Size Matters With Pressure Cooking
People often want to know if you have to double the cook time when you double a recipe in the Instant Pot. The answer is no.
However, the size of each individual chicken breast does matter. Larger chicken breasts will require a longer cook time than smaller chicken breasts because the thicker pieces take longer to cook through.
You can use a kitchen scale to find out the weight of your chicken breasts. Or, take the total weight of your package of chicken and divide it by the number of chicken breasts. For example, if your package of chicken weighs 1.5 pounds and contains 3 similarly sized chicken breasts, each breast weighs about 8 ounces.
Can You Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
While this tutorial focuses on cooking fresh chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, you can easily achieve the same results with frozen chicken breasts using this technique. Just make sure to add 5 additional minutes of cooking time when using frozen chicken breasts. And be sure the breasts are separated before cooking. For more details, learn step-by-step how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot.
How To Shred Chicken Breast
Once youve made your Instant Pot chicken breast, it should already be very tender. If the cooking time is right, it will be pretty easy to shred it. This is similar to a slow cooker method.
Of course, how long to cook chicken breast in a pressure cooker will vary depending on how big your chicken breasts are. This recipe is based on a typical 6-8 ounce size. If yours are larger, you will need to increase the time by a few minutes.
Getting the cook time right is important to be able to make shred chicken breast easily. If its too dry, it will be hard to shred. Obviously, you dont want to under cook it, either. To remove the guesswork for you, Ive repeatedly tested the pressure cooking times below for fresh and frozen chicken.
Other than the cook time, the pressure release mechanism will impact how easy it will be to shred your Instant Pot chicken. Natural release results in the most tender meat and the most effortless shredding, so use that if you can. At the very least, use the natural release for five minutes prior to using the quick release option.
After cooking, you can shred the chicken breast directly in the pressure cooker using two forks. Hold the piece of chicken steady with one fork, while pulling and tearing away the shredded pieces with the other fork. Repeat the process until all your chicken is shredded.
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How Long Should I Pressure Cook Chicken
How Long to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot. Boneless chicken breasts and thighs cook in the same amount of time just 10 minutes at high pressure will do it! Just be sure to arrange the meat in a single, even layer in the pot, as it cooks more evenly that way. It should reach about halfway up the chicken.
Our Favorite Instant Pot Supplies
- Kitchen Scale– A kitchen scale is a must to have for so many recipes in order to have accurate measurements. This is something that is often overlooked in recipes.
- Meat Thermometer– Having a meat thermometer is essential. I have gone through so many ‘inexpensive’ thermometers that I finally invested in a heavy duty digital thermometer from BBQ guys. It was so worth it!
- ;Instant Pot Inner Pot – I like to have an extra inner pot available because of how much cooking I do in my Instant Pot. It comes in handy when I want to put a lid on the inner pot and refrigerate the leftovers, or mix up ingredients the night before to save time at the end of the day.
- Silicone Lid for Instant Pot– I’m not sure how I lived without this one. Having a silicone lid for my Instant Pot has made life so much easier. It is perfect for adding ingredients a day or two ahead of time.
- 101 Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners-; If you are new to pressure cooking, this is a great ebook to get you started with basic recipes you will use over and over again.
Recommended Reading: How To Sterilize Bottles In Instant Pot
Do I Need To Use A Trivet
If you have the trivet that the instant pot comes with, it is best to cook the breasts in a layer on top of it. This will ensure the chicken is steamed and kept juicy instead of boiling in the liquid. But, if you are without a trivet, putting the chicken breasts directly into the liquid will work just fine, or you can make a rope of aluminum foil and use that as a make-shift rack on the bottom of the pot.
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
I love this recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breasts because;I can use fresh or frozen chicken, its completely hands off, and yields perfectly cooked chicken in about 25 minutes.
I love the ease of cooking chicken this way, and there are so many ways to enjoy it, like in chicken enchiladas, white chicken chili, or BBQ chicken pizza.
Have you tried cooking chicken breast in your Instant Pot yet? It is so easy and yields juicy chicken breast you can enjoy for dinner, meal prepping, or use in any recipes that call for cooked or shredded chicken. Once you try it, theres a good chance you wont go back!
For this recipe Ive simply seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper but you can add whatever seasonings or spices that will enhance the flavor of the dish you are preparing.
Read Also: Can You Cook Rice In Instant Pot
How To Cook A Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot:
Prepare Chicken: Separate the skin over the chicken breast using a spoon.
Set up Instant Pot: Place the trivet inside the instant pot and pour in 1 cup chicken broth. Add the chicken breast-side-up and stuff the cavity with garlic cloves and half of the squeezed lemon.
Make Butter Sauce: Combine melted butter with all of the seasonings. Pour half of the mixture under the skin and pour the remaining mixture all over the outside of the chicken.
Pressure Cook Chicken: Cover with the lid, set the lever to sealing position, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes per pound followed by 15-minute natural pressure release before manually releasing remaining pressure.
Broil for Crisp Browned Skin: Transfer chicken to a foiled lined baking sheet, season with more salt, pepper, and paprika and broil in the center of the oven 4-5 minutes or until the desired color is reached.
Instant Pot Recipe Binder
This awesome 30-page Instant Pot Recipe Binder Printable gives you everything you need and all in one place. It contains all sorts of easy-to-use tools and helpful information to give you a truly organized and easily accessible Instant Pot recipe collection. It Includes:
- 1 Instant Pot Recipes Binder Cover
- 1 Instant Pot Recipe Page
- 9 Recipe Category Cover Pages
- 7 Specialty Category Cover Pages
- 1 Kitchen Conversion Sheet
- 3 Inventory Sheets
- 2 Instant Pot Cooking Times Cheat Sheets
- 2 Pre-Filled Instant Pot recipes
- 1 Notes and Tips Page
Thank you for reading my IP Chicken Breast recipe post.;And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
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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.
How Much Instant Pot Chicken Can You Make
In general, I recommend making no more than four pounds at once, and definitely no more than five.
Five pounds of pressure cooker chicken breast was really pushing it, as it fills up the Instant Pot and it takes a long time to reach pressure. Besides, the chicken starts to cook unevenly if you put in too much, since the pieces sit on top of each other.
Stick with one to four pounds if possible, but if you really want to make five, that will still work just consider it the limit.
When you arrange the chicken in the Instant Pot, try to do so in one layer if possible. If youre making a lot of pressure cooker shredded chicken and cant get the raw chicken in one layer, just disperse it as evenly as you can. This will help it cook more evenly.
Also Check: Which Instant Pot To Get
Instant Pot Chicken Is So Easy
Cooking chicken in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot works similarly to poaching. The biggest difference is that you use less liquid and you can press a button and step away while the pot is doing its thing.
The chicken cooks in water, seasoned with salt, bay leaves, and garlic for a little bit of extra flavor. You can add any aromatic spices or vegetables to the water, really, depending on how you want to flavor the meat. Ginger and green onion would be nice if you plan to use the chicken on top of an Asian-style salad, for instance.
- New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timers Guide.
What Size Of Instant Pot Can I Use
Any 3 quart, 5 quart, 6 quart or 8 quart.
Same recipe. Same cooking time. Same water amount.
Just make sure chicken breasts fit in a single layer. If your Instant Pot is small and you want to cook large amount of breasts, do so in a few batches. Piling up chicken in a few layers will result in undercooked chicken.
Also note that larger pressure cooker take longer to come to pressure about 8-10 minutes.
Read Also: Are Instant Pot Lids Dishwasher Safe
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.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken And Gravy
Instant Pot Whole Chicken is the fastest way to cook a rotisserie chicken. Cooking Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot is so juicy and youll love the easy 3-ingredient chicken gravy made from the drippings.
We love the instant pot not just for the speed of making dinner, but because it comes together in one pot. One and done just like our Instant Pot White Chicken Chili and Instant Pot Chicken and Rice. Explore our best Instant Pot Recipes Here.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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Tips For The Best Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken:
- Cook the chicken for 6 minutes per pound and allow a 15-minute natural pressure release. Releasing the pressure gradually will ensure your chicken is fully cooked through and rested for the juiciest chicken. It also prevents foam from shooting out of the valve.
- Weigh the chicken to ensure the proper cooking time . Overcooking the bird will cause it to fall apart and will make it difficult to transfer.
- Make sure your chicken fits your instant pot size. Our 6 qt instant pot fits up to a 5 lb chicken. An 8 qt pressure cooker is better for the larger sized chickens.
- Use a Trivet for even cooking and to help remove the chicken from the instant pot.
- Broil the chicken for a crisp salty skin
- Do not discard the drippings they make the best gravy to pour over your chicken.
- Keep the carcass and bones for Instant Pot Chicken Broth.
Seasoning For Instant Pot Frozen Chicken
For my standard frozen chicken breast Instant Pot recipe, I use this seasoning:
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
This recipe will give you chicken that has flavor, but is not overpowering. If you know you are using the chicken in a specific dish, you can season the chicken to match that particular diash instead of using my suggestions.
If your goal is to have prepared chicken ready at all times to add protein to a meal, use this basic seasoning recipe and your chicken will go with anything.
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How To Thicken The Sauce In The Instant Pot
Instant Pot saute mode is one of my favorite features of this electric pressure cooker. After the chicken is done, remove it from the pot and turn your Instant Pot to saute mode. Make a cornstarch slurry by stirring together a mixture of cornstarch and water. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
It will take a few minutes for the heating element to cool down, so I recommend removing the inner pot from the Instant Pot base once the sauce is thickened. You can slice the chicken and stir it into the sauce, or drizzle the sauce on top for serving.
Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe
How many times have you come home and realized youve forgotten to pull the chicken from the freezer for tonights dinner? If youre like me, its way too many.
But since I discovered how to cook both frozen chicken breasts and/or fresh chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, those days are over.
It seems like all too often us recipe creators, aka food bloggers, get caught up in creating that totally unique recipe.
The recipe that intrigues.
The recipe that nobodys ever thought of before.
But the reality is, while those recipes are fun to bookmark and make every so often, its the basics for daily cooking that we really need.;Like how to cook the basic boneless chicken breast, and how to cook it fast.
Ive shared my recipes for the Best Grilled Chicken Breast and the Best Baked Chicken Breasts and you guys love them. So when I received requests for an Instant Pot version, how could I not oblige?
And once I started cooking chicken breasts STRAIGHT FROM THE FREEZER in my Instant Pot, I realized I needed to share with you how you can do the same.
So lets talk basics.
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How Long To Cook Chicken In The Instant Pot
Boneless chicken breasts and thighs cook in the same amount of timejust 10 minutes at high pressure will do it! Just be sure to arrange the meat in a single, even layer in the pot, as it cooks more evenly that way. It should reach about halfway up the chicken.
This timing works for a 1 1/2 to 2 pound batch of boneless chicken. If youre cooking more meat , increase the cooking time to 15 minutes to ensure that it is cooked through. For a smaller amount of meat , decrease the cooking time to 8 minutes.
How To Cook Chicken Breast In The Instant Pot
The first thing I suggest making in your brand new electric pressure cooker is hard-cooked eggs . The second? Basic chicken breast! This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.
Instant Pot chicken breast is also as ingenious for meal prep as it is for weeknight dinners. You can even cook frozen chicken breast this way while you figure out the rest of dinner. Ready for the simple steamed chicken breast technique youll use over and over again?
Read Also: How To Cook Brown Rice In Instant Pot
How Long Do You Pressure Cook Fresh Chicken Breast
The best cook time for boneless skinless fresh chicken breast in the Instant Pot is 6 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
Now again, if your fresh chicken breasts are on the smaller side, I would only do 5 minutes with a 10 minute NPR.
If they are larger than normal, then 7 minutes with a 10 minute NPR
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.
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