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I don’t know about you, but we’re always on the look out for tasty and quick ways to cook chicken, because it’s the ultimate dinner staple that you can always count on having on hand. Over the years we’ve made some really awesome Instant Pot chicken breast recipes and we wanted to put them all in one spot so you can quickly find what excites you for dinner tonight.
Here are 25 of our best Instant Pot chicken breast recipes. For some of these, you don’t even have to defrost the chicken first! That’s a huge time saver. And it often only takes about 10-12 minutes in the Instant Pot to cook chicken.
» Check out our Instant Pot Cooking Times Cheat Sheet so you never have to look up times again for your favorite foods you make in the pressure cooker. Print or bookmark it so you always have it handy!
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How To Cook Chicken Breast in
Chicken breasts can be used in so many recipes that its nice to have a quick and easy way of cooking them. There is really no easier method for cooking chicken breasts than in the Instant Pot.
All you need is a cup of water, the chicken you want to cook, some salt for seasoning, and the trivet to set them on.
Pour one cup of water (or chicken broth) into the inner pot.
Season the chicken with just salt, or with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts on the trivet.
Lock the lid and turn the vent to sealing (if that is necessary for your model).
Press the “pressure cook” or “manual” button and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes for small pieces or 10 minutes for larger pieces. If cooking from frozen, use 12 minutes for smaller pieces or 15 minutes for larger pieces. Make sure the pieces are separated and not frozen together, or they won’t cook properly.
When done, allow a 5 minute natural pressure release, then release remaining pressure. Verify that the internal temp of the chicken is at least 165° F. If they haven’t reached this yet, replace the lid and cook on high pressure for one more minute, followed by a quick release.
Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipes
Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (ala Olive Garden)
This Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup will remind you of the creamy, delicious Olive Garden version, with pieces of tender fluffy gnocchi, veggies, and chicken in a creamy broth.
This Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta is pure comfort food with penne pasta and a cheesy creamy and delicious buffalo sauce. Best of all it takes less than 40 minutes to make.
Instant Pot French Onion Chicken is a fun way to enjoy everyone's favorite French soup in main dish form, with chicken, sautéed onions, beef stock, butter, and melted Gruyere, cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Chicken Salad is just like any other chicken salad, with crunchy celery, creamy mayonnaise, and a lots of tender chicken, but it's a much faster way to cook the chicken, so your lunch is ready in no time.
Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup is a quick soup made with chicken, rice, and vegetables, and seasoned with thyme and rosemary. This is one of the simplest and nutritious soups you can make in your pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken is cooked to tender in the Instant Pot in just 10 minutes, then mixed with your favorite buffalo hot sauce and butter to make a flavorful shredded chicken.
This recipe for Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken, using chicken breasts, garlic, ginger, and a few pantry ingredients, makes for a wonderfully savory weeknight meal.
This Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken Pasta copycat is so creamy and delicious, made with the original Olive Garden salad dressing, cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes.
Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken is rich and tasty Cajun-inspired dish that combines bourbon with soy sauce and ketchup to make tender pieces of chicken in a sweet and savory sauce.
You can easily cook frozen chicken breasts in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, in just 10-12 minutes, which will enable you to get food on the table fast, with very little effort.
Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken is a delicious, spicy Instant Pot creamy chicken recipe. Made with jalapeños and chili powder, this recipe is mildly spicy but can be made even spicier with more jalapeños.
Instant pot chicken stroganoff is a one-pot meal with bite-sized boneless chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce. The egg noodles are cooked right along with the other ingredients in the pot, and the whole dish comes together in 30 minutes. A quick and easy dinner for busy weeknights that everyone will love!
This easy Instant Pot Mexican Casserole is made with chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, corn tortillas, and cheese for a delicious meal that the whole family will love!
This light but satisfying recipe brings all of the flavors of shawarma to your plate. Thanks to the Instant Pot it's simple, quick, and weeknight friendly!
This delicious Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip is made from scratch in under 40 minutes, with just 10 minutes of hands-on time. Hot sauce, sour cream, chicken and blue cheese make this a buffalo lover's spicy dream!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner mid week, try my Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe. The chicken cooks quickly and easily in the instant pot. The creamy mashed potatoes are flavored with garlic and fresh sage for a tasty dinner that can be cooked and on the table in no time.
Instant Pot butter chicken is a one-pot dinner that is bursting with authentic flavors that will rival anything you’d order at your favorite Indian restaurant. Making it from scratch at home has never been easier with this 30-minute fragrance-infused recipe!
This recipe uses simple fresh ingredients combined with homemade fajita seasoning to bring together Mexican-inspired flavors for an easy and healthy weeknight meal. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a tasty fajita filling made
This Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie is full of tender chicken with lots of veggies in a creamy, flavorsome sauce. Topped with crispy pastry, the whole family will love this classic comfort food!
It’s possible to cook chicken from fresh or frozen in the Instant Pot for many recipes. This makes the process very versatile, in case you forget to defrost chicken and you’re in a hurry.
As a general rule, whole frozen chicken breast will take an extra 2-3 minutes of high pressure cooking with a 5-10 minute natural release over fresh. If the chicken is frozen in cubes, it will take just 1 extra minute to cook.
Always check your chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked to at least 165° F. If it isn’t quite there yet, just put the pot back on Keep Warm and close the lid until the chicken reaches that temperature. If it’s 10 or more degrees short, you can turn on Sauté mode to cook the chicken faster.
There is often no reason to put the chicken back under pressure, which might compromise other parts of the dish.
Can I Stack Chicken Pieces in the Instant Pot?
If you’re cooking whole chicken breast, like the Instant Pot French Onion Chicken or Lemon Chicken featured above, you shouldn’t stack them on top of each other, if at all possible, because they need space to absorb all of the flavor and cook evenly.
However, you can cook a whole pot full of chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins at the same time, stack on top of each other, as long as you don’t exceed the fill line. There is usually no extra time needed to do this. If you are cooking them from frozen, see our recipe for cooking frozen chicken breasts for the proper timing.
Why Use An Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
🥧 If you’re interested in more great recipes, I share all my favorite recipes over at A Food Lover’s Kitchen, and you’ll find air fryer recipes at Air Fry Anytime, and cocktails and drinks at Savored Sips. Check it out today!
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