Instant Pot Chicken Breast

4.55 from 11 votes

We love Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipes and this simple tutorial for Instant Pot Chicken Breast will have your dinner ready in no time. Use either fresh or frozen chicken breast and get juicy cooked chicken every time!

Prep 15

Cook 20

Total 35

Fat 10

Carbs 0

Protein 22

Yield

Ingredients

1 - 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast frozen (3 medium chicken breasts)
1/2 cup water
optional: salt and pepper

Instructions

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

First, place the metal trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and pour the water into the pot.
Place frozen chicken breast on top of the trivet. Be sure the frozen chicken breasts are not touching. Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the valve to seal and turn the Instant Pot to manual > high pressure > and set the timer to 18-20 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breasts and how frozen they are).
When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure. When pressure releases, check the internal temperature of the chicken breast. It should be at least 165ºF. If it's not, you'll need to continue cooking.
Once chicken breast is fully cooked, prepare chicken any way you please (diced, shredded, or etc.)

Instant Pot Chicken Breast (thawed)

First, place the metal trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot and pour the water into the pot.
Place raw chicken breast on top of the trivet. Be sure the frozen chicken breasts are not touching. Season with salt and pepper.
Turn the valve to seal and turn the Instant Pot to manual > high pressure > and set the timer to 8-12 minutes. For a 4-oz. chicken breast, 8 minutes should do the trick, but for a large chicken breast, you will need to go up to 12 minutes.
When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure. When pressure releases, check the internal temperature of the chicken breast. It should be at least 165ºF. If it's not, you'll need to continue cooking.
Once chicken breast is fully cooked, prepare chicken any way you please (diced, shredded, or etc.)

Tips & Notes

Note: we updated this recipe on January 5, 2021 to use the trivet. The video does not reflect this.
If Instant Pot flashes the word 'burn,' quick release, add more water and reset it. The reason your Instant Pot is probably flashing the word burn is because it needs more moisture. Read more about it HERE.
This recipe is for 2-3 medium-sized chicken breasts, not one massive 1 lb. chicken breast. Cook time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts. The larger the breast, the longer it will take to cook.

Watch it

Nutrition Facts