This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe is easy and yields juicy, flavorful meat. Thicken the juices into a gravy to serve over the chicken for a quick and healthy entrée!
There are so many great ways to cook chicken breast… you can bake chicken breast, air fry chicken breast, oven fry chicken breast – AND instant pot them!
This is my favorite way to cook chicken breast in the instant pot when I just want simple but perfectly cooked chicken. It’s fabulous for meal prep, for quick and healthy dinners, for when you only have frozen chicken on hand and need foor REAL fast…
And the best part? You only need a handful of ingredients for this!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken breast: Larger chicken breasts stay juicier with a better texture. I recommend 2 pounds of chicken, divided up into 4-6 chicken breasts.
- Frozen chicken? If your chicken is frozen, you can cook it without defrosting. Remove the chicken from the freezer, unwrap and let it sit at room temperature while you get everything else ready for the recipe. Rub with spices, but do not sear/brown. Place the broth in the instant pot, then pressure cook the frozen chicken breast on the trivet for 15 minutes. Follow the remaining recipe as written.
- Chicken broth: If you’re not planning on using the cooking juices for gravy, you could also just use water.
- Seasoning: Feel free to use any other seasoning you enjoy.
- Cornstarch: This is optional and only needed if you want to thicken the cooking juices into a gravy.
How to cook chicken breast in the instant pot
1. Combine the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl (I like to use a small fork to really get the spices combined properly).
Vigorously rub and dab all over the chicken – being a little firm with the chicken helps to tenderize the meat without pounding; as actual pounding would likely make it too big to fit in the instant pot.
rub chicken with seasoning
2. Set the instant pot to sauté, brown the chicken 2 minutes on each side in olive oil. You will need to work in batches here, do not add more than 2-3 chicken breasts to the instant pot at a time when you’re browning them!
brown on both sides
3. Switch off the instant pot. Remove the chicken, then pour in the chicken broth and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
You’ll want to get all of the browned bits, else you may trigger the burn waring later.
4. Place the trivet in the instant pot, then arrange the chicken on top.
add chicken broth place chicken on trivet
5. Pressure cook the chicken for 5 minutes, then do a natural release of 6 minutes (8 minutes if your chicken breasts are larger).
pressure cook
Recipe tips
- Don’t overdo the searing/browning of the chicken, else you will have burnt seasoning in your gravy and on your chicken. 2 minutes per side is plenty. If you do accidentally end up with scorched seasoning in the instant pot, I recommend wiping away anything that’s burnt to keep the gravy from turning out bitter.
- Do make sure to catch/scrape away all browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot once you add the chicken broth. Those stuck bits not only add flavor to the gravy, they can also trigger the burn warning during pressure cooking.
- I try not to stack the chicken on the trivet, if it fits in any way possible. Stacking it makes the seasoning fall off, and with chicken breast you really want as much seasoning as possible!
- Make sure to time the natural pressure release correctly, or the chicken will overcook.
- Serve the chicken quickly once it’s cooked. If you need to keep it for a while, I recommend placing it in the gravy/pan juices to keep it juicy.
- I highly recommend making the gravy, as adding it is a great way to keep the chicken from drying out!
Serving ideas
If you make the gravy, there’s plenty of it to dress up any side dish! It’s perfect with mashed potatoes, roasted baby potatoes, with rice or with pasta – it’s such a versatile recipe.
For a vegetable side, the chicken breast pairs really well with several options:
- Sautéed green beans or air fryer green beans
- Roasted asparagus or air fryer asparagus
- Air fryer cauliflower
- Honey Roasted Carrots
Storage tips
You can keep the cooked chicken in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I highly recommend adding at least ½ cup of the gravy to the container in order to help keep the chicken moist. Leftover chicken can dry out pretty quickly, and this does help.
You can gently reheat it in the gravy on the stove, until piping hot all the way through. I prefer to slice the chicken first before reheating, it heats quicker and stays juicy from having so much surface contact with the gravy.
More easy entrées
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 4 to 6 breasts; see notes for using frozen chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
Optional for gravy
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Season: Combine garlic powder, onion powder, ground paprika, salt and pepper. Vigorously rub/dab all over chicken.
- Brown chicken: Set instant pot to "sauté" and add olive oil. Brown chicken 2 minutes on each side, working in batches to avoid crowding pot. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.
- Add broth: Switch off instant pot. Pour in chicken broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the instant pot (make sure to scrape off everything, else you may trigger the burn notice during pressure cooking).
- Pressure cook: Place trivet in instant pot. Arrange chicken on top (try not to stack). Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes (it will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure, then cook for 5 minutes).
- Pressure release: Once cooking time is up, switch off instant pot and do a 6 minute (8 minutes for large chicken breasts) natural release (just switch off the instant pot and leave it alone). Then release any remaining pressure manually and remove lid.
- Finish/gravy: Remove chicken and trivet. Set instant pot to "sauté". Combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry, then stir into juices in instant pot. Stir and simmer until slightly thickened (about 2-3 minutes), then immediately serve with chicken. Tip: If not making gravy, baste chicken with juices from pot 4-5 times to dress and moisten it.
Notes
- Chicken breast: Larger chicken breasts stay juicier with a better texture. I recommend 2 pounds of chicken, divided up into 4-6 chicken breasts.
- Frozen chicken? If your chicken is frozen, you can cook it without defrosting. Remove the chicken from the freezer, unwrap and let it sit at room temperature while you get everything else ready for the recipe. Rub with spices, but do not sear/brown. Place the broth in the instant pot, then pressure cook the frozen chicken breast on the trivet for 15 minutes. Follow the remaining recipe as written.
- Chicken broth: If you’re not planning on using the cooking juices for gravy, you could also just use water.
- Seasoning: Feel free to use any other seasoning you enjoy.
- Searing: Don’t overdo the searing/browning of the chicken, else you will have burnt seasoning in your gravy and on your chicken. 2 minutes per side is plenty. If you do accidentally end up with scorched seasoning in the instant pot, I recommend wiping away anything that’s burnt to keep the gravy from turning out bitter.
- Pressure release: Make sure to time the natural pressure release correctly, or the chicken will overcook.
- Keep chicken juicy: Serve the chicken quickly once it’s cooked. If you need to keep it for a while, I recommend placing it in the gravy/pan juices to keep it juicy.
- I highly recommend making the gravy, as adding it is a great way to keep the chicken from drying out!
Glenna says
Super tasty – especially the gravy. This recipe is a definite keeper!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Glenna!
Monica says
My husband always says the chicken isn’t done…(it is, even with a thermometer) He ate all his chicken tonight! Flavor was good.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Monica!
Dee says
Very nice seasonings. Making dinners to pop into the freezer…chicken, brown basmati rice, the gravy and frozen peas. Thank you.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Dee!
Tanya Travis says
Timing was perfect! A success
Nora says
I’m so happy to hear this, Tanya!
Jennifer says
Made this the other night and all I can say is WOWSA!!! Perfectly seasoned moist chicken and that gravy is GOLD. Served it up sliced & drenched in gravy with sour cream & chive mashed potatoes. My “never gives compliments” S/O said afterward “My God that was good. 10/10. You can make this once a week if you want.” ??❤️❤️ Thanks for a simple, quick, awesome recipe!
Nora says
Oh, what a compliment! I’m glad the recipe was such a hit, Jennifer!
Mishelle says
I cooked the chicken for 6 minutes and 8 min slow release. It turned out rubbery. I googled why it would turn out rubbery and it said that the cooking time wasn’t long enough. I guess I’ll try cooking it longer next time.
Nora says
Oh goodness, no! Please don’t. That’s internet advice gone wrong. Unfortunately, many people share these kinds of tips for the instant pot, but don’t fully understand how it works. Tender cuts like chicken breast only get worse when cooking longer. Try cooking it less next time, if you cook it longer it won’t make it more tender, just more rubber-y and dry.
Sarita says
I have never left a comment on a recipe before but this was AMAZING!! SO MOIST, TENDER AND FLAVORFUL!! SO EASY; SO FAST!!
Jayme Carson says
Best chicken recipe!!! Even my picky eaters love it! Very simple to make! I cut the chicken up and put it in the gravy and saute it about 2 minutes then serve over rice or mashed potatoes! So yummy ? and we use the recipe very often!!
Sonali says
What if you only have one chicken breast? Should I 1/4 all the ingredients? How long do I pressure cook for? Thanks!
Nora says
Yes, 1/4 all ingredients. Usually the pressure cooking time stays the same, no matter how many pieces of meat you add. Hope this helps, Sonali!
Britta says
I usually don’t comment on recipes but this was amazing. Easy and delicious with the gravy.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Britta!
Mindy says
Chicken was so tender and flavorful. Never used saute on my insta pot. Pretty cool. My husband loved the chicken which I served with steamed veg topped with the gravy.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Mindy!
Kim says
This was delicious! My (picky eater) teenaged son ate two pieces! Huge success! Thank you so much!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Kim!
Fred Ingle says
Very very good, had it tonight and very easy to cook.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Fred!
Tammy says
Your recipe was easy to follow.
Nora says
I’m glad, Tammy!
Silene says
Fast and easy! Yummy too!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Silene!