Did you know that cooking frozen chicken breast in the instant pot is extremely easy and works great for tons of recipes?
Ever forget to take your meat out of the freezer? Don't worry, I know the best way to make a frozen chicken breast. Plus, it only takes 12-ish minutes to cook in the instant pot! They come out so juicy and delicious.
What You Need for Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
First things first is an instant pot of course. I use the original instant pot brand and I love using the non-stick bowl insert easy clean up; however, you do not have to. Alternatively, there are many brands of pressure cookers you can try; however, I have not.
- A liquid
- Frozen chicken breast, or breasts
- Seasoning
You are going to need a liquid which will make the instant pot come to a pressure. This will also keep the chicken very moist and juicy. I typically go with a low sodium chicken broth; however, you can substitute water, pineapple juice or various other liquids.
Next, you will obviously need some frozen chicken breasts. I just grab a pack at Publix or Butcher Box and I usually have some in my freezer. But, you can buy a bag of them at Costco or really anywhere.
Finally, some seasonings. Use can keep it plain with some salt and pepper. Spice it up with some taco seasonings. I used a chicken seasonings blend that I got online; however, really anything will work.
How to Make Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
You can add the wire rack that comes with the Instant Pot. However, I prefer to just put the chicken straight into the liquids at the bottom. This will make the chicken fall apart more easily; however, I really like that. If you want a more 'firm' chicken, use the wire rack.
Pour the broth at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the chicken on top and sprinkle on the seasonings.
Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 13 minutes and start it. If the chicken is stuck together, add an extra 2 minutes. However, please note that cooking times can vary widely depending on the side and thickness of your chicken breast.
Once completely cooked, let set for 1 minute, then vent and de-pressurize the instant pot then open the lid.
If it is slightly underdone, you can always pop it in the microwave for a couple seconds.
How Much Seasoning Should I Use?
For 1.25 pounds of frozen chicken, I typically use 2-3 tablespoons of seasonings as some will transfer off the chicken from the broth in the instant pot. However, it will really depend on exactly which seasonings you are using.
In addition, I like to also make my own blend. I find a really good blend is lots of garlic powder (1 tablespoon), lots of Italian (2 teaspoons), a bit of onion powder (½ tablespoon), and some salt, pepper and paprika. However, modify or change as you see fit.
Making More Chicken
Always use at least 1 cup of broth, or liquid, as that is the minimum needed to not get the burn warning on your instant pot. I use 1 cup no matter how much chicken I am making. In addition, I usually keep the same time for different amounts of chicken.
What To Do With These Chicken Breasts
With your deliciously cooked chicken tenders, you can eat them with a fork and knife and dip them into some sauce, which is my favorite. I love to dip them in some sugar free G Hughes BBQ Sauce. However, you can make your own sauce as I have tons of recipes.
Alternatively, this is great as a meal prep as you can put an instant pot frozen chicken breast into a wrap or cut them up into a salad. I say you can leave them in your fridge, in an air tight container, for four days.
I also love to add some salsa to the instant pot and then shred the chicken up. Somewhat similar to my instant pot shredded taco chicken; however, this recipe is from a frozen chicken.
Another great way to use the chicken is to shred them! Add some BBQ sauce and you have a healthier version of a pulled BBQ sandwich. But, no matter how you eat them, I know you will love them.
More Instant Pot Recipes
I have tons of more Instant Pot recipes, it is one of my favorite cooking gadgets. Everything is so quick and easy to make in it!
- Turkey Tenderloin
- Hawaiian Chicken
- Olive Garden Alfredo
- Penne alla Vodka (healthy version!!!)
- Shredded Taco Chicken
More Chicken Breast Recipes
If you still have a chicken breast left after making this frozen instant pot recipe, I have tons of recipes!
- Sticky Garlic Chicken
- Nashville hot chicken sandwich
- Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo
- BBQ Chicken stuffed squash
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
Crock Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
If you only have a crock pot, you can make my crock pot frozen chicken breasts.
Now, the recipe!
Frozen Chicken Tenderloin Instant Pot
Did you know that cooking frozen chicken breast in the instant pot is extremely easy and works great for tons of recipes?
Cooking Frozen Chicken in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or broth
- 1 pound chicken breast frozen
- 3 tablespoons seasonings
Instructions
- You can add the wire rack that comes with the Instant Pot. However, I prefer to just put the chicken straight into the liquids at the bottom. This will make the chicken fall apart more easily; however, I really like that. If you want a more 'firm' chicken, use the wire rack.
- Pour the broth at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the chicken on top and sprinkle on the seasonings.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the pressure cook button to 13 minutes and start it. If the chicken is stuck together, add an extra 2 minutes. However, please note that cooking times can vary widely depending on the side and thickness of your chicken breast.
- Once completely cooked, let set for 1 minute, then vent and de-pressurize the instant pot then open the lid.
Nutrition
[…] forget to take your dinner out of the freezer? Don't worry, that's why I have my frozen chicken breast and chicken tenderloins in the instant pot recipes. It happens to everyone! Or, sometimes, I am not […]