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Home Recipe Index Instant Pot Recipes

How Long Do I Cook Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot? (Fresh or Frozen)

★★★★★ 5 /5
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Polly Conner
By: Polly ConnerPosted: 2/10/21Updated: 4/22/22

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

After testing 100s of recipes nearly 1 1/2 years for our second cookbook, we narrowed down the Instant Pot cooking times for all sorts of recipes. Here is a rundown on how long to cook chicken in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot

Fine tuning the perfect cooking times for chicken breasts in the Instant Pot was not easy. There is SO much misinformation out there. We found ourselves overcooking chicken breasts like it was our job. Using our meat thermometers as our guide, we were able to narrow down how long to cook chicken breasts in the Instant Pot and we’re excited to share with you our findings.

Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read our full disclosure policy here.

Tips for Cooking Chicken in the Instant Pot

  • In order for the 6 quart Instant Pot to work, it needs a minimum of 1 cup of liquid. If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot, it needs at least 1 1/2 cups of liquid.
  • Because chicken breast is so easy to overcook, we always use the quick release method. Quick release is when you turn the pressure release valve to “open” or “venting” (depending on IP model) at the completion of the cooking cycle. This forces the steam to release from the Instant Pot quickly.
  • Do not stack chicken when cooking in the Instant Pot. It will cook unevenly. This is especially true for frozen chicken. Try to spread it out evenly along the bottom as much as you can.
  • Use a meat thermometer like the one we recommend here to determine doneness. All poultry must cook to the safe temperature of 165°F internally (or no more pink inside). But, you don’t want to cook it longer than that and get dried out.
  • If cooking chicken from frozen, make sure to read our post about how to prepare and cook freezer meals in the Instant Pot. Seriously, don’t skip it.
  • If you have more questions about the Instant Pot, swing by and browse Instant Pot 101.

Chicken breast in the Instant Pot

How to Cook Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot

Cooking times are based on 1-2 pounds of medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

We found that chicken breast is at a safe cooking temperature (165°F) after about 7 minutes using a quick release method. We always use the manual function (as opposed to the poultry function). If the chicken breast is a bit on the larger size, add another minute or two. If it’s on the smaller size, subtract a minute.

Tip: These 7 Chicken Marinade Recipes all have Instant Pot cooking instructions. Try them out!

chicken marinade in freezer bags

How to Cook Chicken from Frozen in the Instant Pot

Cooking times are based on 1-2 pounds of frozen medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

We found frozen chicken breasts are at a safe cooking temperature (165°F) at 15-20 minutes using a quick release method. We always use the manual function (as opposed to the poultry function). When cooking food from frozen in the Instant Pot, we recommend starting at the shorter end of the time range and then adding more minutes if it’s not done.

The only variation to this cooking time is when chicken is in a soup. We found that because it takes so much longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, the chicken takes LESS time to cook. Likely 5-6 minutes. It feels a bit counter intuitive since there is more in the pot when cooking a soup recipe but we consistently found that chicken was done quicker this way.

Freezer meal in front of an Instant Pot

Instant Pot Recipes

Need some recipe ideas to get you started? Swing by this amazing collection of Instant Pot Freezer Meals.

Instant Pot Freezer Meals

Or try these Instant Pot Chicken recipes:

  • Chicken Parmesan Sliders
  • Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
  • Chicken Nachos

How to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

chicken parmesan sliders sandwiches
★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Instant Pot Chicken Breast

How to cook fresh and frozen chicken in the Instant Pot

Yield: 2 1x
Cook: 7 minutesTotal: 7 minutes
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Ingredients

1 pound, medium boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup chicken stock

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

  1. Place chicken and stock inside the Instant Pot. 
  2. Lock and seal the lid.
  3. Using the manual function, cook for 7 minutes at high pressure and then quick release the pressure. (Check to make sure the chicken is done, which means no more pink inside and/or registers 165°F internally.)

Freeze For Later: Place chicken and stock into gallon-sized freezer bag or round container. (Make sure to not stack the chicken.) Seal and freeze. Tip: Set the freezer bag in a bowl in the freezer for a few hours to help it freeze in the shape of the Instant Pot.

Prepare From Frozen: Turn on the Saute function. Saute the frozen chicken for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press Cancel. Using the manual setting, cook for 15-20 minutes at high pressure with a quick release.

© Author: Polly
Cuisine: American Method: Instant Pot

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Polly Conner

Polly Conner

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Polly’s passionate about helping busy parents get dinner on the table. With a house full of kids, dogs, and (usually) a DIY project in the works, she knows firsthand how every minute (and every dollar) counts. As a business owner, she enjoys wearing multiple hats and serves best as a project manager for Thriving Home.

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  1. AvatarHannah says

    Posted on 2/14/23 at 12:49 pm

    Perfect! Thanks for testing this so well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. AvatarMadness says

    Posted on 8/2/21 at 12:39 pm

    It would be nice to have the info for dark meat, not just white.

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 8/2/21 at 1:29 pm

      Good idea for us to include that. We’ve found that boneless, skinless chicken thighs only need about 6 minutes on high pressure with a quick release. You can download our entire Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart here >>> https://thrivinghomeblog.com/instant-pot-cooking-times-cheat-sheet/

      Reply

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