Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

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Folks, have I got the greatest healthy cooking hack for you! I’m talking about cooking up Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breasts. That’s right, you can cook completely, hard-as-rock, frozen chicken breasts in Instant Pot. No thawing required!

This frozen chicken breast recipe is exactly what you need when you’re short on time but still want to cook a healthy, satisfying meal. Seriously, you can throw completely frozen chicken breasts into the Pressure Cooker and you will end up with totally moist, tender, and delicious juicy chicken breast every time.

You might also like the BEST ever Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas, along with Juicy Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs, delicious takeout style Instant Pot Butter Chicken dinner and super easy creamy Instant Pot Chicken Curry.

Pressure cooking frozen chicken really is just that easy. So easy, it may be tempting to never thaw a frozen chicken breast again! #healthycookinghack. Alternatively you can find out how to cook fresh Instant Pot Chicken Breast.

Why Make This Recipe

• It’s so quick and easy! Go from frozen to perfectly cooked in just a few minutes.
• Healthy eating – Pairing lean boneless, skinless chicken breast with a salad or vegetable side is a healthy and satisfying meal.
• Super versatile – Use in any number of different dishes and serve for lunch or dinner.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken – This recipe calls for frozen boneless chicken breasts. I tend to use skinless chicken breasts to help cut down on the calories. You dont need to thaw chicken. You add it straight into the inner pot in liquid and pressure cook.
• Liquid – use a cooking liquid of your choice. Chicken broth, water, pineapple juice all work chose which one to use depending on what you will do with the leftover liquid.

So, ready to learn all about this handy and helpful healthy cooking hack and easy recipe? Gather up those ingredients and I will show you…..

How To Make Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below. 

1. Add the water into the Instant Pot insert.
2. Place the frozen chicken breasts directly into the cooking liquid (make sure they are not stuck together).
3. Cover your Instant Pot and set the valve to the SEALING position.
4. Select the pressure cook / manual pressure, select high pressure, and set the timer for 10 minutes – 12 minutes (depending on the size).
5. Pressure cook and once done, let the pressure release naturally for about 5 minutes (10 minutes for thicker chicken breasts) before doing a quick release of the remaining pressure.
6. Remove chicken from the pressure cooker, check the temperature of the chicken using a  Meat thermometer to ensure they are fully cooked.

Recipe Tips

• It is best to separate the frozen chicken breasts before cooking them to avoid ending up with undercooked chicken. The easiest way I find is to 1) freeze them individually or  2) if frozen in a batch, let them sit in a bowl of cold water for a little while until you can easily separate.
• It is best to follow the recipe and do a quick pressure release as required to avoid overcooked chicken.
• If you prefer, you can cook the frozen chicken on a trivet inside the Instant Pot.
• For a quick and easy healthy meal, serve your pressure cooker chicken with a green salad or alongside Instant Pot Broccoli or Air Fryer Green Beans.

Pro Tip: You should always check the internal temperature of your chicken breasts using a meat thermometer to make sure they’re safe to eat, but it’s especially important to do so when cooking from frozen. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches at least 165F / 74C.

Recipe Variations

• Vary the liquid: Feel free to use vegetable broth or fruit juice (such as pineapple, orange, etc.) instead of water.
• Add some heat: if you like it hot, feel free to add in some red pepper flakes, cayenne or chipotle.

Seasoning Your Frozen Meat

If you are cooking fresh chicken breast, this be easily seasoned just before cooking, To season an Instant Pot frozen chicken breast, you can either season the raw chicken breasts before adding them to your freezer (my preferred method), or you can cook without the spices and season after cooking.

Try oregano, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, Creole seasoning, or shawarma spice or your favorite seasoning blends. Personally I like the marinade chicken before freezing for maximum flavor.

Alternatively you can cover cooked chicken in sauces like barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, ranch sauce and more before serving.

Prep Ahead And Storage

Folks, cooking Chicken breast is just the thing for meal prep and prepping ahead. 

Prep Ahead – You can cook frozen chicken breasts up to a few days in advance and then reheat when needed. 

Store – Store the cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Freeze – Follow the handy tips below for how to freeze this.

• Transfer cooled meat into these convenient Ziploc freezer bags.
• Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
• Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
• Store in the freezer for 3 months.
• To make reheating easier, freeze in the right portion sizes that you need for the future.

Meal Prep Ideas

You can use this healthy cooking hack to whip up some amazingly tasty meal prep dishes. Follow the instructions above to prepare your frozen chicken, then add to any of these delicious combos:

• Tex Mex Chicken Bowls = Black Beans + Tortilla Chips + Salsa
• Mediterranean Chicken Meal = Feta Cheese + Kalamata Olives + Hummus
• Pesto Pasta Chicken Salad = Cold Noodles + Pesto Sauce

FAQs

How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Breast in Instant Pot?

Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your Instant Pot and the size of the chicken breast, but I recommend the following:

• 10 minutes for smaller (6-8 ounce) frozen chicken breasts
• 12 minutes for larger (9-10 ounce) frozen chicken breasts.

What To Do If Your Meat Is Undercooked

If your chicken breasts are undercooked, then simply put them back in the pot and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Always check the temperature of the chicken breasts before eating.

Can I Make Shredded Chicken Instead?

Yes, you can make Instant Pot shredded chicken breast. You would have to  increase the time under pressure to 15 minutes instead of 10 minutes.

Then you can shred the chicken using 2 forks or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken Breast. So juicy and tender and can go with everything.
• Instant Pot Shredded Chicken. Great for meal prep all week long.
• Instant Pot Chicken Thighs. Easy chicken thighs form frozen.
• Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas (my favorite)
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup. Warming and comforting.
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos. Make this for dinner tonight.
• Instant Pot Chicken Curry. Better than take out recipe.
• Instant Pot Pulled Chicken. Great for sandwiches all week long.
• The Ultimate List of Instant Pot Chicken Recipes – for all things chicken.
• Instant Pot Chicken Thighs. These crisp up perfectly.
• Plus this golden crispy Air Fryer Chicken Breast is pretty great too.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 0 Blue Plan Smartpoints per serving.

Check out these amaaaaaazing Healthy Chicken Meal Prep Bowls that each contains ZERO Blue Plan SmartPoints. So good!

Tools Needed

• An awesome Instant Pot.
• Measuring cups and measuring teaspoons.
• Handy mixing bowls.
• The best ever sea salt flakes
• Meal prep glass containers for storing your food.

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot Chicken Breast Frozen recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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