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Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (+ Video Tutorial)

This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious!

This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious! | APinchOfHealthy.com

This is my method for fresh (not frozen) boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I’ll report back in another post once I hack the frozen ones! 🙂 They are a little tricker, in my opinion.

If you want to make something similar on the stovetop with a grill pan or cast iron skillet, see my other grilled chicken breasts recipe. It is one of my most popular recipes of all time!

If you want an oven baked chicken breast recipe, I have a fantastic recipe those too.

OR if you want more of a shredded chicken recipe, check out my Instant Pot shredded chicken method.

But back to these instant pot chicken breasts!

This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious! | APinchOfHealthy.com

It’s fun to get super creative and fancy in the kitchen sometimes. But simple and basic can also be delicious. I come back around to my most simple and basic recipes more often than not.

This particular recipe is such a great basic recipe to have on hand. These chicken breasts are great to enjoy with a couple simple side items (salad and Instant Pot sweet potato, for example) as a simple meal.

Instant Pot chicken breasts are also a great diced up over pasta or salad. You can meal prep and make them ahead, and eat off them for a few days after.

I season these up in a pretty basic way, and it is very versatile.

sprinkling raw chicken breasts with seasoning

You can change up the spices to suit your preference, though.

I brown the chicken on both sides to lock in as much juiciness as possible. And then I place them on a trivet to pressure cook them the rest of the way.

This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious! | APinchOfHealthy.com

FAQ’s for Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Can I use frozen chicken breasts?

I would not recommend it, although several members of my audience have written in, saying they had great results using frozen chicken breasts. I myself have had mixed results. So for consistent results, I recommend using fresh, thawed chicken breasts.

Can I use cutlets or thin chicken breasts?

I would not recommend thin cuts, since they will become overcooked. Make sure you use regular whole chicken breasts.

Can I make this in a 3 quart and/or 8 quart model?

Yes! Just use the minimum fill requirements for the liquid.

Can I use chicken stock/ broth in place of water?

Sure! That definitely works, and I have used stock a bunch of times. After realizing that the liquid doesn’t touch the chicken, I tried using water and didn’t notice much difference. So I have used water ever since.

Can I make shredded chicken using this recipe?

This recipe makes chicken with the texture of a piece of grilled chicken. So no, I would not recommend this for shredded chicken. Instead, try my Instant Pot shredded chicken, which uses chicken thighs.

Can I use the poultry button instead?

Sure! I have used the poultry button, but I have never noticed much of a difference.🤷🏼‍♀️ In fact, I use “manual” high pressure in almost all of my IP recipes. 😎

How do I cook boneless chicken thighs in the Instant Pot?

Chicken thighs have a different cook time than chicken breasts. So I would definitely recommend checking out my Instant Pot chicken thigh recipe for that.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

If you are not a crazy Instant Pot lady like me who has two Instant Pots, you can wrap your chicken breasts in foil while you make another side to go with it. Or if is a longer cook side (like the black eyed peas), make the side first, and then the chicken breasts. Of course, an extra inner pot comes in handy! Here are my favorite sides to serve:

Salads to top with Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

These make a fantastic make ahead option to make salads all week. Here are my favorite salads using these chicken breasts:

My Instant Pot Chicken Recipe Collection

If you love great chicken recipes to make in your Instant Pot, you might like to check out my recipe collection here (click the image below to go to the post).

Instant Pot chicken recipes

 

Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links. Shopping through these links supports this site at NO extra cost to you.

  • Instant Pot – I am using a 6 quart
  • Tongs are very helpful when placing the chicken in hot oil, and removing it after cooking. Just be sure and wash the tongs with hot soapy water before you handle the finished product to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Measuring spoons
  • Trivet that comes with your Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chicken Breasts Recipe

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This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious! | APinchOfHealthy.com
4.79 from 38 votes
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Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

This is my tried and true method for making Instant Pot chicken breasts that are tender, juicy and delicious!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken, chicken breast, instant pot
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 3
Calories 170 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon oil (I use avocado, but you can use coconut or canola - something with a high smoke point is best!)
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (uncooked)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt per chicken breast (or you can use just garlic powder and regular salt)
  • dash black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 cup water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the sauté function on the Instant Pot at the highest setting, and add oil to the pot.

  2. Season one side of the chicken breasts.

  3. After the display reads "hot," carefully add the chicken breasts, seasoned side down, to the pot. I use tongs to avoid hot oil splatter.

  4. Add seasoning on the second side.

  5. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, and remove from pot with the tongs.

  6. Add 1 cup water to the pot (may need more for 8 quart pots), plus the trivet.

  7. Place the chicken on the trivet.

  8. Lock the lid, and cook on manual high for 5 minutes.

  9. Allow the chicken to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release the rest.

  10. Remove the chicken from the pot, and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving for maximum juiciness.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Note: Regarding chicken breast sizes, each breast was between 6 and 8 ounces. (6.7, 7.3 and 7.7 to be exact!) Also, butterflied (halved) chicken breasts or chicken cutlets will not have the same cook time as whole chicken breasts. I recommend using whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 170 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 72mg 24%
Sodium 329mg 14%
Potassium 418mg 12%
Protein 24g 48%
Vitamin A 0.7%
Vitamin C 1.6%
Calcium 0.6%
Iron 2.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Related posts:

  1. Grilled Chicken Breasts – Easy Grill Pan Method
  2. Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
  3. Chicken Divan (Plus Video Tutorial)
  4. Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia lechuga says


    It came out so juicy and delicious! USed coconut oil which gave it a little sweetness.
    Changes I made was chicken broth instead of plain water and Italian seasoning instead of dry basil and oregano.
    Loved this recipe and will definitely be using it again.

    Reply

  2. Cara Harris says


    I’m so glad I found this! I had marinated some chicken and was going to grill it when I realized I was out of propane. I was really afaid to use my instant pot only because it doesn’t seem right to cook chicken in. I decided to give it a shot even though I had already marinated the chicken. So happy i did. My husband and i loved this and I will definitely be using it again for my chicken. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply

  3. Laura says


    I had thin chicken breasts and was very nervous about trying this. I’m new to the instant pot game and don’t have the timing down…always afraid of undercooking when adjusting times. Decided to go ahead and cook it exactly as the recipe says this time and wean back the time Next time. It actually still came out great! I might try 4 minutes next time if we get the thin breasts again, but I don’t know. It was pretty awesome this way. I’m horrible in the kitchen, but this recipe made me feel like a success. My husband and all 3 kids gobbled it down.

    Reply

  4. cindy says


    Looks delicious……have it in the insta-pot right now. The timer took a bit of time to start counting down from 5 minutes so hoping that is okay. I am like you, tough meat is the worst. Thanks a bunch. This qualifies as a lectin free dish and was wondering if you make any more recipes for those with autoimmune diseases?

    Reply

  6. Reneta Jenik says


    Hi, I wanted to double the quantity of chicken breast, how should I modify the recipe? I am a newbie…

    Thx!
    Reneta

    Reply

  7. Andrea says


    Fabulous! Did this last night and can’t believe how easy it was. I cooked 3 chicken breasts that I will eat throughout the week which will save a ton of time. They were incredibly moist and cooked perfectly. I gave my husband a bite and he couldn’t believe it (he usually refuses to eat chicken breast). Next time there is a sale I’m going to buy a large amount and do up a whole bunch to freeze and pull out when needed (like I already do with “bagged” chicken). Thanks so much!

    Reply

  8. Emily says


    This is absolutely spot on for cooking chicken breast. i have never been able to cook chicken breast without it being dry…ever. something in me always wants to cook it just a minute longer and that’s always the death of the juice…and i vow next time to not do that…but i do….always. this time i made myself trust the recipe. so good. and the dog thanks you for the extra juice on the cutting board… 😉

    Reply

  9. Ruth says


    i WAS LOOKING FOR A BASIC CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE FOR THE iNSTANT pOT and this was perfect. Flavorful and moist. I made 4 chicken breasts so I modified the ingredients for 4 but otherwise cook as instructed. I saved the liquid to either make gravy or use in a soup. Great basic recipe – and a good option for me as I try to eat healthier.

    Reply

  10. WHITNEY says

    Hi! NEW INSTANT POT DUO PLUS OWNER. LOVED YOUR VIDEO AND PROBABLY WATCHED 20 TIMES BEFORE I GOT UP THE COURAGE TO TRY USING MY POT. I TRIED TO MAKE THESE TONIGHT AS MY FIRST COOKING EVENT, AND I ALREADY FAILED! 🙁 WHEN I SET MY POT FOR HIGH PRESSURE COOKING, IT NEVER SHOWED A TIMER OR A COUNTDOWN. ? IT SIMPLY SAID ON, AND KEPT SAYING ON, SO I KEPT WAITING FOR THE COOK TIMER TO KICKER IN AND THEN FOR THE COUNTDOWN TIMER TO SHOW. BUT IT NEVER CHANGED FROM SIMPLY DISPLAYING “ON.” I LEFT THE CHICKEN IN FOR PROBABLY 10-15 MINUTES BEFORE I REALIZED SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG. THEN I JUST HIT CANCEL, LET IT SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND THEN DID A QUICK RELEASE.

    DO I JUST FUNDAMENTALLY MISUNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS MACHINE? 🙁

    THANK YOU!

    Reply

  11. ashlee mcmurphy says


    I watched your video and decided to use it as my first instant pot recipe. I wanted the instant pot to help cook healthy dinners, in less time being as I am working mom. A question I had with the natural release. My instant pot is the IP-lux. I have the top is a seal and two venting…do i move it from seal to venting to do the natural release? Thanks for your help! I am excited to try this meal.

    Reply

    • Jordan says

      Natural release is when you leave it without venting it and let the pressure release on it’s own, rather than venting it and manually releasing the pressure. To do the natural release, simply leave the switch on “sealed” until the pressure is released, or for however long the recipe says. To quick release, move the switch to “Venting” and let it release until the pot stops shooting out steam.

      Reply

  16. Louise Rozansky says


    This recipe is nice. I like the flavors. I did have the same Manual vs. pressure cook button issue and cooked using the poultry program, reducing the time and raising the pressure. if I cooked that way again, I would reduce it by a minute, as one of the other repliers said. But i will do the pressure cook next time. (as I type this in the reply box,, i cannot get upper case letters ! I am not being lazy. It is making me nuts! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Glad you liked it! One of my other replies noted that the older models (what I have) say “manual” where the newer models say “pressure cook.” Yep, if it was a little tough, I would back down a minute off cook time. Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply

  18. Jane says

    I have a new Instpot Duo 60. I was rather afraid of it until I watched your video. Thank you. The sauce feature went well as you described, but I ran into a problem because my pot does not have a “manual” setting. What to do? I finally used the “meat” setting which automatically set the pot to “high” for 6 minutes. At the end of the cook time it went to the pressure release setting which I allowed to go for 5 minutes as you’d suggested. Next I “cancelled” the setting and did a manual release. The chicken breasts were delicious. However, I am still curious as to how I change the auto settings. I might have liked to reduce the time by 1 minute. Keep posting basics for the Instapot so we become pros like you. Thank you!

    Reply

  20. Karla says

    So I have to make 25 chicken breast – I have 2- 8 quart pots. Do you think I need to cook it longer with 12/13 in a pot or should it be the same time??

    Reply

    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      Hi Karla! I have never done that many before, so this is purely a guess.🤔 I would guess the same time would work. It make take a little longer for it to come up to pressure, which would automatically give it extra cook time. Hope that helps. 💖

      Reply

  23. MM says

    This recipe and tutorial saved me. Sometimes with the Instant Pot I can’t “brain” correctly, and having you talk me through with your encouraging voice was such a blessing! My husband will never grill chicken again. This was SO tender. Thank you!

    Reply

  24. Darlene Prowse says

    I have an 8qt pot. You mentioned maybe needing more water.does the water touch the chicken when it’s on the trivet?

    Reply

  25. jo1028 says

    Julie P., Sounds like operator error to me. Check the quality of the breast you are buying as well. Larger the breast, the older the bird, the tougher the breast. You may have gotten some old rooster breasts!!!

    Reply

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