Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
If you have an Instant Pot, then you probably already know that it is the little machine that can. It has literally transformed the way that so many of us cook , but I think that my favorite thing about the Instant Pot to date is the fact that it can cook meat from frozen.
Being able to cook a protein from frozen means that if I forget to move my frozen chicken from the freezer to the fridge to start thawing before I leave for work , dinner doesnt have to be completely scrapped for takeout! Instead, I can come home, pop that frozen chicken right into my Instant Pot, and continue on with my dinner plan.
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.
Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Legs
But wait there is more!! Want to make Instant Pot frozen chicken legs too? The kids usually say this is their favorite part of the bird so why not?
We have a few more ideas for you here though if you want to start meal planning for the week:
- If youre looking for how to cook Instant Pot frozen salmon, we have done that too!
- Want to cook a frozen roast in Instant Pot too? Seriously this is a game changer too. So tender in very little time.
- Frozen pork loin in Instant Pot instructions are here.
If you just got your device you can read more about how to use an Instant Pot here. Then go to my Instant Pot recipes tab and try a few of my dishes. I only cook easy meals so do not be intimidated.
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Can You Put Frozen Meat In The Instant Pot
Yes, definitely you can! I do this with all kinds of meat and guess what? Its safe! Why? Because the Instant Pot warms the meat fast enough so that it doesnt start to develop bacteria growth on it. Of course, youll want to add cook time if youre using a regular recipe that doesnt call for frozen meat. Typically I add about 5 minutes per pound of meat. If youd like to see how you can do this with Frozen Ground Beef, watch this video here.
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What To Do If Chicken Is Undercooked
For any cut of chicken, you need to verify that the inside of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to verify that the chicken is fully cooked.
If your chicken is almost, but not completely cooked when you open the lid, put the lid back on the top of the pot and let it sit for an additional 2-3 minutes. The heat trapped inside the Instant Pot will finish cooking the chicken.
If your chicken is very under-cooked , you can set the Instant Pot to 2 minutes high pressure and then do a quick release. This will help the chicken finish cooking the rest of the way.
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Is Pate Ok To Eat After Use By Date
It is usually safe to consume food after the use by date has passed, but it is best to avoid pre-packaged foods which are more likely to be past their expiration dates.
Pate is a type of food that can be eaten after the use by date has passed, but it needs to be refrigerated and consumed promptly.
If you are unsure about whether your pate is still edible, you should avoid eating it.
What Substitutions Should I Use To Make A Healthier Asian Sauce
If you are trying to avoid soy for medical reasons or personal reasons, you are definitely not alone. The growing number of individuals with soy allergy is growing like bananas on a tree . Luckily we dont need to worry about it affecting our favorite Asian recipes because coconut aminos will do the job just fine!
I also substitute the oil option for thistoasted sesame oil and if an acid ingredient is required for the recipe, I use brown rice vinegar.
Another common ingredient in Asian recipes is brown sugar. In my opinion a lot of times a recipe does not need a sweetener at all but when it does I use either honey or maple syrup.
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How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Pressure Cooker
This chart details cooking times for different types of frozen chicken parts. For best results, use a maximum of two pounds of meat, frozen in individual pieces, place it in the pot in a single, even layer, and use at least one cup of liquid.
- Boneless skinless breasts: 15 minutes on high, quick or natural release
- Boneless skinless thighs: 20 minutes on high, quick or natural release
- Bone-in skin-on breasts: 25 to 30 minutes on high, natural release
- Bone-in skin-on thighs: 25 to 30 minutes on high, natural release
- Wings: 20 minutes on high, natural release
- Drumsticks: 25 minutes on high, natural release
How Long To Cook Frozen Whole Chicken
The time it takes to cook a whole frozen bird in the Instant Pot depends on its weight, according to Yule.
But a good rule of thumb is to cook a frozen whole chicken for 10 minutes per pound. For example, a 4-pound frozen chicken will take 40 minutes in the Instant Pot on high pressure.
Allow for natural pressure release once cooking is done dont turn the steam release valve.
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Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Tenders
Instant pot frozen chicken tenders cook up lickety-split and I know will become a recipe you use time and time again for salads, casseroles, soups, and other meal favorites.
Start by pouring 1 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the instant pot or pressure cooker. You wont need to insert your rack for this recipe.
If I was using fresh chicken Id add a little more liquid, but since these are frozen you only need 1 cup of broth.
Definitely do not use less than 1 cup of broth since thats the minimum needed to allow your pressure cooker to create the steam and pressure needed to properly cook the chicken.
Add the frozen chicken tenders to your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, I love to use long-handled rubber tip tongs for the job.
You might also hear these called chicken tenderloin and those terms can be used interchangeably.
Turn your Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure cook .
Close and tighten the pressure cooker lid and cook the chicken for 6 minutes on high.
Once the cooking time is done, do a natural release for 5 minutes and then remove the lid.
Remove the chicken tenders from the Instant Pot and let it cool slightly before slicing or shredding the chicken.
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Cook the chicken as the recipe directs.
- Once cook time has elapsed and pressure has been released, remove the chicken breast from the instant pot and place it into a large mixing bowl along with ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Shred the chicken, using two forks, a handheld mixer at medium speed, or a stand mixer at low speed. Alternatively, you can shred the chicken right in the inner pot of your instant pot using 2 forks or a handheld mixer.
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Crispy Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
When I buy frozen chicken thighs, they always come bone in and skin on. In fact, we have to drive to Spain if we want boneless and skinless.
But as you know the instant pot is a pressure cooker, not an air fryer and if you want delicious crispy chicken thighs in the instant pot, then you will need a Mealthy Crisplid, or a similar product.
How it works is that you place the air fryer lid over your instant pot and it makes your chicken thighs skin lovely and crispy.
But to achieve the wonderful crispy skin you will need to add ingredients to the top of your chicken thighs. I prefer honey and garlic, but the honey will blacken your chicken thighs like you see below:
Instead, if you go with a balsamic, garlic and olive oil marinade then you keep a crispy chicken thigh colour without the dark look. It just depends how you prefer your chicken thighs!
How To Store Instant Pot Chicken
- Leftover cooked, shredded, or diced Instant Pot chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight.
- Shredded Instant Pot Chicken is IDEAL for meal prep. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, divide into individual containers, then use it all week long.
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Why Instant Pot Frozen Chicken
You wont believe how perfectly moist and delicious frozen chicken turns out when you cook it in your Instant Pot!
When you know how to cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot, you can stock up on chicken breasts when they are on sale and freeze them for later. When youre ready, you can cook the chicken from frozen, without defrosting it first. It is so quick and easy!
Instant Pot chicken breasts are one of my favorite foods to meal prep for the week. I cook a batch of chicken breasts in my Instant Pot to use for quick lunches and dinners throughout the week. This way I can put together healthy meals when Im short on time.
Ive rounded up 28 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes to give you even more ideas of what to cook for dinner!
You might also like to try these easy recipes that are perfect for make ahead food prep: Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs, Instant Pot Black Beans and Instant Pot Quinoa.
Pressure Cooker Frozen Chicken Wings From The Typical Mom
This is how you make tender and delicious pressure cooker frozen chicken wings! Makes a great appetizer or dinner in your Instant Pot using your favorite barbecue sauce. Wings are the best finger food we say and with this trick you can make them often. From freezer to dinner in less than 30 minutes!
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Do You Need To Double The Cook Time For A Double Recipe
If you would like to double an Instant Pot recipe, you may double the ingredients . You do not need to double the cook time.
However, you may need to adjust the cook time based on the size/width of meat and vegetables. For example, a small 8 ounce chicken breast will cook faster than a large 12 ounce chicken breast and a small sweet potato will cook faster than a large sweet potato. Read all recipes and directions carefully to determine how long to cook your food.
What If My Chicken Isnt Cooked To 165 Degrees
After you release the pressure and open the pressure cooker, be sure to check for doneness. The best way to do this is with a meat thermometer.
If your chicken breast isnt at 165 degrees, you can place the lid back on the Instant Pot and cook on high for another couple of minutes to finish cooking the chicken to the right temperature.
It wont take long since the Instant Pot is already warmed up.
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Defrosting Chicken In Your Pressure Cooker
This is my very favorite way to quickly take chicken breasts from frozen to recipe-readyI use this method at least once a week!
If your recipe calls for diced, thawed chicken, but you didnt defrost the chicken breasts in advance, theres an easy fix! Pour 1 cup water into your pressure cooking pot and place a trivet in the bottom. Balance the frozen chicken breasts on the trivet, stacking crosswise if necessary. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 1 minute cook time.
When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a quick pressure release. Remove the chicken from the pot, dice it into small pieces, and continue with the recipe as directed.
Use an instant-read thermometer to verify each chicken breast is at least 165°F in the thickest part of the breast after cooking.
With this method, the chicken will cook a little bit on the outside, but the inside with be thawed, easy to dice, and ready to use in your favorite pressure cooker recipes. You can also use this method to thaw your chicken breasts and then coat the breasts with your favorite barbecue sauce and grill them on the barbecue.
Use this technique with your favorite diced chicken recipes:
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
The cook time for boneless, skinless chicken breasts depends on the weight and thickness of the chicken breasts. Bone-in chicken will take longer to cook. Always cook chicken at high pressure.
The Instant Pot will take longer to reach pressure when you are cooking frozen foods as compared to non-frozen foods. When the contents of the pot are cold it takes longer to heat up and pressurize. So frozen chicken gets a few extra minutes of cook time while the pot comes to pressure.
When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook during this time.
Here are the estimated cook times for different sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- small frozen chicken breasts cook 11-12 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
- medium frozen chicken breasts cook 13-14 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
- large frozen chicken breasts cook 16 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
It is always good practice to use an instant read thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken has reached a safe 165 degrees F.
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Ways To Serve Instant Pot Chicken
Now that you have a quick and easy method of cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, you can make your meal prep even easier. Having big batches of chicken already prepared will cut down on the amount of time it takes you to make any meal.
You can easily add protein to your lunch dish.
Keep chicken cooked and ready for any of these meal ideas:
- Salads
- Chili
How To Calculate Cook Time For Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Recipes
If you are trying to convert an instant pot recipe to an instant pot frozen chicken recipe, my advise is to increase the cook time by 50%. Although it has been said that the chicken will defrost as the pot is pressuring, I have not always found that to be true.
With the super short cook times , I have had bad luck with opening my pot to find undercooked chicken. That is not what you want to see come dinner time!
All of the recipes on this list from Aileen Cooks include instructions for both thawed and frozen chicken, with a 50% increase in cook time for frozen chicken breast. Since you are cooking under pressure and using liquid, I am less worried about dry chicken and am okay with cooking it a little longer.
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How To Make Fresh Chicken Thighs In An Instant Pot
Cooking perfect Instant Pot chicken thighs is a no-brainer. Check out the recipe overview below:
- Trim and Season Chicken: Trim any excess fat and skin from your chicken thighs. Massage the seasoning all over the thighs until they are completely coated.
- Brown the Chicken and Onions: On the sauté setting, brown the outside of the chicken thighs. Remove the chicken. Cut onion into half rings and sauté in the brown bits leftover from browning the chicken.
- Pressure Cook Chicken: Return the chicken to the Instant Pot, nestling the thighs on top of the onions. Seal and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Allow the chamber to have a natural release for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
How To Make Juicy Boneless Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot.
I also think their texture is best when you quickly release the pressure, rather than letting it naturally release.
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Instant Pot Chicken Wings From Frozen
Published: by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links
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Entertaining for a crowd, but forgot to thaw the chicken wings? No worries you can make my easy recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen in about 30 minutes time!
The big game is this weekend. How can that possibly be? Whether your staying in or heading to a friends house my Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen recipe is going to have your crowd cheering for more! My husband told me these were the best fall-off-the-bone wings he has ever had . Im diving deeper with my love for my Instant Pot this year and working on quite a few basics recipes.
