite Insta Pot Recipes from here on out!! xo
It took me awhile to really start to use it too! I will start sharing my favorite Insta Pot Recipes from here on out!! xo
I’m so excited for more Instant Pot recipes! I got one awhile ago and am just now really starting to use it. Your recipes are always winners, so I’m definitely looking forward to your Instant Pot ones! I’m grateful for the easy ones–like this chicken one. Might be no-brainer for lots of people, but not me ha ha. I’ll be shopping today and will definitely do this to have chicken ready for later! 🙂
I’m so excited for more Instant Pot recipes! I got one awhile ago and am just now really starting to use it. Your recipes are always winners, so I’m definitely looking forward to your Instant Pot ones! I’m grateful for the easy ones–like this chicken one. Might be no-brainer for lots of people, but not me ha ha. I’ll be shopping today and will definitely do this to have chicken ready for later! 🙂