Instant Pot Recipes With Frozen Chicken Breasts
Soups:
Instant Pot Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice Soupa thick and creamy soup for mushroom lovers.
Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken Orzo SoupIts got cream cheese and avocados for creaminess and lots of flavor from diced green chiles and salsa verde. An easy dump and go recipe.
Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplingsa creamy chicken soup with dumplings and mixed vegetables. Make this classic dish quickly in your Instant Pot!
Pasta:
Instant Pot Chicken Pesto Pastawith only a couple ingredients and a couple minutes you can have an amazing pasta dinner!
Instant Pot Creamy Lemon Parmesan Chickenthe creamy sauce with this chicken is perfect with pasta!
Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti*the thing I make the most often in my Instant Pot! Love this soooo much.
Sandwiches:
Instant Pot Seasoned Shredded Chicken*perfect for meal prep!
*my family makes this one a lot!
What Pressure Cooker Do You Use?
Most of the time I use a 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings , and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Here Are Some Tips And Tricks For Cooking Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot:
- The exact cook time will depend on how large the chicken breasts are, although for me 10-12 minutes has always been plenty. This means that when I open up the pot they are well over the safe 165 degrees F. But Id rather be safe than have to go through the hassle of sealing it back up and letting it build the pressure back up.
- If youre in a rush, you can simply add water or chicken broth and season with salt and pepper, but feel free to get a little crazy with your seasonings here. Barbecue sauce, soy sauce, honey, different herbs and spices will all be fantastic
- All of my Instant Pot recipes are tested in the 6 quart Instant Pot with Bluetooth. The bluetooth is an unnecessary but handy tool because I can control the pot from my phone while Im out of the kitchen.
- If you want to jazz up your Instant Pot chicken breasts, try these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts and serve them with the sauce over pasta you wont regret it! You can also use frozen chicken to make this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice.
- Looking for an easy side dish to go along with it? Try my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese so easy and so quick!
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken In Pressure Cooker
If you are new to pressure cooking, check out my Instant Pot guide. It explains what happens, why and how to avoid failures.
If you dont have an Instant Pot yet but are thinking about buying one, I explain which Instant Pot to buy in my humble opinion.
Cooking time varies based on the size of your chicken AND Instant Pot.
Why? Because larger size Instant Pot has larger volume for more pressure to build up. Thus, it takes longer to bring pressure down.
Therefore, 8 quart pressure cooker keeps cooking chicken while bringing down pressure for 40 minutes vs. 6 quart that takes only 15 minutes.
For 6 quart Instant Pot:
- 4 lbs whole chicken 60 minutes.
- 5 lbs whole chicken 70 minutes.
For 8 quart Instant Pot:
- 4 lbs whole chicken 40 minutes.
- 5 lbs whole chicken 50 minutes.
- 6 lbs whole chicken 60 minutes.
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my most popular collection of 45 healthy Instant Pot recipes.
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How Long You Should Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot Or Other Pressure Cooker
- 6-8 ounces frozen chicken breast pressure cook for 8-9 minutes at high pressure, 10 minutes natural release, and release manually any remaining pressure.
- 9-10 ounces frozen chicken breasts pressure cook for 10-12 minutes at high pressure, 10 minutes natural release, and release manually any remaining pressure.
- 11-12 ounces frozen chicken breasts pressure cook for 13-15 minutes at high pressure, 10 minutes natural release, and release manually any remaining pressure.
Step Four: Cook On High Pressure According To The Cook Times Below
- The cook time will remain the same whether you have a small amount of chicken or a lot, but the time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure will increase the more chicken you have. The time it takes to come to pressure will also be longer if youre cooking frozen chicken.
The below cook times are based upon average weights. If your chicken is smaller, decrease the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes depending upon the extent of the size variation. If they are larger, increase the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes. When in doubt, error on the side of less time. You can always cook the chicken for longer, but once its overcooked , you cant reverse the process.
Recommended Reading: Are Instant Pot Lids Dishwasher Safe
Instant Pot Parts And Accessories
The first thing youll want to do is wash the parts of your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot lid, steam release valve and stainless steel inner pot are dishwasher safe however, I wash mine by hand. The base unit is not dishwasher safe never immerse the base unit in water.
Heres A Video Showing How We Made Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot And Then You Can Follow These Instructions To Make Electric Pressure Cooker Chicken Sliders With It After They Were Done
You can use your Instant Pot chicken to make soft tacos too!
And then lets try some Crockpot frozen chicken. A great way if youre batch cooking a lot all at a time.
Read Also: Can You Brown Frozen Ground Beef
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
Jodi / /
Did you know you can cook frozen chicken thighs in the instant pot in just 30 minutes? This simple pressure cooker chicken thighs recipe transforms frozen chicken into a hot and delicious meal in no time at all!
Do you ever have those nights when you realize that you forgot to plan ahead for dinner? This Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs recipe is going to be a life-saver! In under 30 minutes, you can transform frozen chicken into a hot & tasty dinner meal. Dont have an instant pot? Learn How to Boil Chicken Thighs with our simple tutorial for juicy tender chicken in just 45 minutes.
I tend to cook with chicken thighs because they are the most tender cut of chicken and far cheaper than chicken breasts. Plus, my kids prefer the juicy flavor of chicken thighs. For this recipe, I use bone-in chicken thighs but boneless chicken thighs could be substituted if you prefer.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Its a toss-up between this recipe and my Instant Pot Pulled Pork for the slot at favorite instant pot recipe youve gotta try both youre kids will love them! Serve either with these kid-friendly zucchini crisps and a batch of double chocolate brownies for dessert!
Will The Whole Chicken Fall Apart When I Remove It From The Instant Pot
If you are not using an Instant Pot Sling or a very large spatula to secure the bottom of the chicken, it will very likely begin falling apart when you remove it from the Instant Pot.
Ive only recently discovered the sling and have had more than my fair share of chicken break in half or lose a leg or wing on its way out of the Instant Pot. Its just that tender .
I personally think its fine if it begins to fall apart and I usually let it cool a bit on my cutting board and then use a fork, knife, and my fingers to remove the meat from the bones.
This is a very moist and tender chicken, so in all honesty, its unlikely youre going to be able to present a beautiful chicken on a platter and carve it in a traditional manner. Its much more like a rotisserie chicken than an oven-roasted chicken.
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
How to cook a whole chicken in an Instant Pot. This rotisserie-style Instant Pot whole chicken recipe is easy to make, even if you are a beginner with using your pressure cooker. Its perfect for Sunday dinner or to make ahead for quick meals throughout the week! Cook from fresh or frozen.
Out of all of the recipes that Ive cooked in my Instant Pot, this whole roast chicken might be my favorite. Its become a part of my weekly routine to make an Instant Pot whole chicken for dinner. Then I use the leftover chicken to make the best quick meals throughout the week! You can use your leftover chicken in salads, pastas, casseroles or sandwiches.
Recommended Reading: How To Convert Recipes To Instant Pot
How Do You Cook A Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
- I know that some people will say it doesnt take any longer to cook frozen meat in the Instant Pot than fresh, but that hasnt been my experience. I tested this recipe over and over again , from fresh and frozen, and it does require more time from frozen. The cook times I have found to be accurate are 8 minutes per pound fresh and 13 minutes per pound frozen. 12 minutes was close, but there were still undercooked spots.
- If you know you want to freeze the chicken, I recommend seasoning, removing any giblets from the chicken and tying the legs before freezing, so that you can toss the chicken into the Instant Pot without worrying about any of that.
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Does Cook Time Change If I Have A Smaller Or Larger Instant Pot
- No matter which size model Instant Pot you have, the number of minutes you select on the Instant Pot remains the same.
The capacity of each Instant Pot and the amount of time the differently sized pots take to come to pressure will vary, but youll always set it for the same number of minutes, regardless of its size.
If you have a different brand other than Instant Pot and are wondering how long to cook chicken in a pressure cooker, the times listed above should still be accurate for other electric pressure cooker models.
Recommended Reading: How To Defrost Ground Beef In Instant Pot
Best Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
The best instant pot chicken recipes are simple, easy, and quick. These recipes are packed full of flavor, tasty, and beginner-friendly.
Pressure cooker chicken recipes are quick and these ones are ready in under 25 minutes. They are budget-friendly, make use of few ingredients, and are family dinner-focused.
The chicken produced are packed full of flavor, and delicious. No bland or boring chicken here.
Chicken is high in protein, nutritious, and delicious which makes it a healthy meal option.
You will love these instant pot chicken recipes that are tried and trusted.
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What I love about Farmer Focus is that they are a company that supports their farmer partners and they are working hard to do things right and truly raise and produce the highest quality chicken! Every Farmer Focus product includes a 4-letter Farm ID that traces your chicken to the farm that raised it. Buying meat from Farmer Focus also gives me peace of mind that I am supporting hard-working family farmers.
Farmer Focus chickens are humanely raised and fed a diet free from animal byproducts, pesticides, and antibiotics. On their website you can see where all of the farms are located, so you know just where your chicken was raised! How awesome is that?!
You can also use their easy store locator to find where you can get this amazing quality chicken near you.
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How To Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken:
I know that this is such an easy recipe that most of you probably dont need tips on how to make shredded chicken, but there are a few things that I think are key so Im going to drop some hints anyway!
Do with them what you will
- Make sure you add enough liquid. The liquid is what makes for a tender, flavorful shredded or pulled chicken. Broth adds so much more flavor than water, and more liquid = more moisture in your chicken!
- Season well. You dont want to go overboard, but keep in mind that meat is best seasoned during the cooking process and not after . You will drain most of the liquid afterward, so you will not be consuming the full amount of salt, etc. as is listed in the recipe.
- Breasts or thighs? You can use either boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or throw some of each in all together! Thighs have a richer flavor, and breasts are leaner. You choose.
How To Make Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
Forgetting to thaw your meat the night before isnt a problem when you are using an Instant Pot.
You cannot put frozen chicken breast in a slow cooker because it cooks so slowly. The meat will stay in an unsafe temperature range for too long and risks developing dangerous bacteria.
However, in the Instant Pot, it heats very quickly. The entire process takes a shorter amount of time than cooking on the stove top or oven. That means you can put frozen meat directly in the Instant Pot.
Its an easy and hands-off way to go from frozen chicken to meal-ready protein in a short amount of time!
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Should I Use Natural Pressure Release Or Quick Release
NPR is when you let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally. The pressure will release slowly & the lid will unlock when the float valve drops completely. With QR, you manually turn the valve from SEALING to VENTING, which will let the pressure go quickly. Be cautious with QR because the steam will shoot out of the top.
For this recipe, I often use quick release because I do not want to wait for the natural pressure release. However, either release option will work.
Yes You Can Take Frozen Chicken Directly From The Freezer And Cook It In The Pressure Cooker Just Add Some Water Turn It On And Let It Cook Dinner Is On The Way
Featured in 11 Recipes to Make with Freezer Ingredients
Pressure cooking is convenient for so many things, and one place where it really shines is with frozen chicken.
If you keep frozen chicken breasts or thighs on hand, you can always have some protein ready in a pinch, making dinner prep that much easier.
Also Check: How To Convert Recipes To Instant Pot
Make Sure Breasts Are Separated
I cant stress enough how important it is to make sure your frozen chicken breasts are separated. Just like pictured below.
If you add a blob of frozen breasts stuck together, they will not cook inside and overcook outside.
Why Cook Chicken In An Instant Pot
- Its fast and easy!
- It keeps chicken moist instead of drying it out because its cooked with liquid .
- Makes meal prep super easy so you can prepare lots of chicken for a week of meals.
- Its a hand-off cooking method, so you dont have to constantly check if its done.
- You can cook frozen chicken fast, no thawing required.
- An easy way to cook chicken to prep for shredding or dicing.
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