I think it is time to share my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Breast. This easy chicken recipe will be a staple because this chicken can be used for everything!
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, and in this post on Instant pot hard boiled eggs. It basically lives on my counter.
I use this Instant Pot chicken breast for salads, tacos, enchiladas, soup, Keto Chicken Salad,…and in my weekly meal prep!
INSTANT POT FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS
And get this…I use frozen chicken breasts from Butcherbox! No need to thaw, just throw them in the pot with your seasonings and some water and they will be amazing.
The seasonings I used for this Instant Pot chicken breast were garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. To make the flavor more neutral, you can omit the chili powder and the cumin.
HOW LONG DO YOU PRESSURE COOK CHICKEN BREAST?
The best cook time for boneless skinless chicken breast in the Instant Pot is 10 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
I have tested this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe with fresh and frozen chicken breast, and 2 to 6 chicken breast. The Instant Pot still only needs 10 minutes under high pressure to get them perfectly cooked.
INSTANT POT SHREDDED CHICKEN
As you can see, I shredded these boneless skinless chicken breast, but you don’t have to! When the pressure cooker is finished and you release the pressure, just pull them out of the pot and then you can shred them or cut them into chunks.
In my testing, I tried to cut the time for this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe as much as possible but chicken breast, or any meat actually, really need that 10 minute natural release. It’s like letting your meat rest after cooking.
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHICKEN BREAST VIDEO:
This Instant Pot shredded chicken breast recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and the flavors are completely customizable!
- 6 Chicken Breasts fresh or frozen
- 3/4 cup Water
- 3 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
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Add all ingredients to an electric pressure cooker, lock the lid, and set the valve to "sealing"
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Set the timer for 10 minutes. 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.
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Using 2 forks or a hand mixer, shred the chicken.
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Serve in chicken taco salads or burrito bowls.
- If you want chicken that has a more neutral flavor, omit the cumin and the chili powder.
- This Instapot shredded chicken would be a good addition to soups, stews, casseroles, tacos, salad. The possibilities are endless!
- You can use fresh or frozen chicken, the cook time you set the Instant Pot for is the same. The time it takes to come to pressure will be longer for frozen chicken.
- The chicken will release a lot of water while they are cooking. I 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.
- 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.
⭐ Did you make this Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe? Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @lowcarbwithjennifer
Hi Jennifer…I’ve been wanting to try cooking chicken breasts in my IP. You’ve convinced me! Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s so easy!
This looks like an awesome meal my kids would love!
Thank you Sandi!
WHy didn’t I read this b/f I pulled out my slow cooker and I have about 4 more hours from my pulled chicken.
You’ll be ready for next time!
This looks like the perfect chicken to have to hand for a myriad of recipes! Delicious and I love how quick and easy it is to make too!
Thank’s Annie!
So excited about this. I keep freezing my chicken forgetting to bring them out the thaw for dinner the next day. I’m so happy to know I can just stick this into a instapot and bam – shredded chicken to put on all the things! 🙂
The instant pot could be just my shredded chicken pot and I would be happy!
Unfortunately my chicken was still raw. Maybe because they were on top of each other while frozen? I just put it back in for another 5 minutes. Hopefully that fixes the problem. This is my 3rd dish with the instapot and Im finding it to not be super user friendly. Its just a bit confusing to know what is happening. Like is it warming up?, cooking?..ugh..Sorry these are just my problems..lol Thanks!
Sorry to hear that, Sabrina. It could also be that your chicken were really thick.
It can be a confusing appliance. I know I researched like crazy when I first bought mine. Don’t give up!
Hi. This looks good! Does the chicken go on the trivet?
Thanks.
You can use the trivet but its not necessary
I have the 6qt ultra and I am so confused about the 2 cup minimum liquid reqirement would that mean I need to use 2 cups instead of 3/4 c water or does the chicken count toward that? Also do I need to to use the metal rack thing for chicken breast? Thanks
I would follow the directions for your pot and then strain out any extra liquid. I don’t use the rack
I made this tonight and only used 2 chicken breasts and I had to cook it about 3x the time in the recipe including the cook time and natural release time. It was okay but not as good as other shredded chicken I have made.
I don’t know how that is possible for just 2 chicken breast. I just cooked a whole 5 pound chicken in my Instant Pot in an hour, which is only double the listed cook time for this recipe.
You listed the same amount of cook time for fresh or frozen but does the chicken need to cook for longer if its frozen? The last time I made frozen chicken breast I had to put a 25 minute timer on in the IP. 10 minutes for frozen chicken breasts does not seem enough
it would really be about 30 minutes. 10 minutes to come to pressure, 10 minutes cook time, and 10 minutes natural pressure release. I always use frozen chicken with no problems.
I am now cooking my dogs’ food because I got fed up with the cost and dissatisfying meals I was giving them (one is on a prescription diet, so I have to feed a certain type only). I needed just a plain chicken with no seasonings. I used your instructions as they were straight forward, fast and easy. I only had 2 boneless skinless breasts but they were huge, with total raw weight being 2.8lbs. I cut off any grizzle, tissue, and other disgusting things, and then cut the breasts into smaller pieces to ensure it would be cooked through, added the plain water first, then the chicken without the trivet.. set on manual for 10 minutes, and let it vent on its own for about 10 minutes afterward. It was all perfectly cooked through. I removed the chicken from the water, so now there is some ‘broth’ I can use if I want to put some into the dogs’ water to encourage them to drink more water.
I have the 6qt and it had no issues with using only 1C of water (I added a bit more than the recipe because I felt I may have been using more chicken by weight than the recipe called for, but if I did it again with those quantities/weights, I would only use 3/4C).
I am now left with just plain old unseasoned chicken breast meat, but there is so much I can do with it – cut it up for chicken caesar salad, make chicken caesar wraps, make a spicy chicken salad for sandwiches, make a butter chicken sauce for it, chicken pot pies, season for tacos or nachos, make a spicy chicken mix for burritos, make a little stew with dumplings, omg, the list goes on! A great staple to have on hand to make something quick for dinner after work!
I rec’d my Instant Pot as a gift and it’s great to find some straight forward ideas on how to use it, so thank you!
I’m so glad the recipe worked out for you!
I have the mini duo for just my husband and I, if I were cooking less chicken would I still keep it in for the same time or less? Sorry! Still trying to figure this darn thing out!
I would do the same amount of time
LOVE this recipe. My go to recipe for chicken shredded or sliced for salads. Its quick and easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing . 🙂
So glad you like the recipe!
I tried this today with three large frozen chicken breasts. Followed the instructions exactly but they were still raw in the middle. I put them back in and cooked 6 more minutes, then 10 minutes of natural release and they were perfect. Shredded up very nicely and now I have chicken for my salads for the week. I will definitely use this method again and again with the adjusted time for frozen, extra large chicken breasts.
Thanks for the feedback, Heather!
Would the cooking time be the same for frozen thighs? Thanks!
Yes, If they are boneless skinless
Why have I always boiled or baked unseasoned chicken breasts for my recipes?! This chicken was fantastic. Perfectly cooked and so flavorful. And the broth it made was incrediable. I will eat so much more chicken now. Thank you!!
Can I put potatoes/or rice in at the same time as the chicken? Just doing two boneless breasts
yes, I would cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces. Rice should be pretty straight forward. Just make sure it’s covered with water. I’ve found that if I don’t have all of the rice submerged, pieces are half cooked. Also, you may want to spray the bottom of the pot with cooking spray so the rice doesn’t stick.
I cooked it for 12 minutes and then had to do another 7 for it to get done. They were very large breasts from Sam’s though. But, man! When it did get done, it was DELICIOUS! We made chicken tacos with all the fixins and will most definitely do it again. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Just made this to add to our power salad and it turned out great! Only used 3 frozen chicken breasts, so I halved the spices but kept the amount of water and cook time the same. It turned out so moist and flavorful. Thank you for this awesome recipe, Jennifer!
So glad you liked it, Christine!
I am new to the instapot and I notice many recipes have less liquid in them than the requirements of the Instapot. I believe I read that you should never use less than 2 1/3 cups liquid when using it the Instapot yet I see many recipes that call for way less. Any thought s on this.
Great way to prep chicken for adding to meals throughout the week. Turned out moist and well-seasoned. Thank you for the recipe!
I am making a double batch of something and need to cook 5 1/2 # of chicken. Can I put it all together in the IP and how much liquid and how much time?
Kim H
I don’t think all of that would fit in the IP.