Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Recipes
Cooking frozen chicken in the Instant Pot is so easy that you will forget to thaw on purpose. Juicy and tender chicken can be added to any meal, so its perfect to have on hand. Weve put together a selection of Instant Pot frozen chicken recipes for those times when you want to use up your freezer stash.
How many times have you come home after a long day at work starving? Only to find that the chicken is still in the freezer!!! Dont be so quick to give in and order a pizza. You can still have an amazing meal in less than an hour thats better for you and your family than fast food. It is so easy with the Instant Pot that you will start to forget to thaw on purpose.
Fresh chicken has a short storage window so many busy households rely on a bag of frozen chicken which lasts longer and is very convenient. Quick-frozen right off the line, as opposed to putting fresh chicken into the freezer ensures more tender chicken and preserves the freshness of poultry. It is frozen at the peak of freshness. There is no nutritional difference between fresh or frozen chicken, so why not stock up for those busy nights.
Tip: If you buy family-size packages of fresh chicken, divide them into smaller portions as soon as you get home from the grocery store before freezing. So when you are in a pinch to cook from frozen you wont have to struggle to break apart the pieces.
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How Much Liquid Do I Put In My Pressure Cooker
When you use a pressure cooker, you need to have enough liquid in the pot for it to come up to pressure and cook the food properly. The rule of liquids in pressure cooking is to always add at least 1 cup of liquid unless the recipe states otherwise. The liquid will help create enough steam to cook the meal.
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How Do I Use A Pressure Cooker
Cooking with a pressure cooker in 6 easy steps: Add food & liquid in the pot. Close lid, ensure valve is at the correct position. Select pressure setting. Electric pressure cookers: select cooking program and time. Wait for the pressure to build up inside the pot. Starts cooking under pressure. Release pressure.
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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.
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In The Instant Pot
Alright, Ill give you the straight up answer right off the bat. But please take the time to read our hard-earned lessons weve learned about cooking freezer meals and frozen food in the Instant Pot below, k?
After adding 1 cup of chicken broth or water to the Instant Pot here is how you cook frozen chicken thighs:
1-2 Pounds Frozen, Boneless Chicken Thighs: Cook at high pressure for 15-20 minutes with a quick release
2-3 Pounds Frozen, Bone-In Chicken Thighs: Cook at high pressure for 17-22 minutes with a quick release
Id recommend adding salt and pepper to add much-needed flavor to the chicken.
You can also add a more complex seasoning like in our recipe below. To make Instant Pot chicken thighs even more delicious, broil them on a sheet pan for a few minutes after they cook to get the skin crispy.
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Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
The best Instant Pot chicken recipes to make dinner quick, easy and delicious! From healthy Instant Pot chicken breast recipes and Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes, to how to cook frozen chicken in your Instant Pot, this list of Instant Pot chicken recipes has it all!
Your Instant Pot can cook the best moist, tender and juicy chicken breasts and chicken thighs.
You know how when you cook chicken breasts in your slow cooker they tend to fall apart and often have that slow cooker taste? That is not the case at all with Instant Pot chicken!
Chicken breasts cooked in an Instant Pot will hold their shape and are perfect for slicing. Unless you cook them for a really long time, of course. In that case you are making shredded chicken.
If you are looking for new ways to cook chicken in your Instant Pot, youre going to love the Instant Pot chicken recipes in this roundup! Ive included my favorite simple Instant Pot chicken thighs recipe and my most popular Instant Pot chicken breasts recipe. There are one pot casseroles and soups, plus recipes for the basics like shredded chicken for meal prep.
You are going to want to add so many of these delectable Instant Pot chicken recipes to your collection. Theyre simple, easy, and many of them are healthy.
Cooking Tips For Instant Pot Frozen Chicken
- Be sure to add the 1 cup of liquid to the Instant Pot. Pressure cooking requires liquid to create steam and pressure in the pot, which cooks your food.
- If you plan to shred your cooked chicken, add some of the cooking liquid and follow my tips for how to shred chicken.
- It is not recommended that you freeze food more than once, so if you cook chicken breasts from frozen you should not re-freeze the cooked chicken.
- Cooked chicken will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Always be sure to turn the steam release valve to the sealing position when pressure cooking in your Instant Pot. Forgetting to do this is a common mistake.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
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How Do I Make Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
I was curious to see how easy it would be to go from frozen to juicy chicken in my fancy electric pressure cooker.
So I did a little experimenting before making my 3 ingredient Instant Pot shredded chicken this afternoon. It turned out great for that!
- I first cooked these four breasts in the Instant Pot you see here that were bought frozen. I added a bit of chicken broth for 12 minutes and they turned out well.
From there I shredded them. Then, drained the broth and added the ingredients I needed to make my shredded chicken recipe. I put it back on low for 5 minutes just to let it soak in the juices. Done!
- Next I used just 2 frozen chicken breasts that I had bought fresh and then were frozen.
12 minutes was too long and they turned out dry. I tried again for just 10 minutes and that was just right!
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 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!
Why Youll Love Making Instant Pot Chicken Legs
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How Long Does It Take To Cook Drumsticks In The Instant Pot
Chicken drumsticks cook in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes on high pressure with a quick release for fresh and 12 minutes with a quick release for frozen chicken.
I made some yesterday that I had thawed out for about a day and were still semi-frozen. I did them for 11 minutes and they turned out perfectly. A quick release doesnt dry these out, in my experience.
What To Do If Your Chicken Is Not Cooked
If your chicken is less than 165 degrees F when you check it after cooking, cook it for another 1-2 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will come to pressure much more quickly the second time since it is already hot. Remember to close the lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
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Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
This instant pot chicken drumsticks recipe is about to be your favourite. Like my Instant Pot Chicken Wings recipe, It’s ready in 30 minutes which makes it quicker than stovetop or oven method. For oven method chicken drumsticks and chicken legs recipe check my orange baked chicken and easy baked chicken legs.
I also have the best Air fryer chicken drumsticksrecipe on the blog. Do check it out.
For this chicken drumsticks recipe, you can use fresh or frozen chicken drumsticks, skinless or skin on chicken drumsticks. I have also included variation such as instant pot buffalo chicken drumsticks and barbeque chicken drumsticks in instant pot. You can use just the instant pot for cooking the chicken or finish it off by broiling in the oven for few minutes to get crispy skin. Whichever method you use, i promise you perfect chicken drumsticks.
One of the beauty of instant pot pressure cooker is that you don’t have to wait around while it’s doing the cooking, you can go about the house doing other things and when chicken is cooked, the pressure cooker beeps to alert you. Cooking chicken legs in instant pot pressure cooker is easy and simple. It also produce flavourful, moist and tender meat.
For this recipe, I used my instant pot duo 7 in 1 6 quart. You can make this recipe in any of the instant pot pressure cooker or other electric pressure cookers like Pressure king pro and ninja foodie.
Let me show you in easy steps how to make Instant pot chicken drumsticks.
Can You Stack Chicken In Instant Pot
Absolutely you can stack chicken in the Instant Pot. Just make sure that you avoid stacking too large of pieces together, especially frozen. This creates somewhat of an iceberg that is thicker will take longer to cook.
You may end up with some pieces that are cooked or overcooked, and some that are raw if they are touching! I like to stack them to allow as much air flow as possible around each individual piece so they cook evenly.
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How To Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
How to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot: This is the best way to cook frozen chicken! Read on for all of the tips and tricks you need to make perfectly juicy chicken breasts in your pressure cooker, every time.
Even the most organized person can forget to plan ahead. If you need to get dinner on the table fast but forgot to take your chicken out of the freezer, your Instant Pot is going to be your best friend.
You can safely cook frozen meat in an Instant Pot because pressure cooking cooks foods quickly. Unlike a slow cooker, in which frozen food may stay in a dangerous temperature range for too long, the Instant Pot can quickly bring frozen food to a safe temperature.
Before getting started, read my Instant Pot Guide for my tips on how to use an Instant Pot.
How To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In An Instant Pot
To cook frozen chicken thighs in your Instant Pot, first make sure that the chicken thigh pieces are separate and not frozen together. This will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly.
Skip the step of browning the chicken on sauté mode. Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot and place the metal trivet in the inner pot. Put the chicken thighs on top of the trivet.
Since the spice rub wont stick well to frozen chicken, I recommend sprinkling half of it on the top of the chicken thighs after you place them on the trivet. After cooking you can add a little more seasoning and then brown the meat if you wish.
Cook frozen chicken thighs on high pressure for 15 minutes and then do 5 minutes of natural pressure release. You may want to brown the cooked chicken thighs under the broiler in the oven for a few minutes. Or, you can pour the water out of the Instant Pot and brown the cooked chicken thighs on sauté mode for a few minutes.
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Is It Ok To Cook Frozen Chicken Drumsticks
According to the USDA, yes, you can safely cook your frozen chicken, as long as you follow a couple general guidelines. In order to skip the thawing step and turn your frozen chicken into a fully-cooked, safe -to-eat dinner, use your oven or stove top and simply increase your cooking time by at least 50%.
Preparing Frozen Chicken For The Instant Pot
The Instant Pot relies on moisture for cooking, so you need to make sure you include some with your chicken. Simply add a cup of liquid to the inner pot before adding your chicken and spices.
To enhance the flavor you are going for, Id recommend cooking it in the juice, says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD. For instance, if you want a pineapple chicken, substitute a portion of the water for pineapple juice to allow it to cook into the meat.
If youre just meal prepping plain chicken to add to recipes later, water or chicken broth works perfectly.
Once you have your frozen chicken ready for cooking, simply press the manual or pressure cook button on your Instant Pot and adjust the cooking time as needed.
Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, and youre ready to enjoy it!
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Easy Instant Pot Drumsticks Recipe
This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes you can make in your instant pot. It is a budget-friendly dinner, that you can dump and cook. Also, you can prep it ahead of time and freeze it.
I make the sauce and add everything to a freezer-friendly zip-lock bag and when I know I want to make it for dinner, I transfer the bag from the freezer to the fridge in the morning to thaw.
Mongolian chicken drumsticks are the perfect electric pressure cooker recipe to make during a busy weeknight. It is so good that the whole family will love it. Bonus points for being kid-approved.
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How To Make Frozen Chicken Thighs In The Instant Pot:
This frozen chicken thighs recipe can also be made in the crockpotby following the directions below:
Start by placing the rack that came with your Instant Pot in the bottom of the pot. Then, add your frozen chicken thighs.
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PRO TIP: If the chicken thighs are frozen together, set them on an angle in the Instant Pot. They will cook just fine!
Next, add the broth & spices.
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