Ingredients For Shredded Chicken
To keep the shredded chicken as versatile as possible, this recipe calls only for the necessities:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken to start, youll want to grab either boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders. Any of the above will work great! We recommend grabbing 5 pounds of chicken if youre looking to have enough shredded chicken for 12 adult servings meals). If youre not looking to cook that much chicken, feel free to reduce the amount of chicken based on the amount you do need.
- Water or Broth in order for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, youll need to add some kind of liquid to the pot to the pot before securing the lid! 1 cup of water is perfect regardless of the amount of chicken youre using.
Instant Pot Chicken: How To Cook Chicken In An Instant Pot
Instant Pot Chicken is my favorite way to cook chicken for quick family dinners, meal prep, or to prep for shredding. It makes the chicken so moist and its such a simple method. This post will go over the step by step process for making chicken breast, thighs, legs, tenders, wings, and even a whole chicken in a pressure cooker.
Can I Cook A Frozen Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot
For this recipe, a fresh or thawed chicken works best. You can cook a frozen whole chicken but it will take significantly longer and we found a thawed or fresh chicken will cook more evenly. Also, you wont be able to pour the flavored butter under the chicken skin.
If you want to use a frozen chicken, a dry rub would work better like in this Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Recipe from my friend Olena of Ifoodreal. She also shares some great tips like what to do with the bag of giblets that are stuck inside the chicken and timings for different sized frozen chickens.
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The Best Basic Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe
Versatile and simple, this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe results in super tender, moist and flavorful chicken breasts in just about 20 minutes! You can use the lightly seasoned chicken breasts as the base of a super straightforward, healthy mealsometimes a simple, spartan dinner of chicken breast and salad is exactly what the doctor ordered. Or, treat this recipe as a no-brainer do-every-week chicken breast recipe for your weekend meal prep session . The cooked chicken breasts will keep beautifully in the fridge for about 4 days, which means youll have plenty of time to use them to bulk up lunch salads, as the foundation of some easy dinners, or even in sandwiches throughout the week ahead. Grab your Instant Pot and lets cook some chicken!
Place Chicken In The Pot
If possible, its best if chicken breasts are separated rather than frozen together in a large chunk. Simply place the meat in the liquid with as little overlapping as possible. If your chicken breasts are frozen together, you can either run some hot water over them and wedge them apart with a butter knife. Otherwise, you will need to increase the cooking time. The amount of time to increase will vary depending on how large the pieces are.
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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.
How To Use Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
Now that you’ve got the basic technique down, get inspired with all different kinds of Instant Pot chicken thigh recipes. A little teriyaki sauce goes a long way in this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Thighs recipe. Experiment with flavors like barbeque or bacon-ranch. Keep things simple with this Instant Pot Pepper Chicken Recipe. Or for a dish that will really impress, chicken cacciatore is made easier with the Instant Pot. Browse our best Instant Pot chicken recipes today.
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How Long To Cook Whole Chicken In Instant Pot
How Long To Cook Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot? Introducing you to the best instant pot recipe for whole chicken and exactly what cook times to use at home in your instant pot pressure cooker.
Here at Recipe This we ran an instant pot whole chicken experiment to see how the cook times vary, when you cook different sized whole chickens in the instant pot pressure cooker. From small chickens to extra-large chickens, we have tested them all.
This instant pot whole chicken recipe and cooking time chart is an updated post. We originally shared with you how to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot back in 2017.
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.
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Easy Whole Juicy Chicken In An Instant Pot
So this whole chicken made inside an Instant Pot is one of my favourite Instant Pot recipes right now. Made inside the Instant Pot, there is no basting involved or worrying that the chicken will dry out if you take your eye off it for too long.
While I enjoy the crispy skin from baking a whole chicken traditionally, the Instant Pot version can have just as if not more crispy skin as I popped the chicken into the oven to broil for 5 minutes. Also, by making the whole chicken in an Instant Pot, the chicken is literally fall off the bone! Its so freaking tender and moist and so easy to take apart after its been cooked.
Note: you can even see one of the drumstick bones practically falling off the meat just from me moving the chicken to the rack!
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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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.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken Cooking Time Experiment
Before we dive into this instant pot roasted whole chicken recipe, I wanted to explain to you the experiment we did and why we did it.
We had seen time and time again that the recommended cooking time for a whole chicken in any electric pressure cooker is 6 minutes per pound. Therefore, if you have a 2 pound chicken you would cook it for 12 minutes, or a 4lb chicken would be 24 minutes and so on.
Our whole chickens in Portugal was always small.
We never had a chance to compare notes and see if this statement was true and we had many readers asking us to confirm or deny if this is really the case.
Therefore, we bought four whole chickens from Morrisons.
- Small
- Large
- Extra Large
The plan was then to cook each of them, using the six minute golden rule. We would convert them from kilos to pounds and then times the pounds by six for a cook time.
Today, we are sharing with you in full the experiment as well as how we recommend you cook your whole chicken in the instant pot.
We will be starting with the whole chicken ingredients, how to cook a whole chicken in the instant pot and then will be going into more detail about our experiment.
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For Sliceable Chicken Breast
We dont recommend making more than 2 pounds of frozen chicken breast if youd like your chicken breast to be sliceable. We found that over 2 pounds, the chicken cooks unevenly. Youll wind up with raw chicken breast in the center and sliceable breast on the outside, and if you continue cooking the outside will shred while the inside is more of a sliceable consistency. So, if you have over 2 pounds of chicken, just cook it to a shreddable consistency, or defrost and bake it!
As with shreddable chicken, youll simply place the frozen chicken in the Instant Pot along with a cup of water, and set it to cook for a set amount of time. Easy peasy!
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.
How To Make Shredded Chicken In Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is wonderful for many reasons, and chief among them is the amount of time that it saves. That, and the fact that *most* Instant Pot recipes are, essentially, hands-off, saving even more of our time! Heres how youll make simple shredded chicken in the Instant Pot:
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What Size Of Instant Pot Should I Use
You can cook chicken breasts in whatever size instant pot you have. Just make sure you add at least 1 cup of liquid, and then place the chicken in the pot in a single layer. If you have a smaller instant pot, simply cook your chicken in batches so you can keep it in single layers. If you have a larger instant pot, keep in mind it will take a little longer for your instant pot to come to pressure before cooking begins.
Pro Tips:
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
Shred the chicken with forks or a hand mixer and freeze it in individual bags to easily add to any weeknight dinner. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Or, chop the chicken and refrigerate to add to lunches throughout the week.
Recipes for leftover cooked chicken:
Can I Use Frozen Chicken Breasts
You can absolutely use frozen chicken breasts, but there are a couple things to keep in mind. In this recipe I first sear the chicken breast for extra flavor, if using frozen chicken you wont be able to do that, so just skip that step.
The second thing to keep in mind is that for frozen chicken, while the cooking time will be the same, it will take longer to come to pressure, and it will take longer for the pressure to naturally release.
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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
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How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Curry
I like to call this a dump-and-go recipe. Outside of stirring a few ingredients before layering the chicken, carrots, and onions, you literally place all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker with the exception of the coconut milk set it to cook and let it do with it does best.
The first ingredients that go into the Instant Pot are the tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and salt. A quick stir makes sure that everything is distributed evenly before the layering starts.
Next the chicken, carrots, and onion are layered into the Instant Pot. Theres no need to stir at this point.
Secure the lid making sure that the vent is closed. Cook for 4 minutes time on high pressure. Once the time is up, make sure to allow the cooker to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. This helps to ensure that the meat stays tender and juicy. After 10 minutes are up, you can open the vent to allow the rest of the steam to release.
Remove the lid and choose the sauté function, adding the coconut milk and heat through. You may be temped to add the coconut to make this a complete dump-and-go, but please dont. The high pressure cooking will curdle the coconut milk.
You can add the garnishes directly to the finished dish or let people add them as they prefer. But do make sure to serve the curry with rice basmati is really great or naan bread, or both!
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How To Cook Chicken From Frozen In The Instant Pot
Cooking times are based on 1-2 pounds of frozen medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
We found frozen chicken breasts are at a safe cooking temperature at 15-20 minutes using a quick release method. We always use the manual function . When cooking food from frozen in the Instant Pot, we recommend starting at the shorter end of the time range and then adding more minutes if its not done.
The only variation to this cooking time is when chicken is in a soup. We found that because it takes so much longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, the chicken takes LESS time to cook. Likely 5-6 minutes. It feels a bit counter intuitive since there is more in the pot when cooking a soup recipe but we consistently found that chicken was done quicker this way.
