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When it comes to instant pot chicken recipes, learning how to cook basic, perfectly juicy chicken breasts is the holy grail. It is arguably the most useful, versatile technique you can master in your pressure cooker. Whether you need sliced chicken for salads, shredded chicken for tacos, or just a quick, healthy protein for dinner, these chicken instant pot recipes will save your weeknights.
The biggest complaint people have about cooking chicken breasts—whether in the oven or on the stove—is that they dry out incredibly fast. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have almost no fat to protect them from high heat. This is where the magic of chicken recipes in the instant pot comes in.
Because the Instant Pot cooks food using highly pressurized steam, it creates an environment that forces moisture *into* the meat rather than drawing it out. The result? The most tender, juicy, sliceable instant pot chicken breast recipes you have ever tasted. And the best part? You can cook them straight from the freezer.
Cooking chicken in instant pot recipes is essentially foolproof, provided you set the timer correctly based on the state and thickness of your meat.
Because breasts vary wildly in size (from 5 oz all the way up to huge 10 oz portions), use this chart as your guide:
*A note on frozen chicken:* If your frozen chicken breasts are frozen together in one giant clump, you *must* separate them before cooking or the centers will remain raw. Run the clump under cold water until you can pry them apart, then place them evenly on the trivet.
In all the best instant pot chicken recipes, you'll notice the use of the metal trivet insert. We highly recommend using it here! Placing the chicken on the trivet keeps the meat suspended above the cooking liquid. This ensures the chicken steams beautifully in the pressurized environment rather than boiling in the broth. Steamed chicken retains a much better, firmer texture for slicing, whereas boiled chicken can sometimes become stringy and mushy.
However, if your goal is to make shredded chicken, you can actually skip the trivet and place the chicken directly into the broth. It will absorb more of the liquid, making it incredibly easy to shred with two forks right inside the pot!
This master recipe uses a simple, savory all-purpose seasoning blend (garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper). But the beauty of chicken instant pot recipes is that they are a blank canvas for whatever flavor profile you are craving:
* Mexican Shredded Chicken: Swap the paprika/oregano for a packet of taco seasoning and swap half the chicken broth for a jar of your favorite salsa. * Italian Chicken: Season with Italian herb blend, garlic, and onion powder. Top the finished chicken with marinara and mozzarella and melt under the oven broiler. * BBQ Chicken: Cook the chicken with a simple salt and pepper rub. Once cooked and shredded, drain the liquid from the pot and stir in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce to warm through.
No matter how you flavor them, these instant pot chicken breast recipes are guaranteed to revolutionize your Sunday meal prep and chaotic Tuesday dinners.
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