Name: Instant Pot Chicken Breast - The Ultimate Guide
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
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; 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper

Servings: 8

Cals: 165

Fat: 4

Carbs: 0

Fiber: 0

Protein: 34.5

Time: 30

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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

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

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.