Learn how to poach frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot in a couple of simple steps. Frozen chicken breasts cook in just 12 minutes and are tender, juicy, and ready to be used in your favorite recipes.
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Looking for a quick and easy method for cooking chicken breasts that keeps them tender and juicy? Look no further! Poached chicken is the way to go.
Poached chicken is great for soups, salads, sandwiches, casseroles, tacos…I could go on & on. Basically, this how-to poach chickens breast recipe is perfect for any chicken dish.
Related: A Beginners Guide To Everything You Need To Know About Your Instant Pot & How To Use An Instant Pot
Check out Creamy Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken A La King With Peas, Chicken and Bacon Pasta, and Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake to use with your poached chicken.
HOW DO YOU POACH CHICKEN?
- Place a wire rack into the instant pot.
- Place frozen chicken into instant pot.
- Add water.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the cover on instant pot and turn to sealing.
- Cook high pressure for 12 minutes (8 minutes if using thawed chicken).
- Do a quick release and use the chicken as is, or shredded.
Start by placing the wire rack into the bottom of the Instant Pot.
WHAT IS POACHED CHICKEN?
Poaching chicken is the process of covering the chicken with liquid and cooking at low heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Chicken is considered cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
The low temperature combined with the moisture from the liquid helps to create tender chicken. No more chewy or tough chicken breasts!
When poaching, all you need is chicken and a liquid. I use water plus salt & pepper to keep it flavorful yet easy. You could swap the water for chicken broth, oil, milk, wine, or beer.
TIP: You can also add a variety of aromatics to the Instant Pot for more flavor. Try a different blend of aromatics each time you make poached chicken.
Next, place the frozen chicken breasts into the Instant Pot on top of the wire rack. Then, add the water. For every 1lb pound of chicken, use 6 cups of water.
Season with salt and pepper or any combination of herbs & spices.
HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE?
Using the Instant Pot will cut down the time it takes to poach chicken tremendously. You will be amazed every time.
If using frozen chicken breasts, cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. If using thawed chicken breasts, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
HOW DO I BOIL CHICKEN?
For this recipe, there is no need to boil your chicken. Typically, boiling would be the preferred cooking method when we need a dish cooked quickly – not anymore!
Follow this step-by-step Instant Pot guide to poach chicken.
- First, place the bowl into the base of the Instant Pot.
- Next, check the lid of your Instant Pot to make sure the sealing ring is in place.
- Then, secure the lid onto the base once all the ingredients have been added to the bowl.
- Turn the valve on the lid to “SEALING”.
- The next step will differ for each model so check your manual! For my Instant Pot, I press “PRESSURE” but other models require you to press “MANUAL”.
- Press the PLUS or MINUS signs to set the cooking time.
- The Instant Pot should say “ON“. When the machine first turns on, it is building pressure. The time that it takes for this pressure to build does NOT count toward the cooking time. On my machine, I know the pressure is built when the silver pin on top is raised.
- Once the pressure is built, the cooking time will start counting down.
- After the cooking time is complete, release the pressure. To release the pressure, you can wait for the natural pressure release (NPR) OR release the pressure manually by turning the valve to “VENTING“.
- Lastly, take off the lid once it is unlocked.
Do a quick release on your Instant Pot when the chicken is done cooking.
HOW TO QUICK RELEASE ON YOUR INSTANT POT:
Manually turn the valve from “SEALING” to “VENTING”, which will let the pressure go quickly.
I use the Quick Release option when I am cooking with ingredients that I don’t want to overcook like vegetables, or when I don’t want to wait for the natural pressure to release.
PRO TIP: Be cautious with the quick release function because the steam will shoot out of the top quickly!
Once your chicken is fully cooked and the pressure has been released, it is time to serve. You can serve your chicken as is, or shred. Learn How to Shred Chicken in Kitchenaid, which is how I prefer to shred chicken. Super simple and the perfect shred!
Learning How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot will change your dinner routine. I look forward to seeing what meals you come up with!
Recipes Using Chicken:
- How to Shred Chicken in a Kitchenaid (Learn to shred chicken super quickly!)
- Shredded Chicken Skillet Nachos
- Chicken a la King
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Crescent Roll Chicken Pot Pie
- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Tortilla Chip Casserole
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
If you enjoyed this post or made any of the recipes, make sure to leave a comment below! Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub.
More Favorite INSTANT POT RECIPES:
- Instant Pot French Dip
- Instant Pot Loaded Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Wings
How To Poach Frozen Chicken Breasts in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen chicken breasts
- 6 cups water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place wire rack into instant pot.
- Place frozen chicken into instant pot.
- Add water.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Place cover on instant pot and turn to sealing.
- Cook high pressure for 12 minutes (8 minutes if using thawed chicken).
- Do a quick release and use as is, or shred.
Nutrition
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Jen says
Thank you, can’t wait to try.