Cooking chicken breasts in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker is a no-fail way to cook tender, juicy chicken in no time! It's a great way to meal prep for the week or quickly whip up some perfectly cooked chicken to add to any recipe that calls for cooked chicken, like salads, casseroles, and more! Once it's cooked, you can slice, shred, or freeze it for later!
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Pressure Cooker Juicy Chicken Breasts
Tons of recipes call for cooked chicken, which is great if you have leftover chicken on hand. Otherwise, you'll have to cook some! Luckily, your Instant Pot is a quick and hands-free way to prepare perfectly cooked chicken breasts quickly and in a flash!
I'm notorious for forgetting to thaw meat for a meal, and it's a 20-minute drive just to hit a convenience store nearby. So having this handy recipe for fresh or frozen chicken breasts is a real life saver!
It's one of the best chicken breast recipes to keep in your back pocket because it's versatile and can be seasoned to your liking. As far as Instant Pot recipes go, this one's a keeper!
🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Italian Seasoning - ¾ teaspoon of Italian seasoning. See my recipe or use your favorite brand.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Paprika - ¼ teaspoon of paprika or a paprika substitute.
- Garlic Powder - ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Pepper - ⅛ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Cooking Oil - 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to melt with the butter. I used
- Butter - 1 tablespoon of butter or a butter substitute.
- Chicken Broth - 1 cup of chicken broth, stock, or a chicken broth substitute.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Cook Chicken Breasts In The Instant Pot
Because you can sear and cook the chicken all in your Instant Pot, prep and cleanup is a breeze! You will need your Instant Pot, measuring spoons, a small bowl, and some silicone kitchen tongs to get started.
You can make up to 4 small breasts using this recipe as long as they fit in the inner pot of your pressure cooker!
Season
Step 1: Make the chicken seasoning. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels, then combine the seasoning ingredients.
Step 2: Season the chicken. Season the chicken breasts generously on all sides.
Sear
Step 3: Sear the first side. Add the cooking oil and butter to the inner pot of your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, set it to Saute, and melt the butter. Once melted, add the chicken breasts and sear for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Flip and sear. Use tongs to flip the chicken breasts over and sear the reverse side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate once golden on both sides.
Pressure Cook The Chicken
Step 5: Add broth. Add the chicken broth to your Instant Pot and stir to get the brown bits or ‘fond’ up from the inner pot.
Step 6: Pressure cook. Return the chicken breasts to the pot with the broth and seal the valve. Select the pressure cook or manual function and cook on high for 8-10 minutes (*See Notes). It will take 10 minutes or so for the pressure to build before counting down.
Step 7: Pressure release. Once done, let the Instant Pot perform a natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes. Then, turn the valve to 'vent' to release any remaining pressure.
Rest and Serve
Step 8: Rest. Remove the chicken breasts using tongs and set them on a plate. Cover loosely with a square of aluminum foil and rest for 5 minutes before slicing or shredding to serve.
⏲️ Chicken Breast Sizes & Timing:
Follow these guidelines for the size of chicken breast(s) you are cooking. The number of breasts doesn't matter:
- 6-ounce chicken breast: 6 minutes high pressure (10 minutes from frozen)
- 8-ounce chicken breast: 7 minutes on high pressure (11 minutes from frozen)
- 10-ounce chicken breast: 8 minutes on high pressure (12 minutes from frozen)
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- To cook frozen chicken breasts, add 4 minutes to the cooking time. It will take a little longer for your Instant Pot to build pressure than it does with thawed chicken.
- This quick and easy seasoning blend will work well with most recipes if you plan to use the chicken in another dish. Feel free to use chicken seasoning or poultry seasoning or experiment with different spice blends!
- Combining the cooking oil and butter adds the richness of butter, but the oil helps to prevent it from burning at higher temperatures.
- To be sure it's cooked all the way through, check the chicken's internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should read at least 165 °F (80°C) in the thickest part.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❔ How To Shred Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Pressure-cooked chicken breasts are so tender that you can quickly shred them for shredded chicken recipes in just a few steps. If you have questions, see my in-depth instructions for making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot right here!
Step 1: Follow the recipe. Cook the chicken breasts in your Instant Pot as instructed.
Step 2: Add broth. Add the cooked chicken breasts to a large mixing bowl with ½ cup of the broth from the Instant Pot.
Step 3: Shred. Use two forks, a hand mixer set to medium, or your stand mixer set to low to shred the chicken.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Once the chicken has cooled fully, put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing
Shred, chop, or slice your chicken breasts to save freezer space, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag. Squeeze out the excess air and tightly seal the bag. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating for the best results.
Reheating
Add your chicken to a baking dish with a splash of stock, broth, or water and bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
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📖 Recipe Card
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Season The Chicken
- Pat 2 chicken breasts dry with paper towels, then combine the seasoning (¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper).
- Season the chicken breasts generously on all sides.
Sear
- Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the inner pot of your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, set it to Saute, and melt the butter. Once melted, add the chicken breasts and sear for 2-3 minutes.
- Use tongs to flip the chicken breasts over and sear the reverse side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate once golden on both sides.
Pressure Cook The Chicken
- Add 1 cup chicken broth to your Instant Pot and stir to get the bits or ‘fond’ up from the inner pot.
- Return the chicken breasts to the pot with the broth and seal the valve. Select the pressure cook or manual function and cook on high for 8-10 minutes (*See Notes). It will take 10 minutes or so for the pressure to build before counting down.
- Once done, let the Instant Pot perform a natural pressure release (NPR) for 10 minutes. Then, turn the valve to 'vent' to release any remaining pressure.
Rest and Serve
- Remove the chicken breasts using tongs and set them on a plate. Cover loosely with a square of aluminum foil and rest for 5 minutes before slicing or shredding to serve.
Notes
- To cook frozen chicken breasts, add 4 minutes to the cooking time. It will take a little longer for your Instant Pot to build pressure than it does with thawed chicken.
- This quick and easy seasoning blend will work well with most recipes if you plan to use the chicken in another dish. Feel free to use chicken seasoning or poultry seasoning or experiment with different spice blends!
- Combining the cooking oil and butter adds the richness of butter, but the oil helps to prevent it from burning at higher temperatures.
- To be sure it's cooked all the way through, check the chicken's internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should read at least 165 °F (80°C) in the thickest part.
- 6-ounce chicken breast: 6 minutes high pressure (10 minutes from frozen)
- 8-ounce chicken breast: 7 minutes on high pressure (11 minutes from frozen)
- 10-ounce chicken breast: 8 minutes on high pressure (12 minutes from frozen)
- Once the chicken has cooled fully, put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Shred, chop, or slice your chicken breasts to save freezer space, then transfer them to a Ziploc bag. Squeeze out the excess air and tightly seal the bag. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge overnight before reheating for the best results.
- Add your chicken to a baking dish with a splash of stock, broth, or water and bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
Vero says
Super !!👍