Name: Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless (skinless chicken breasts); 1 cup chicken broth (water, or juice); salt (pepper, garlic powder or seasoning to taste)

TO RECIPE SAVE RECIPE

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

If you’re searching for the easiest way to make perfectly tender chicken breasts—whether fresh or frozen—this Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Recipe is your secret weapon. It’s quick, completely foolproof, and guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every single time. You’ll be adding this one to your weekly meal rotation in no time!

Life can get hectic, and sometimes you just need dinner to come together without any drama—this recipe gets that. It’s the kind of protein you can rely on when you’re juggling busy schedules, picky eaters, or just don’t feel like cooking. With a handful of pantry ingredients, the Instant Pot does all the heavy lifting while you focus on more important things (like sitting down with your family).

Over the years, one thing’s for certain: chicken is a staple in my kitchen, and I’ve perfected this juicy, multi-purpose chicken breast recipe that works for just about anything. Whether I’m serving it as-is for a wholesome dinner, slicing it over a crisp salad, or shredding it for tacos, soups, and casseroles, it’s become my go-to. It’s the ultimate kitchen workhorse—simple, reliable, and endlessly adaptable.

Once you make it, you’ll see just how easy it is to use this recipe as the foundation for so many meals your family will love.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Breast: Fresh or Thawed

Place chicken breast in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
Add in 1 cup of liquid. Depending on the flavor you want to achieve use chicken stock, water, pineapple, apple, or orange juice.
Season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper or desired seasonings.
Set pressure cooker to high pressure for 6-8 minutes.
Place the lid in the locked position and turn the valve to a sealed position.
Once cook time is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then do a quick release by opening the seal with a wooden spoon or set of tongs.
Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Frozen Chicken Breast in Instant Pot

Place chicken breast in the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
Add in 1 cup of liquid. Depending on the flavor you want to achieve use chicken stock, water, pineapple, apple, or orange juice.
Season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper or desired seasonings.
Set pressure cooker to high pressure for 10-12* minutes.
Place the lid in a locked position and turn the valve to a sealed position.
Once cook time is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, and then do a quick release by opening the seal with a wooden spoon or set of tongs.
Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Tip: When cooking frozen chicken, make sure they are not all stuck together before putting them in the instant pot. I often purchase chicken in large value packs and freeze in individual freezer bags or wrapped with parchment or freezer paper individually and stored in a large freezer bag. But if you have a package that is frozen together, just sit it in a bowl of cold water until you can break them loose. Cooking them all frozen together will leave you with unevenly cooked chicken.

When is the Chicken Fully Cooked?

Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees before it is done or fully cooked and safe to eat. The best way to tell is to check with an instant-read meat thermometer.

Place the thermometer into the center or thickest part of the chicken breast. If it reads 160 it will come to full temp as it rests. If it isn’t often you can place it back into the IP and put the lid back on. The heat created when pressure cooking should be enough to get it to the right temperature.

If you do not have a thermometer make sure there isn’t any pink left in the breast and all juices run clear when slicing.

Do I need to adjust Cook Times for Different Size Chicken Breasts?

The answer is YES! If you are buying individually frozen or organic chicken breasts they are often about 6 ounces and nowadays the conventionally packaged chicken breasts are much larger. So the best way to determine is by figuring out how many ounces each breast weighs. Just take the total weight of your package and divide it by the number of breasts in the package.

Want to Save this Recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Soulfully Made.

Cooking Time Rule of Thumb:

6-ounce breast: 6 minutes for fresh / 10 minutes for frozen
8-ounce breast: 7 minutes for fresh / 11 minutes for frozen
10-ounce breast: 8 minutes for fresh / 12 minutes for frozen

Each will need a 5 minute natural release time.

Ways to serve Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Whole Breast – You can add various seasonings when cooking to get the desired taste you love.
Sliced, Cube, or Dice the Chicken – Use this as a topper for salads, sandwiches, meal prep for your protein, casseroles, or makes a delicious chicken salad.
Shredded – This is great for sandwiches, tacos, salads, dips, casseroles, etc.

Easy ways to Shred Chicken Breast

Once cook time is finished, remove the lid and pour broth (cooking liquid) into a bowl or large measuring cup. Pour about 1/2 of the liquid back into the inner pot.
Shred with a handheld mixer on medium speed inside an inner pot or use two forks if you do not have a hand mixer. You can also pour into a stand mixer bowl (if you don’t have a handheld), if you desire and use the paddle attachment to shred.

If you want to freeze chicken for shredded chicken recipes. It is best to shred first and then freeze. It makes it a little easier.

Storing Cooked Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Cook as directed. Make sure to not overcook.
Don’t skip resting time. This allows the juices to redistribute.
Slice, cube, shred or leave whole as desired.
Portion in individual or recipe specific serving sizes for easy use as needed. I find most recipes call for 1 to 2 cups of chicken.
Cooked chicken can be refrigerated safely for 3 to 4 days.
Frozen cooked chicken will keep in the freezer for 3 to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooks Tip: Make sure to get good quality fresh chicken. Not all brands are alike. If you find that it turns out tough, test out another brand. Using frozen is okay just get a brand you trust and have success with.

Tools you’ll need to cook Chicken Breasts in Instant Pot

My recipes are tested with a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo or Ultra. This is why 1 cup of liquid is needed. Make sure to check your brand requirements if using another brand or if you have an 8 quart for your recipes.
I don’t use my trivet for this recipe. I find they cook just perfectly in the liquids when placed directly in the insert.

Recipes Using Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Hungry for more easy, home-cooked, delicious recipes?

Sign up for my free recipe club to get family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.

A close of chicken that was cooked in the instant pot.

Recipe

Pin Print Rate Recipe Save

he juiciest Instant Pot Chicken Breast ever! Whether you have fresh or frozen chicken, this is the perfect pressure cooker chicken breast recipe for weekly meal prep, a quick dinner, or to freeze ahead of time for all those recipes that call for chicken!

Ingredients

▢ 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
▢ 1 cup chicken broth, water, or juice
▢ salt, pepper, garlic powder or seasoning to taste