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.
Determine Cook Time Using Thickness Or Weight
One of the most important parts of cooking from frozen is determining the right cook time. This cook time will vary based on the size and thickness of the breasts, as well as whether you plan to slice or shred the finished chicken. When cooking from frozen, do your best to select chicken breasts that are similar in size and thickness.
To determine a cook time by thickness, for sliceable chicken, Ive had good success using 5 to 6 minutes of cook time per inch at the thickest part of the breast.
To determine a cook time by weight, use a food scale to determine how many ounces each breast is. For sliceable chicken, Im a big fan of the Rich Lum method, which recommends adding 1 minute of cook time for each ounce of chicken. If youre cooking multiple breasts, use the average weight.
For shredded chicken breasts, a good rule of thumb is add 3 to 4 minutes to the cook time above for shreddable chicken breasts.
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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How Many Different Ways Can I Cook My Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
I typically do my chicken breasts in one of many different ways.
Cooking Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
Using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot to cook any ingredientespecially when youre meal prepping nutritious meals is a time saving game changer.
Using a pressure cooker shaves off valuable hands-on cooking time, and unlike cooking on the stove top, theres no monitoring with a watchful eye for liquids boiling over, or turning the temp down, or even stirringinstead, cooking can be a completely hands-off affair.
But the real beauty of cooking chicken breasts in the Instant Pot is you can use either fresh or still frozen chicken breasts and literally toss them into the Instant Pot with no defrosting needed.
Thats why this method has been my whats for dinner meal saver more than once.
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How Long To Cook Instant Pot Chicken Breast:
- Dont overcook overcooked chicken breast is not anyones favorite thing, but is somewhat difficult to do in the Instant Pot because the steam provides such a moist environment for the chicken to cook in.
- Dont undercook undercooked chicken breast is just plain dangerous! Be sure to check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure its at least 165 degrees F.
- The exact cook time is going to depend on a variety of things, including the size and shape , and also the model of Instant Pot you have, as some run hotter or cooler. My recipes are tested in the 6 quart model with Bluetooth. Its important to take these these factors into consideration but I find a cook time of 8-10 minutes is always perfect and juicy for the chicken
Is It Safe To Cook Frozen Chicken In An Instant Pot
One of the good things about making this healthy chicken and rice dish is that you can start with frozen chicken. I know Im not the only one that forgets to let the chicken thaw in time for dinner.
Because frozen chicken can be cooked safely in an Instant Pot, its not a big deal to put it in with the rest of your ingredients and set the cooker. Putting frozen chicken in a slow cooker can be dangerous because it will sit at an incorrect temperature for far too long.
If you are using frozen, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then you will need to add some time to the cooking process, depending on how big the breasts are. For small chicken breasts, youll need to cook for about 11-12 minutes. For larger ones, youll increase the time to about 15 minutes.
You wont be able to brown the frozen chicken breasts as instructed in step 1, but thats okay. Your lemon chicken and rice dish will still be delicious, youll just miss out on some crispy brown chicken outsides.
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How To Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:
The process couldnt be easier. Thats one of the reasons why this recipe is included on my list of the best Instant Pot recipes for beginners!
You simply place your frozen breasts in the Instant Pot, along with one cup of water. Lock the lid and place the vent in the sealed position.
Use the Manual/Pressure Cook setting and select a 10-minute cook time .
While the chicken is cooking, you can prep any other ingredients you need for your meal.
After the cook time is finished, allow a natural pressure release. Natural releases help the meat have better texture. When the valve has dropped, voila!
Instant Pot Whole Chicken From Frozen
- You can safely cook a whole frozen chicken in your Instant Pot. I have included full instructions for cooking a frozen chicken in the recipe below. I prefer to cook my chicken from fresh, but in a pinch this method works well.
- You will need to skip the step of browning the chicken, since you cant sear frozen meat.
- You will only need half of the amount of spice rub called for in the recipe.
- Pressure cook a frozen chicken for 13 minutes per pound at high pressure, plus 15 minutes natural release.
- A 4 pound frozen chicken will take 52 minutes, a 4.5 pound frozen chicken will take 59 minutes and a 5 pound frozen chicken will take 65 minutes.
- Check that the chicken has reached a safe internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the leg, not touching the bone.
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Pressure Cook At High Pressure 0 Minute
Yes! You can pressure cook at 0 minute!
Were setting the pressure cooking time to 0 minute because were using the heat generated during the up to pressure AND depressurizing stages to cook the chicken breast.
Every time, make sure you measure the chickens internal temperature with an accurate Food Thermometer, and the thickest part needs to reach at least 165°F after resting.
What To Serve With Chicken Breast
Chicken is so universal. You can pair it with almost anything, which is why this recipe is great! It can be served as is or accompanied by your favourite side dishes. You can use these chicken breasts in a variety of different recipes such as quesadillas, casseroles, pastas, and more! Here are some side dishes that I love to pair with these instant pot chicken breasts:
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How To Make Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breasts
How Long Do You Cook Frozen Chicken In An Instant Pot
Press the poultry setting and set it to high pressure for 10 minutes. If you have more than two chicken breasts, let the pressure release for 5 minutes, then do a quick release.
For two chicken breasts, do a quick release 1-2 minutes after its done.
If for some reason your chicken is not cooked all the way through, place the lid back onto the Instant Pot and set to warm. After a few more minutes, it should be cooked completely.
After removing the chicken from the liquid, let settle for 3-5 minutes before shredding or slicing.
Its really that easy, scroll down to print this recipe!
> Have you made this chicken? If so, how it turned out for you!
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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.
How To Use Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Congratulations! You’ve got tender, juicy chicken breast that’s ready to use in this week’s meals. Rub a little butter and salt on your whole chicken breasts and reheat for an easy weeknight meal . Use cubed chicken in Chef John’s top-rated Spicy Chicken Noodles. Shredded chicken makes Mexican night a breeze when used in this Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup or Baked Chicken and Rice Chimichanga. Browse our entire collection of chicken recipes for more inspiration.
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How To Make Bone In Instant Pot Chicken Breast
For bone in chicken breast, I would first remove the skin. This is simply because the skin will not get crispy during pressure cooking, it will just remain flabby, so I remove it.
Making bone in chicken breast is really great because they are more juicy and flavorful, in my opinion.
For normal sized, fresh bone in chicken breast, I cook them for 13 minutes, followed by a 10 minute NPR.
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Is It Safe To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
Yes, as long as you do it correctly.
If you use the pressure cooking function not slow cooker and ensure that the chicken reaches the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it should be safe, Yule says.
Frozen chicken naturally takes longer to cook, because it first has to thaw out before the actual cooking process starts. Thats why the FDA warns against putting frozen chicken in a slow cooker, because it keeps the chicken in the bacterial danger zone for too long.
Pressure cooking, however, takes approximately 30 percent less time than traditional methods because it traps the moisture that would normally evaporate while cooking on the stovetop or in the oven.
This speeds up the chemical processes that happen during cooking, so your food reaches safe temperatures faster.
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How Do You Add Flavor To Your Instant Pot Chicken
You might like to try something different in your Instant Pot to add more flavor to your chicken. If so, instead of chicken broth in the pressure cooker try using one of these liquids instead:
- white wine I LOVE the flavor wine gives chicken.
- pineapple juice This would be amazing with Teriyaki sauce, vegetables and rice.
- orange juice Another great alternative if you dont have pineapple juice in the fridge.
- apple juice This is next on my list to try!
- tomato juice or V-8 This would be great for shredded chicken added to Italian or tortilla soup.
Can You Stack Chicken In The Instant Pot
Yes, you can definitely stack chicken in the Instant Pot. The only thing youll need to be wary of is to make sure each piece is seasoned well before you stack them on top of one another. Otherwise, you may have unevenly seasoned chicken. If youre planning to just shred the meat anyway, you often cant tell, but something to keep in mind when cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
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How To Cook Frozen Chicken Breast In Instant Pot
Cook frozen chicken breasts just like fresh but:
- For 15 minutes.
- Make sure each breast is separated.
If you add a blob of frozen chicken breasts, you will end up with raw meat inside and overcooked chicken outside.
When you bring fresh chicken from the store, line each breast with small piece of parchment paper before adding to a bag and freezing. Thaw for 5 minutes or run under cold water for easy parchment paper removal.
Check out my Instant Pot frozen chicken breast recipe for detailed info.
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Ingredients
I kept this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe super simple and didnt doctor up the meat with additional seasonings or sauces. I wanted you to have a basic Instant Pot chicken recipe so that you could easily use the cooked meat in any dish you desire.
With that said, heres what youll need to make pressure cooker chicken breasts:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Black peppercorns
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How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Breast
- Place chicken breasts in the inner pot of the instant pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Add in 1 cup pineapple juice or chicken stock and season with minced garlic or garlic powder.
- Place lid on instant pot and be sure vent knob is pointed towards sealed.
- Set pressure cooker to the cooking time based on the size of chicken breasts. NOT how many chicken breasts you are cooking.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release of pressure. This is key to keeping your chicken breasts tender–don’t be tempted to do a quick release of pressure.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the liquid and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving or shredding.
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Quick Tips
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