How To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot

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.

How To Store Instant Pot Whole Chicken Leftovers

Any leftovers can safely be stashed in the refrigerator for 5-6 days in a tightly-covered container. You can also put the leftover chicken meat in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I dont let any part of this chicken go to waste. Once my family is done eating the meat , I throw the carcass back in the Instant Pot to make chicken broth.

If your family doesnt eat quite as much chicken, the leftovers make great shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches. Add it to Easy Chicken Noodle Soup or make chicken salad.

Cooking Time As Determined By Weight

• 14 oz. chicken breast should be cooked at 15 minutes manual high pressure , plus 5 minutes natural pressure release
• 12-13 oz. chicken breast should be cooked at 14 minutes MHP, plus 5 minutes NPR
• 11-12 oz. chicken breast should be cooked at 13 minutes MHP, plus 5 minutes NPR
• 7-9 oz. chicken breast should be cooked at 11 minutes MHP, plus 5 minutes NPR

As all meat does, the chicken will continue to cook while it is resting, and this is a good thing. After the chicken has finished cooking in the Instant Pot and the pressure has been released, check the temperature. It should ideally be around 160ºF or so. Close the lid, and let the chicken sit for an additional 5 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise as the chicken rests. Double-check one more time that the temperature has risen to 165ºF after it has rested, and remove from the Instant Pot, while you make the pan sauce.

Quick Tip: If for some reason the chicken is below 155ºF once it has finished cooking, you can close the lid and cook the chicken on manual high pressure for 2 more minutes, with a quick release.

For sure its a delicate balance when cooking chicken between making sure its fully cooked, but not overcooked!

Read Also: Instant Pot Duo Plus Hard Boiled Eggs

Do You Hit Cancel On Instant Pot For Natural Release

Nope! Theres no need to do anything extra after the cook time has elapsed and the Instant pot has beeped. Simply allow it to continue at the keep warm setting. It will naturally decrease in pressure as it does so. Not only that but the timer will start counting up so you can keep track of how long the pressure cooker has been resting at the warm setting.

If you loved this Instant Pot recipe then you are going to love my other Instant Pot recipes like this Instant Pot Breakfast Egg Casserole or this Instant Pot Ribs Recipe.

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.

Don’t Miss: What Does C7 Mean On Instant Pot

Ways To Use Cooked Chicken

The cooked chicken can be used in any recipe that calls for precooked chicken. Shred, slice, or cube it as needed, then use it however you like!

Tuck a few slices of chicken into a sourdough sandwich, or top a salad to make a light lunch. Toss cubed chicken into a soup or pasta dish. Mix shredded chicken with BBQ sauce or hot sauce for sliders or tacos.

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.

Also Check: Frozen Meatballs Pressure Cooker

How To Cook A Frozen Whole Chicken In An Instant Pot

Cooking a Frozen Whole Chicken in your Instant Pot is SO easy. This is a perfect recipe even for pressure cooker beginners. There is no need to defrost the meat, so you can get dinner made quickly.

Note: The links in this post may be affiliate links.

My recipe for cooking an Instant Pot Whole Chicken has been one of the most popular posts on this site. And, readers often ask if they can cook a Frozen Whole Chicken in their Instant Pot.

I decided to experiment and found that its SUPER easy to cook a frozen whole chicken in an Instant Pot. It just takes a little bit more time and a slightly different technique.

As youre reading this post, please keep in mind that this is more of a technique most than an exact recipe. Youll get to season the chicken with your favorite spices. Plus, youll want to make sure that you calculate the cooking time based upon the size of your chicken also making sure that your chicken is small enough to fit inside your Instant 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.

Don’t Miss: How To Cook Tuna Steak In Instant Pot

Does Cook Time Change If I Have A Smaller Or Larger Instant Pot

• No matter which size model Instant Pot you have, the number of minutes you select on the Instant Pot remains the same.

The capacity of each Instant Pot and the amount of time the differently sized pots take to come to pressure will vary, but youll always set it for the same number of minutes, regardless of its size.

If you have a different brand other than Instant Pot and are wondering how long to cook chicken in a pressure cooker, the times listed above should still be accurate for other electric pressure cooker models.

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.

Also Check: What Is Natural Release

Variations To Pressure Cooker Chicken

Because this pressure cooker chicken is mostly a recipe for learning how to cook frozen chicken, the recipe itself is up to you. You can use an all purpose seasoning that has salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder in it. You can use specific seasonings. It is all up to whatever you like. Some simple ideas for making pressure cooker chicken is:

• Make it Taco Chicken: Use the same seasoning as you would use in tacos when adding seasoning to this chicken. Use cumin, chili pepper, paprika or use a premade taco seasoning. Add some lime at the end for a bright fresh flavor.
• Make it Chili Flavored: Using chili seasoning, you can make this a great tasting chili chicken recipe. You can add in other chili ingredients ones the chicken is cooked.
• Lemon Chicken: Add lemon juice to the chicken broth to make a lemon chicken recipe.
• BBQ Chicken: Add some BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot to get bbq sauce flavor deep inside of the chicken.
• Salad Dressing: Use your favorite salad dressing in the pressure cooker to add additional flavor to the chicken.
• Any seasoning you love: That is the beauty of this recipe. You can literally add whatever flavors you like.

What Is The Trivet In The Instant Pot

The Instant Pot trivet is the circular metal grate/rack that comes with every Instant Pot. It is the most important accessory, which is why it comes with it!

The trivet is important because it keeps food off the bottom of the Instant Pot, which cooks food evenly and avoids any burns.

Read my post on the BEST Instant Pot Accessories to Buy and my weird advice for new Instant Pot owners.

Don’t Miss: Pressure Cook Frozen Ground Beef

Frozen Chicken Legs In Pressure Cooker

Youd have to add more time for chicken leg quarters. Im not sure exactly but Id guess it would take another 5 minutes or so depending on how many you added. Always check meat internal temperature before consuming.

Time needed: 13 minutes.

Frozen Chicken Legs Instant Pot

How Do You Cook Fresh Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot

If your chicken is not frozen, you will use the same cook times and method described above. The only difference is that you will do a quick pressure release instead of a 10 minute natural release. The quick pressure release will stop the cooking process faster than a natural release.

To do a quick pressure release, as soon as the cook time ends, use the handle of a long spoon to carefully turn the steam release valve to the venting position. Once steam stops coming out and the float valve drops down, open the Instant Pot lid. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken is cooked through to a safe 165 degrees F.

Don’t Miss: Foil Packet In Pressure Cooker

Tips For Making Cooking From Frozen In Instant Pot

How To Cook Chicken From Frozen

The process for making frozen chicken in the Instant Pot is the same as making it from thawed, you just need to add a little bit of extra time to make sure the chicken gets up to the correct internal temperature. Following these easy steps.

Don’t Miss: How To Clean An Instant Pot

How To Make Cooking Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot Easy

Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Season the chicken breasts on both sides.

Place the chicken into the Instant Pot in the broth.

Close the lid of the Instant Pot, and make sure the release valve is pointing to the sealing position.

Using the manual setting, set the Instant pot to 12 minutes for chicken breasts that are up to 8 ounces. You can add a few minutes longer if your chicken breasts are larger.

When the time is finished, let the Instant Pot conduct a natural release for 10 minutes. After that, carefully move the release valve to the venting position to release the additional pressure.

Remove the cooked chicken, and use it in any recipe you like.

Enjoy!

Cuisine:Category:

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.

Recommended Reading: Aluminum Foil Trivet Instant Pot

What Cooking Liquid To Use

To pressure cook in the Instant Pot, you will need one cup of liquid. You can use:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup broth
• 1 cup pineapple juice or apple juice

Which cooking liquid you want to use really depends on what you plan to do with the chicken and what kind of flavor profile you want. I typically use 1 cup chicken broth because that gives it a little bit of extra flavor.

Pineapple juice also is quite good if you like a slightly sweet taste.

In general, chicken broth goes well with almost anything. If you want your chicken to be completely plain, use 1 cup water.

Step Four: Cook On High Pressure According To The Cook Times Below

• The cook time will remain the same whether you have a small amount of chicken or a lot, but the time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure will increase the more chicken you have. The time it takes to come to pressure will also be longer if youre cooking frozen chicken.

The below cook times are based upon average weights. If your chicken is smaller, decrease the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes depending upon the extent of the size variation. If they are larger, increase the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes. When in doubt, error on the side of less time. You can always cook the chicken for longer, but once its overcooked , you cant reverse the process.

Read Also: Pressure Cooker Frozen Chicken Tenders