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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Published: Nov 28, 2017 · Modified: Mar 26, 2024 by Jennifer Banz· 76 Comments

    Instant Pot Chicken Breast - The Ultimate Guide

    Servings: 8
    |
    Cals: 165
    |
    Fat: 4
    |
    Carbs: 0
    |
    Fiber: 0
    |
    Protein: 34.5
    |
    Time: 30 minutes mins
    Jump to Recipe Pin for Later

    This is your ultimate guide to Instant Pot Chicken Breast. I show you how to cook fresh and frozen boneless skinless chicken breast in the Instant Pot, bone-in chicken breast, shredded chicken breast, and poached chicken breast. This makes the best instant pot pulled chicken!

    cooked chicken breast in an instant pot with broth

    I think it is time to share my multitude of recipes for Instant Pot Chicken Breast, so I created this handy guide.  This easy instant pot shredded chicken recipe will be a staple because this chicken can be used for everything! Sandwiches, chicken tacos, bbq chicken, white chicken chili, buffalo chicken dip, chicken soup, the possibilities are endless.

    Do you know how much I love my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker?  I have posted about my love for it several times...like in this Pressure Cooker Pot Roast recipe, Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Instant Pot Chicken Thighs, Crack Chicken, Instant Pot Chicken Legs, and in this post on Instant pot hard boiled eggs. 

    I use all of these instant pot chicken recipes for salads, tacos, enchiladas, soup, Keto Chicken Salad,...and in my weekly meal prep!

    The only ingredient you need is boneless skinless chicken breasts for the best shredded chicken!

    See the printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

    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 under high pressure, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR).

    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.

    Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

    frozen chicken and seasonings in an instant pot

    I love to use frozen, boneless skinless chicken breast the most in my Instant Pot!  No need to thaw, just throw them in the pot with your seasonings and some water and they will be amazing.

    You can slice these chicken breast, or shred them for stuffing in enchiladas, salads, soups, and chicken salad.

    For the frozen chicken breast cook time, it really depends on the size of the chicken.  You could just do 10 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR) and that will cook most chicken breasts all of the way through.

    For small frozen chicken breast, I would do 8 minutes with a 10 minute NPR

    For larger than normal frozen breasts (some can be a big as turkey breasts!), I would do 12 minutes with a 10 minute NPR.

    Instant pot pulled chicken

    shredded chicken in an instant pot

    I like to shred these boneless skinless chicken breast for adding to enchiladas or tacos.  When the pressure cooker is finished and you release the pressure, pull them out of the pot and shred. The chicken is so tender and juicy! Add a little cooking liquid from the pot to keep the shredded chicken moist.

    Poached chicken in the Instant Pot

    If you cook the chicken in the liquid and choose to not use the rack, your chicken will be considered poached.  This chicken would be perfect for slicing.

    How to make bone-in Instant Pot Chicken Breast

    Bone In Chicken in the Instant Pot

    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.

    For normal sized, fresh bone in chicken breast, I pressure cook them for 13 minutes under high pressure, followed by a 10 minute NPR (natural pressure release).

    What to do if the chicken is undercooked

    If you open the Instant pot and your chicken breasts are not cooked all of the way through (test with a meat thermometer if you are not sure), you can simply close the lid back up and let them sit for 5 minutes.  That should take care of it.

    pulled chicken in an instant pot

    Instant Pot Chicken Breast - The Ultimate Guide

    This is your ultimate guide to Instant Pot Chicken Breast. I show you how to cook fresh and frozen boneless skinless chicken breast in the Instant Pot, bone-in chicken breast, shredded chicken breast, and poached chicken breast.
    4.95 from 19 votes
    Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: American, Indian, Italian, Mexican
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 165
    Author: Jennifer Banz

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Ingredients

    • 3 pounds Chicken Breasts, frozen (Please see the notes for cooking times of fresh and bone in chicken breasts)
    • 1 cup Water or chicken stock
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tablespoon Chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon Black pepper

    Instructions

    • Add all ingredients to an electric pressure cooker, lock the lid, and set the valve to "sealing"
    • Set the timer for 10 minutes under high pressure.  When finished cooking, let naturally release for 10 minutes.  Release the rest of the pressure using "quick release" and, after the pin drops, carefully remove the lid.
    • Remove the chicken from the pot and using 2 forks or a hand mixer, shred the chicken or cut into slices. You can use some of the cooking liquid to keep the chicken moist.

    Notes

    1. I recommend 1 cup of water or chicken broth, but please follow the instructions for your model of Instant Pot.
    2. Please see the blog post for more details on the cook time for fresh chicken breasts and bone in chicken breasts
    3. Try the seasoning blends above the recipe card for Indian, All purpose, Mexican, and Italian.
    4. This Instapot pulled chicken would be a good addition to soups, stews, casseroles, tacos, salad.  The possibilities are endless!
    5. The chicken will release a lot of water while they are cooking.  You can shred them in the liquid and then serve the chicken with tongs.  You could also remove them from the liquid and shred them, adding a little liquid to keep them moist.
    6. You can also cook these chicken breasts on the rack that came with the pot to keep them up out of the liquid.
    7. The prep time I listed includes the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure and the 10 minutes for the natural release.
    8. Store leftovers in freezer bags and freeze for up to 4 months.
    Servings: 8

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 165 | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 34.5g | Fat: 4g | Fiber: 0g

    Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.

    Keyword :gluten free, recipe for instant pot chicken breast

     

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      Instant Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs

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      Recipe Reviews




    1. Aravindh Ravichandran says

      July 17, 2024 at 10:35 am

      Thanks Jennifer !! This makes my life easy

      Reply
    2. Joey says

      March 18, 2024 at 9:47 pm

      I use the other season recipes all the time and now they’re gone. The all purpose, the Italian, the Mexican, the Indian… where are they? They’re no longer on this page. Help!

      Reply
      • Jennifer Banz says

        March 23, 2024 at 11:35 am

        I am sorry about that! You can now find them here: https://lowcarbwithjenniferbanz.com/posts/the-best-chicken-seasoning

        Reply
        • Joey says

          March 24, 2024 at 7:36 pm

          Thank you!!! The page is forever bookmarked…

    3. Wanda Price says

      March 09, 2024 at 2:29 pm

      5 stars
      Helpful!

      Reply
    4. kristine says

      January 19, 2021 at 6:59 pm

      5 stars
      Frozen bone in chicken breast in 25 min turned to perfectly shredded, juicy chicken. Time was right on. I'm starting to love my ip

      Reply
    « Older Comments

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    Hey there, I'm Jennifer Banz! I’m the creator behind Low Carb with Jennifer and author of the cookbook Live Life Keto.  

    I've been cooking and developing low carb and keto recipes for the past 13 years and it is my goal to bring you the best quality recipes and cooking tutorials possible.

    My recipes reflect my philosophy on cooking...everything needs to be easy, fast, exceptionally delicious, and use common ingredients.

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