Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
Cooking chicken breasts from frozen in your Instant Pot is not only a simple thing to do, but the results are always amazing. Once you have mastered this technique, you will never need to thaw out chicken again for your pressure cooking recipes.
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The best thing is that you will never be stuck in the evening with nothing to cook. Cooking chicken breast from frozen has never been easier thanks to the instant pot, so here is everything you need to know about it.
How to Cook
The main question you might have is how can you cook a frozen chicken breast in your instant pot. It is actually a very simple thing to do.
You don’t need to be all fancy as grasping the basic method will be a good starting point.
Add your boneless chicken breasts to your Instant Pot along with a cup of water and some seasoning such as salt and pepper.
Set your Instant Pot to use the pressure cooking function and seal the lid. Cook for ten minutes, or slightly longer if you have larger chicken breasts.
Allow the pressure to release naturally before opening up the lid.
Once you have gotten used to this easy method of cooking your frozen chicken breasts in your Instant Pot then you can start to add different ingredients to it, like seasonings and sauces.
One to check out is our Everything Bagel Chicken. And, of course crack chicken has a fan following.
They can help you to create full meals that you can then serve with rice or pasta. Ensuring that you never get to the end of the day without being able to cook a meal again. Use leftover chicken to make enchilada casserole.
Why Cook Frozen Chicken
You may be asking yourself why should you cook chicken breasts from frozen in your Instant Pot?
Traditionally you would thaw chicken breast before cooking, but the only reason why that would be necessary is if you are using other cooking methods like the stove or oven.
The Instant Pot uses the pressure cooker function as a way of cooking ingredients fast under pressure. As it does this there is no risk of bacteria from the cooking process so therefore can be done from frozen.
There are a few other reasons why you should consider cooking your chicken breasts from frozen in your Instant Pot.
- It saves time- Many people get to the end of the day and have no clue what to cook. We have all been there, right? Knowing that you can pull the chicken out of the freezer and have a full meal ready in less than half an hour can make all of the difference. It means you are less likely to eat something unhealthy and can create a wholesome meal the whole family will enjoy.
- It can taste so much better- Cooking anything in the Instant Pot can make it extra tasty due to the cooking process, but when it comes to frozen chicken breast you may find that the meat is much juicier cooked in this way from frozen as it would be on the stove or in the oven.
Tips and Tricks
Cooking frozen chicken breasts in your Instant Pot may seem like the easiest thing to do, and while you will always get great results, there are some tips and tricks that can help you get the best result every time:
- The exact cooking time may vary. This is because chicken breasts can vary in size. It can vary but on average you will be looking at anything from 10-12 minutes on the pressure cooking setting. However, always check the chicken before to ensure it is cooked all the way through.
- If you are in a rush then the basic recipe of just adding some water and seasoning will always be enough. But, don’t be afraid to try new things. Add sauces, marinades, and herbs. Things like soy, honey, and BBQ sauce are all things that work well in the instant pot with chicken breast.
- Once you start doing this, you won’t go back to thawing your chicken breast. You can make complete meals, simply by putting all the ingredients together with your frozen chicken breast.
FAQs
There will of course, be questions that you might have and things that you might need to remember when it comes to cooking frozen chicken breasts in your Instant Pot.
Here are some of the common frequently asked questions to help put your mind at ease.
The cooking time on average should be anything between 10 and 12 minutes. Just make a judgment call based on how large the chicken breast is. It is better to be safe than sorry.
I wouldn't recommend cooking fresh and frozen chicken breasts together, because the cooking times will be slightly different.
If you do have any leftovers you can store them in the refrigerator for up to two days in a sealed container.
You can also refreeze the cooked chicken breasts for up to six months. If you do freeze the leftovers then it might be worth reusing them in stews or casseroles.
When you cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, there are a few ways that can utilize and serve the meat.
This includes shredding the meat for sandwiches or quesadillas, cutting up the meat in cubes or strips for casseroles, or even just serving them whole with some sauce or a marinade.
It is completely up to you and there are many combinations of ingredients that you can add to your frozen chicken breast when using the Instant Pot.
Hopefully, this has made you more aware of using the Instant Pot for frozen chicken breasts. Once you try it, you likely won’t go back to cooking them fresh.
