Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Name: Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 cup cold water; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 teaspoon salt; Ground black pepper (to taste)

Juicy, flavorful and tender Instant Pot Chicken Breast ready in 30 minutes from start to finish, with simple ingredients and no searing required.

Instant Pot Italian chicken breast and Instant Pot BBQ chicken breast are my other go-to on a busy weeknight or a weekend!

Instant Pot chicken breast on a trivet inside the pot and broth at the bottom.

This Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is easy, simple and forgiving!

I have been making slow cooker chicken breast for years. It’s a great recipe, the only downside is that you have to remove cooked chicken right away to avoid it being dry. So, this Instant Pot chicken recipe solves the problem because chicken breast is done in 25 minutes or so.

I just love Instant Pot! It makes the best Instant Pot frozen chicken breast or the best rotisserie style Instant Pot frozen whole chicken if you forgot to thaw the meat.

And if you are not a blessed electric pressure cooker owner, check out my baked chicken breast or air fryer chicken breast.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick: All you have to do is rub chicken breasts with spices and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. With pressure build up and bringing it down, you are in for a maximum of 30 minutes of total pressure cooking time.
Easy: You don’t even have to saute your chicken but you can, if you wish.
Tender, juicy and flavorful: I can guarantee you will end up with the best chicken breasts ever because the pressure cooker locks in all the moisture inside the meat.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Chicken breasts, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

To make chicken breast in Instant Pot you really only need chicken breasts and water. Everything else is up to your taste and what you are planning to serve it with.

Chicken breasts: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts of any size. Best to cook similar size pieces together for even cooking.
Salt and pepper: Simple seasonings so your chicken is a blank slate for other recipes.
Garlic powder: If you wish, but not required.

Seasoning Tip

If you are adding cooked chicken breast to salads, quesadillas or tostadas, I would not worry about seasonings much. If you are planning to eat it alongside grains and veggies, I would pay attention to spices. Rub chicken breasts with some dried oregano, Italian seasoning, chili powder, smoked paprika, all purpose seasoning or taco seasoning. Or this turkey breast rub would be delicious on chicken as well!

How to Cook Chicken Breast in Instant Pot

Step by step process how to cook chicken breasts in Instant Pot.

Add water: Add 1 cup of cold water and place trivet inside the pot. You want to use cold water so warm water doesn’t reduce the cook time. Some readers like to use chicken stock or chicken broth instead, especially if cooking without a trivet.
Add chicken: Lay chicken breasts in a single layer, sprinkle with spices and rub onto each other right inside the pot. You can also do so on a separate plate but I find it isn’t necessary.
Pressure cook: Depending on the model of your Instant Pot, you will have to press either Pressure Cook on High pressure or Manual button. Set timer for 10 minutes – for breasts under 2 inch thickness, 15 minutes – for over 2 inch thick breasts.
Release the pressure: Now you want to wait 5 minutes aka do Natural Release for 5 minutes. Then turn the pressure valve to Venting position to release remaining pressure. I find you do not have to rest this meat.

Searing Tip

If you would like to sear your seasoned chicken breasts, press Saute and wait until it says Hot. Swirl a bit of olive oil and sear chicken for about 2 minutes per side. You might have to do so in batches. After when you add water, make sure to scrape away all browned bits because they can trigger the Burn notice. Cook seared breasts less than 2 inches thick – for 7 minutes, and over 2 inches thick – for 10 minutes.

How Long to Cook Chicken Breasts in Instant Pot?

I have put together this cooking time chart for your quick reference:

Chicken breast thickness	Cooking time	Natural pressure release
Under 2″ thick	10 minutes	5 minutes
Over 2″ thick	15 minutes	5 minutes

Cooking Tip

As per USDA guidelines, your chicken breast is ready when a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part reaches 165 degrees F. Check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast.

Tips for Best Results

If you don’t have a trivet: It’s OK to place chicken breasts in water and cook without a trivet. I have tried it many times and it makes them even more juicy. I never got a Burn notice.
Don’t use Poultry button: Poultry setting has preset time that is not customizable to the size of your chicken breasts. Also poultry is a very large concept ranging from chicken tenders to bone-in whole chicken.
Don’t do Quick Release: If you release pressure right away after cooking, it will make your chicken breast dry. I recommend to wait 5 minutes and then turn valve to Venting.
Don’t throw away the liquid: It is basically Instant Pot chicken broth and is perfect for making soup recipes and Instant Pot soup recipes.
Size of Instant Pot you can use: Any size of Instant Pot works. It comes in 3 quart, 5 quart, 6 quart or 8 quart. Same recipe, same cooking time and same water amount. Just make sure chicken breasts fit in a single layer.
If your Instant Pot is small: If you want to cook large amount of chicken breasts in 3 quart pot, do so in a few batches. Piling up chicken in a few layers will result in undercooked chicken.
Bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts: Cooking time remains the same. You do not need to cook them longer because 10-15 minutes of cook time along with about 10 minutes of pressure build up time, is enough to cook through thin chicken bones.

Instant Pot chicken breast, pico de gallo and tortilla chips served on gray plate.

Serving Suggestions

It sure is a welcome addition to a variety of recipes like salads, enchiladas, casseroles and sandwiches.

Here are a few ways to turn it into a meal:

Instant Pot shredded chicken: Shred meat with 2 forks, refrigerate and use to make healthy chicken salad or healthy white chicken chili.
Diced chicken breast: Chop it up to add protein to cottage cheese pasta, vegetable soup or borscht.
Low carb meal: Make my favorite ratatouille recipe to have with chicken for a complete meal.
With sauce: Combine shredded chicken with healthy barbecue sauce or teriyaki sauce.
With salad: Serve with spinach avocado salad.

How to Store

Store: Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container or resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge or on a counter.

FAQs

Do I have to saute chicken before cooking?

Many recipes online ask you to saute chicken breast before pressure cooking in an effort “to lock in most of juices”. I can assure you I have cooked chicken breast in Instant Pot over 20 times and it comes out juicy if you follow my recipe.

But you can saute it if you wish, of course. See notes above how to do so.

Can I stack chicken breasts in Instant Pot?

No. You can cook as many or as little chicken breasts as you need, as long as they fit into a single layer. If you stack them, your chicken will end up with uncooked spots.

Can you overcook chicken in the Instant Pot?

Because the Instant Pot steam provides a moist environment for your chicken breast, this is difficult to do. If you are worried, be sure to measure your chicken breast’s thickness at its widest point so you know exactly how long to cook it.

How do you fix a tough Instant Pot chicken breast?

If your Instant Pot chicken breast came out tough it could be due to the breast itself. Find the brand you like and use it. To fix tough chicken, shred it with two forks and mix with some cooking liquid from the bottom of the pot.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes to Try

Also be sure to browse 45 other healthy Instant Pot recipes and our entire category of Instant Pot recipes.