- Sheri

Frozen Chicken Breasts in an Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker

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You can save a ton of time each week with this simple, easy way to cook frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker!

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When many people first get an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker they are a little overwhelmed and unsure of just exactly HOW to use this new piece of equipment!  I was the same way when I first received mine and then I found myself short on time for dinner one evening with no idea of what to make.  I decided to give my electric pressure cooker a try on a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts I had in the freezer.  In less than 25 minutes I had perfectly cooked chicken which formed the base of my meal that night and dinner time was saved!  Cooking frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts has now become my favorite way to use my electric pressure cooker to save me time each week.  I cook plain chicken with chicken broth and salt that I can shred or dice to use for fast, healthy lunches and dinners each week.


How to cook frozen boneless chicken breasts in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. hot water
1 c.chicken broth (or 1 c water and 1 tsp chicken bullion)
1/2 tsp salt

Set pressure cooker to 12 minutes and press start.  It will take approximately 10 minutes to pressurize and in less than 25 minutes you will have perfectly cooked chicken.  Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to cool then shred or dice it up.  I store mine along with the broth in a covered container in the fridge to keep it from drying out.

Please note:  Instant Pots/electric pressure cookers may not all cook exactly the same.  The cooking time I mentioned is for The Power Cooker Pro using 4 average size boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  If you have extra large boneless, skinless chicken breasts you may need to allow extra cooking time.  I have not tried bone-in chicken breasts but others have said you will most likely need to add at least 10 more minutes cooking time.

And there you have it!  No more wondering what’s for lunch on hectic days or what to feed your family in the evenings!

For a delicious variation, add BBQ sauce in place of the broth or try our yummy Fajita Seasoned Shredded Chicken.

 

Frozen chicken breasts cooked in the electric pressure cooker in less than 25 minutes from A Fun and Frugal Life

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109 thoughts on “Frozen Chicken Breasts in an Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker”

  1. When you are cooking your pressure cooker recipes, what kpa (pressure) setting do you use? 40? 80? I am looking forward to using my electric pressure cooker more, but sometimes it scares me! =) Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Brenda! My machine’s default kPa is 70 so when I press the cook button and set it to the desired time it will cook at 70kPa. All of the recipes I’ve experimented with so far have cooked at 70kPa. I’m still trying to figure my machine out and haven’t yet tried any recipes where I’ve had to adjust the pressure. If I happen to post any that will cook at a different pressure I’ll make sure to list it in the instructions. Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any questions! I hope you do start using your machine more. Hopefully you’ll like it as much as I do!

      1. I just bought an electric pressure cooker, I’m a little confused, I have a buttoned that says pressure adjust which allows me to change the kpa, but if I do cook and set a time does it automatically get pressure or do I have to build the pressure first?

        1. On my machine as soon as I set the cook time it automatically builds pressure to cook at 70kPa. So far I’ve never made anything where I’ve had to adjust the pressure. I know there are some recipes out there that will tell you to cook it at a certain kPa. That should be the only time you’d have to adjust the pressure! Hope that helps!

    2. I’m a little confused on the time for the frozen chicken breasts…you say to set the timer at 12 minutes but I read one of the messages here and she said she set her timer at 25 minutes and everything turned out perfect and juicy…..so what time do I use?….Thanks

      2. 10 minutes to build pressure, 12 minutes of actual pressurized cook time, & about 3 minutes for quick pressure release, produces tender juicy chicken in 25 minutes. So just set your pressure cooker for 12 minute cook time and your good to go! Hope this helps.

        1. Yes thank you…I am a beginner if you couldn’t tell lol ?….I use my cooker everyday, I absolutely love cooking with it.

          1. Glad to help! We were all beginners at one time. It gets easier everything! Enjoy the possibilities!

          2. I am also a beginner. Right now I am trying to cook a 5lb rump roast. Put it on for 40 minutes. I love the idea of the frozen chicken breasts. Wish me luck with my roast. Trial and error it is!

        3. Thanks. The way it is written it didn’t make sense to me either but now it does. No disrespect intended for the poster. 🙂 Thanks for your clarification. I’m doing 2 lbs of frozen boneless thighs for a chicken green chili rice soup. I do appreciate your post! 🙂

      3. I know: 25 minutes (approx) minus the 12 min you set = 13 min (approx) of pressurizing remaining.

        But more importantly, weight measures of chicken breast to cook is important info that could that would that should be easier & simpler to understand; easier conversions/prep & yes boss, scientific boss humour.

  2. This recipe has saved me so many times when I don’t know what to cook and I haven’t thawed anything else. Thank you so much!

  3. Just bought Power Pressure Cooker (not the XL model) there aren’t many recipes in the manual or there recipe book. How do I convert other pressure cooker recipes to the power cooker?

    1. I also have the regular Power Pressure Cooker and have followed the directions exactly as written on all the recipes I’ve found online. I have yet to overcook anything but occasionally I do have to add some additional time. I just put the lid back on and set the timer for a few more minutes. It does take longer because you have to let it pressurize again but I just make a note of the actual cooking time so I can set it right the next time. It’s been a sort of trial and error figuring out my machine. And you’re right…there aren’t many recipes included when you buy it! That’s why I started making up my own and adapting my crock recipes to use in the power cooker! I have more recipes that I need to get added to the blog soon. Hope you enjoy them!

      1. I also purchased this same cooker. So far only one (costly) failure. Not enough easy to understand information included. Thank you for your time and recipes. We’re especially enjoying the cheesecake recipes we’ve found.

        1. I was intimidated when I first started reading the manual. I realized I was now in possession of a multi-tasking machine and the instructions covered them all. I took one step at a time and chalked it up to moving my cooking skills to another level. Worth the time getting over my anxiety because the benefits are boundless.

    2. I bought the power pressure cooker xl 10 quart about a month ago…and I use with every recipe I find that I like and I cook in it everyday ..there is a lot of instant pot and they have a lot of recipes and I cooked a lot of them and I’ve had no problems with them, I haven’t changed them or did anything to them and they turn out great. Hope this helps ?

      2. Thank you sooo much for the info Sarah i just bought my power xl and ppl are right, the instructions aren’t real great I too am very skeptical but with your info, it will make things much easier. Thank you again

      3. I have a 6 qt. Bella Pressure Cooker I just bought. Can you use the same recipes that they have for the InstaPot with the Bella Cooker?

  4. Hi Sheri! do you do a quick pressure release or a natural release? (I have an Instant Pot, so im not sure how that translates to what you use.)

    1. Hi! I almost always do a quick pressure release (unless I get distracted and the timer goes off and I don’t realize it)! I’m sure there are some recipes out there that specifically state to let the pressure come down naturally but all the recipes that I’ve posted allow you to do a quick pressure release. Hope that helps!

      1. If your pot is really full (because you are making a soup or stew that comes closer to the top or something that will foam like rice) you will want to use the natural release for at least part of the time. This will help prevent your steam from being mixed with the actual content of your food. This can be messy.

          1. I wonder if it would work to use a tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil instead of butter?

    2. Trudie,
      Instant Pot quick release is when you move the spigot on the top to let out the steam; natural release is when you allow it to just settle down naturally.

  5. I have the Power Pressure Pro and when I set the pressure adjust button to 70 kPa it defaults to 25 min, and the chicken comes out so tasty and juicy. This recipe is the BOMB!! Chicken Taco Bake, Chicken Salad, Chicken ‘n Dumplings, Chicken Pie, Chicken Stir Fry – all so easy and quick now. And the tip about using my Kitchen Aid – Brilliant! Thanks, Sheri!!

  6. Hi. I just bought an Elite pressure cooker. Today will be my first time using it. I am making a recipe I saw online for gnocchi soup. My chicken is frozen so I searched the net and your recipe popped up. Fingers crossed that it comes out well. I’m not sure how to adjust the recipe from pot to cooker, but I am looking forward to trting. Trial and error hopefully equals success!!! Av

  8. I have had an electric pressure cooker for about 3 years now and have loved it! My mother bought me the “Power Cooker” for Christmas this past year not realizing I had one, so I gave the older one to my brother-in-law, who LOVES it! We have started learning all the new bells and whistles on the new one and this morning I am attempting to make bbq chicken breasts from frozen so it will be ready for after church. Fingers crossed it all turns out well. Glad I have found your page!

      1. I just got this Power Cooker XL and want to cook frozen chicken today. Would you mind telling me how long I should cook it for and/or what button I press? Thanks!

  9. Have you tried both bone-in and boneless breasts in this recipe? And if so what cooking time difference? I am a brand new pressure cooker user. Thanks!

  10. I am just getting started with my electric pressure cooker and was wondering how do you determine how much liquid to add when trying different receipes? I want to try a chicken and rice recipe and also a red beans and rice with sausage receipe. Thank you

    1. Hi Karla- I hope that you’ve figured out by now no rice in the pressure cooker. It foams and can clog the vent, leading to an explosion. I don’t recommend cooking beans in a pressure cooker either; I once did that, had a bean skin clog the vent, and it blew the safety valve with a huge boom that scared the living daylights out of me. I approached the kitchen with much trepidation, stuck my head in to see what happened; right then all the steam cleared and I had bean skins alllllll over the kitchen- on the walls, on the cabinet fronts- everywhere. It took me the better part of the afternoon to get them all washed off and by the time I got to the last of them I had to really scrub because they’d dried onto the surface to which they were clinging. I’ll never put something iffy in the pressure cooker again, I learned my lesson!

      1. A little bit of oil in the cooking water when cooking beans stops the foaming….hope this helps as I’ve been cooking all sorts of legumes like this for years with no explosions…

        1. And my PC is the only place I cook rice…follow the manufacturers directions and add a dollop of oil before pressurizing. Makes the best sticky rice!

      2. wow I’ve cooked rice and beans in mine on a regular basis for years. In fact I have two metal inserts that stack and sometimes i cook both together in 1 go haha.

  11. First time pressure cooker, so I am excited I didn’t blow up my friend’s kitchen! My chicken is a little chewy. Any suggestions?

  12. just got my presser cooker not the xl not sure how to use it .if i press cook time and put time on it ,It doesn’t do anything am i doing it wrong.

  13. My family loves Beef Tongue. Has anyone cooked one in this pressure cooker yet. I would sure like to know how long it takes to cook until done.

    1. My Mom used to cook tongue all the time in her old-fashioned jiggle-vent PC. I would think it’s even easier in the new ones.

  14. I forgot to say, I used the cooker to make vegetable soup. It takes very little time and the vegetables come out firm, not mushy.

  15. Just bought the Power Pressure Cooker XL.
    I was thinking about taking it back. Sounded completed.
    But reading all the coments here I think I will try to
    play with it. I think because I did not have good recipes
    to follow.

  16. what do I have to do to cook 2 thawed boneless skinless pieces of chicken in my presure cooker xl I am new to this and don’t know what to do and what buttons to push

        1. Deborah, I used 2 cups of liquid in my frozen chicken pieces and I will reduce it to one cup in the future. It seemed too much liquid and it drowned out the flavour of the bar-b-que sauce I added.

  17. I also have the power pressure cooker use it very often the only mistake I have done is a pasta recipe and it burnt on the bottom Have no idea what I did wrong any help would be much appreciated

    1. The recipes Ive used from any book are a guide only. Adding a little more liquid to starchy food recipes like pasta, rice or potatoes could help because they absorb more of the liquid while cooking. I love my instant pot cooker, however, I’ve learned to trust my instincts to avoid sticking.

    2. I just tried this spaghetti noodles, jar of sauce, jar of water, and meatballs, and had that same problem. It apparently needed more water. I’m thinking spaghetti is not a good fit for the pressure cooker, and different pasta would be better.

      1. I cook the sauce and meat together for 8 min, quick release pressure then add uncooked noodles, stir. Set for additional 4 minutes.

  18. Just made the BBQ chicken tonight for dinner. It was easy and delicious! My husband liked it and he’s very particular when it comes to food. Your recipe is now in my rotation. Thanks for sharing!

  19. I got a power cooker for Christmas and I was wondering if I had to adjust the pressure every time or if it was set at a certain pressure automatically?

  20. I always have frozen meat in the freezer and never any time to thaw it properly. I hate, let me repeat HATE using the microwave to thaw or reheat any meat. Your recipe for pressure cooking frozen chicken has opened my eyes. I’m using my new PC (xmas gift) tonight with frozen chicken thighs to make lemon chicken with lemons from my very own tree. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us all.

    1. I’m with you on the thawing meat thing! That’s why I love the pressure cooker so much. Let us know how your lemon chicken turned out. Sounds delicious 🙂

  22. I’m so glad to see so many others afraid of their pressure cookers! 🙂 I jumped out of my skin the first time I hit that pressure release valve. My husband laughed so hard he fell off the couch! Thanks for sharing!

  23. Is chicken the only FROZEN meat that can be used in a pressure cooker? My husband bought me one recently…I had always been afraid of them because of my childhood…when my mom used hers we were never allowed in the kitchen “in case it blows up!!” So glad I tried it!!! I use it about EVERY night! I seem to run out of planning time the night before for dinner the following night…I have found ANYTHING works and it’s FAST and DELICIOUS! Thanks in advance! I could only find chicken as a “frozen option and wondered if any frozen meat could be used…”

  24. This recipe is a bit confusing, did you use a total of two cups cooking liquid? I use my pressure cooker a lot, love how tender the food is when it is done.

  26. This sounds good! I have a pressure cooker I bought from QVC because they said I needed it! So I had to buy it!! :o) But I haven’t used it much….a tiny bit nervous…but it hasn’t exploded yet! Funny I come across your recipe right after I came from the kitchen where I opened the freezer and saw I had chicken breasts and thought, what to do with them!! Just to be sure…..it’s 2 cups of water and one serving of powdered broth? Would 2 cups of broth not work? Thanks

  27. …I love my 8 Qt POWER XL electric pressure cooker and like many comment above, I never plan meals ahead and always have a frozen solid piece of meat that I want to cook for tonight’s dinner…..I have cooked frozen chicken pieces….frozen small turkey legs, and frozen pork ribs…my problem is that I never know how much liquid to add…….I think I am putting in too much liquid……

  28. I am so glad I found this site. I have a new 8Qt Power Plus Pressure Cooker and I cooked boneless pork ribs last night and they were so good. Melted in your mouth. I can’t wait to try other things.

  31. I just bought an Emeril by T-Fal. It has no automatic timer for anything other than rice and whole grains, and steam. So my question is do I follow any recipe as it’s written or do I have to make adjustments such as I tried to cook dried pinto beans and I wasn’t sure of how much water to have in there.
    Thanks Gina

  32. I bought my pressure cooler XL 8 qt. last Dec. Love it but not enough recipes. I always wonder about the amount of liquid. Your website has been very helpful. The frozen chicken breasts turn out nice and then I can use them in a lot of different recipes. Keep up the good work. Sure enjoy new ideas! Still experimenting. Love the easy clean up also. Thanks

  33. I purchased a Power Pressure XL 10 qt. last summer and love it. For more recipes go to their website. Many, many more. It is also great for canning veggies and jams.

  34. I have a Farberware Pressure cooker that I purchased 2 weeks ago. I am a bit nervous about frozen meat as meat has to be to temp throughout for enough time to kill bacteria. I am trying this tonight with 4 frozen chicken breasts. I have set it to the chicken setting then I guess I’ll let the steam out fast and check it… I thought about searing it some after…I am so leary about cooking frozen! Like others …I am trying recipes of other types of pressure cookers. Thank you for posting…I love cooking for my cubs.

    1. Denise, hope your chicken breasts turned out great! I love using my pressure cooker for last minute cooking and frozen chicken breasts always turn out perfect!!!!

  35. Wonderful site. Lots of useful info here.
    I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in
    delicious. And naturally, thank you to your effort!

  36. How would you do this in a manual pressure cooker? Can’t afford the electric one but do have a regular stove top one!

  38. The Instant Pot is much better than the Power Cooker (XL I have). Using manual on Instant Pot you can set any time. The Power Cooker you have to use there preprogrammed buttons and you can’t DECREASE the time, you can increase the time. If cook vegetables, they come out overcooked and mushy always.

  40. How do you or can you cook frozen or thawed hamburger meat in the pressure cooker? If so, what is the best method? Yes I am very very new lol….help! I always have chicken!

  41. Since there is no chicken wing category and it is football season and the holidays soon, wings are most welcome. I love wings vacuum packed in Soy sauce marinated over night. That was very time consuming so now I put them frozen or thawed in the Pressure cooker out of the one cup of water. I sprinkle a little Soy Sauce on them for good luck. Then when they are done I put them in a Pyrex cake dish and then sprinkle heavily with Soy or what ever you like. Throw them in the oven on broil until they brown then flip them over same thing. Dump them into a serving bowl and put them on the table. As good if not better then my old way

  42. I was extremely pleased to uncover this site. I want to to thank you for ones time just for this fantastic read!!
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  43. Anybody cooked 3 lbs or more of chicken in cooker?I am doing taco bar at a wedding reception and thought this would help with time.

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  46. Using my new cooker for the first time for chicken breast when it showed 9 mins on the timer it shut off. Completely dark. What did I do wrong.
    I released the pressure and the breast were done????

  48. New Multi-cooker owner. Made a mac & cheese with smoked sausage, forgot to spray the pot, so some stuck, but we got the nice browned crust we love. I’ve also sautéed onion and ground venison for a chili recipe. I added the can of crushed tomatoes, half a red pepper, a can of black beans, and a can of red beans. Chili powder, black pepper and cumin. I also like kernel corn in my chili, so I threw that in too. Was GOOD! Going pressure-thaw chicken thighs and make Chicken, Bacon Ranch chicken and potatoes tonight. SO easy!!

  49. I am cooking chicken and rice in mine now. Not sure how it’s going to turn out. I set it on chicken and it cooked like it was suppose to but when I opened it up it was really watery. I went by my reg. Oven receipe. Should I have done something different? I made soup in it a few weeks ago and it was delicious.

  52. I am just setting up my power pressure cooker xl and it said to put water in and hit the canning option. It only circled for over 20 min and never cycled through. I finally tried the rice option and it seemed to work fine. What did I do wrong?

  53. I was recommended this website through my cousin. I’m no longer positive whether or not this publish is written through him as nobody else
    recognize such precise approximately my problem.
    You’re wonderful! Thanks!

  54. This has been so helpful when I haven’t thawed out any meat to cook with. When I don’t plan ahead, this is a life saver and turns out perfect every time! Much better than boiling chicken for sure.

  55. I would like to cook with the electric pressure cooker. It is the time saver and comes in so useful. When I cook frozen chicken breasts, of course, I need some varieties kinds of sauces. Also, you can use BBQ sauce to get the awesome taste.I Cook with salt and chicken broth that`s for fast to prepare. ENJOY !

  56. If you have a larger amt of chicken how do you adjust times. Do you double the time for double the recipe or cook for a shorter time than double?

  58. Thank you! I Just got an Instant Pot and the first thing I cooked was frozen chicken breasts. They came out perfectly!

  59. Electric Pressure Cooking! I am so new that I haven’t even used mine yet. Mine only came out this year 2017 in October. There may have been samples in Sept. The Brand: Crock Pot. The electric is called — Crock Pot ECrock.
    When I temporarily had the XL pot, I didn’t like aluminum being used in the inner lid let alone on the steamer tray, which only went down a few inches. Plus the cup measurements were wacky no accuracy. I am glad that everyone enjoys their XL, but I would not recommend it. //As for the Instant Pot — so popular they have their own “cult” following — it is such a good product.
    The E-Crock (that I finally chose @ a low bargain price) is so new that it is hard to find info on it let alone the recipes pertinent to it. I can manually change the time up & down from the default provision.
    The temperature and pressure just have high & low positioning. Again, the default time is manually flexible. IF ANYONE HAS RECIPES OR OTHER INFO on it — I sure would enjoy hearing about it.

  60. Do u use water with anything u cook. I’ve had my cooker a year and haven’t used sounded to complicated? Please explain really want to use it

  61. Wow, pressure cooker, best gift I bought myself. So take pack 9 bean soup follow directions on package and add linguisa cut up and cook 35 minutes. It is the best soup I have ever tasted. Just follow pressure cooker recipes and it is great. Enjoy!

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