Need a quick and foolproof way to make tender, juicy chicken breasts every single time? This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe is a total game-changer—whether you’re working with fresh or frozen meat. In just about 30 minutes, you’ll have perfectly cooked chicken that’s great for dinner, meal prep, or using in your favorite dishes all week long.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: Just 5 minutes under pressure for fresh, or 10 if frozen. Minimal hands-on time!
- Consistently Juicy: Say goodbye to dry chicken breast. The pressure cooker keeps everything moist and tender.
- Versatile: Slice it, shred it, serve it as-is or add it to salads, casseroles, wraps, or pasta.
- Great for Meal Prep: Make a batch, and you’ve got protein for the week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless and skinless, fresh or frozen.
- Olive Oil: For searing (optional but adds great flavor).
- Chicken Broth: Low sodium is best if you plan to make gravy.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
How to Cook Fresh Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
- Season: Mix the spices in a small bowl and rub generously on the chicken breasts.
- Sear (Optional): Turn the Instant Pot to sauté and heat olive oil. Brown chicken for a minute or two per side, working in batches if needed.
- Pressure Cook: Add broth to the pot, place the trivet inside, and set chicken on top. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Release Pressure: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick release.
- Rest and Serve: Let the chicken rest a few minutes before slicing or shredding.
Cooking from Frozen? Here’s What to Do
- Skip the Sear: You won’t be able to brown frozen chicken, and that’s totally fine.
- Season and Cook: Rub on your spices (or not), place the chicken on the trivet over broth, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Natural Release: Let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Rest Before Slicing.
Make a Quick Gravy (Optional but Delicious!)
Use the flavorful cooking liquid! Just mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to form a slurry. Set the Instant Pot to sauté and bring the liquid to a simmer. Whisk in the slurry and cook for 3–4 minutes, until thickened.
Tips for Success
- Use the Trivet: Keeps chicken above the liquid so it steams rather than boils.
- Single Layer: Don’t stack the chicken! Even spacing helps it cook evenly.
- Natural Release: Don’t skip this—it helps keep the meat juicy.
- Let It Rest: A quick 5-minute rest before cutting locks in moisture.
What to Serve With Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
This chicken works with just about anything! A few favorite pairings:
- Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower
- Roasted green beans or sautéed mushrooms
- Garlic orzo or mac and cheese
- Tossed into Caesar salad or pasta
- Tucked into wraps, sandwiches, or tacos
How to Store and Reheat
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm in the microwave or in the oven (covered at 350°F for 10–15 minutes).
Final Thoughts
This Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is the kind of kitchen hack that turns even a last-minute dinner into something impressive. Whether you’re meal prepping or just need dinner on the table fast, this method gives you consistently juicy results with hardly any effort. Keep it simple, or jazz it up with sauce and sides—once you try it, you’ll keep coming back.
Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken Breast
This is one of those simple, reliable recipes that you’ll keep coming back to. These juicy Instant Pot chicken breasts come out perfectly tender every time and are packed with flavor from a quick homemade seasoning mix.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 to 6 pieces)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Start by mixing together your seasonings in a small bowl—Italian seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Rub this seasoning mix all over the chicken breasts so they’re well coated.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and set it to sauté. Once it’s hot, drizzle in the olive oil and sear the chicken breasts for a couple minutes on each side. You’re just giving them some nice color, not cooking them through. If you’ve got a lot of chicken, do this in batches. If you’re working with frozen chicken or just want to shred it later, you can skip the searing step.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pot and place the trivet inside. Set the seasoned chicken on top of the trivet.
- Secure the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes if your chicken is fresh, or 10 minutes if it’s frozen.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining steam.
- Carefully open the lid and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
Notes
- If you’re starting with frozen chicken, just make sure the pieces aren’t stuck together in a big block—keep them in a single layer so they cook evenly.
- You can swap chicken broth for water if you're not making gravy or just keeping it super simple.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, which makes this a great meal prep option. Or freeze them for longer storage—just make sure they’re sealed tightly to stay fresh.
- This chicken is super versatile, so add it to salads, wraps, bowls, or just serve it hot with veggies and rice for a fast, no-fuss dinner.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 300Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 129mgSodium 303mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 48g
All Chicken Recipes.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although allchickenrecipes.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.