There are a lot of reasons to love the Instant Pot®, but likely the biggest draw of this popular multi-cooker is its time-saving capabilities. There's no better proof of this than using it to safely cook chicken from frozen, no thawing necessary.
Meat, like chicken or salmon, can go straight from the freezer into the Instant Pot. The reason? A pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, quickly brings food to a safe temperature. This is different from a slow cooker, which can allow frozen foods to sit at an unsafe temperature for prolonged periods of time.
Not to mention that using an Instant Pot is the best way to cook chicken from frozen and still get a juicy, moist result. So go ahead and stock up on chicken next time you see it marked down and freeze it for use in one of our many Instant Pot chicken recipes. Read on for our tips on how to cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot.
Steps for Cooking Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
Here's What You'll Need:
An Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker
Frozen chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Other desired seasonings
Place the frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot inner pot. If you are cooking more than one, make sure they are separated to achieve even cooking throughout. To separate frozen chicken breasts, place them in cool water until they have thawed enough to pull apart.
Add one cup of chicken broth to the pot.
Sprinkle any desired seasoning over the top of the chicken. Close the lid and turn the valve to the sealing position.
Press the "manual" or "pressure cook" button and cook on high pressure for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breasts).
Once the cook time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 5 minutes, then do a quick release.
Remove the meat from the pot and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or shredding, in order for the juices to be distributed throughout the chicken.
Fun Ways to Cook Frozen Chicken in the Instant Pot
Make homemade wings from frozen in under an hour. This recipe makes it sound like a breeze: "Save time by making chicken wings in an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. Frozen or thawed, these turn out great with your favorite barbecue sauce."
"Want to make buffalo chicken dip and all you have is frozen chicken? No stress, just cook the frozen chicken breasts in a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot, start to finish in 30 minutes," claims this recipe.
"An Instant Pot makes an easy everyday meal even easier! Frozen chicken breasts are combined with taco seasoning and salsa for a tasty Mexican-themed meal," states this recipe. "You can use the meat for tacos, burrito bowls, or as a topping for baked potatoes. So many possibilities!"
"So easy, and only one Instant Pot, no dishes! From the freezer to the table in 30 minutes. Enjoy with baked beans or your favorite combination," according to this recipe.
A review on this recipe says, "Since it was my first time doing frozen chicken in my electric pressure cooker, I was amazed by how well-cooked yet moist the chicken came out."
If using frozen chicken breasts, you'll need to separate them so that they cook evenly. Add 6 minutes to the cook time and it will take 15 minutes to come to pressure instead of 10.
You can cook chicken breasts in whatever size instant pot you have. Just make sure you add at least 1 cup of liquid, and then place the chicken in the pot in a single layer.
The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot. I also think their texture is best when you quickly release the pressure, rather than letting it naturally release.
Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, probing from the side rather than the top if possible. Be sure to check every single breast before removing it from the pan to a plate to rest; you want an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part.
Any time you're handling raw meat, whether frozen or fresh, safety should be top of mind. Fortunately, we can all take a collective sigh of relief, because the USDA says it is fine to cook chicken from frozen, just keep in mind that the cooking time will be about 50 percent longer.
Put the cooked frozen chicken on a baking sheet or in a dish that can go in the oven. The chicken should be heated in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until it achieves a temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), internally. You might wish to use foil to conceal it.
It's necessary for steam to build up, ultimately creating a high-pressure environment used for faster cooking. Without sufficient liquid, pressure won't build — and you'll likely get the dreaded “burn” error.
Open the pot, then use a digital thermometer to check the thickest part of a piece of chicken—it should be at least 165oF. If the chicken is not quite up to temperature, put the lid back on with the vent closed and cook for another minute or two.
Pressure cookers require liquid, usually water, to generate steam. “Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water.
Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry. Thighs, on the other hand, are a fattier cut, and not prone to dry out as quickly even after an extra minute or two of cooking.
There are a number of reasons your Instant Pot will display its burn message. Most of these involve mishaps that may occur during the cooking process, like not adding enough liquid or forgetting to adjust the steam valve to the sealing position. Once you figure out what you've done wrong, correcting the error is easy.
In addition, chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic. Included with each meal is a set of instructions to help you cook the meals.
Information. Raw or cooked meat, poultry or casseroles can be cooked or reheated from the frozen state. However, it will take approximately one and a half times as long to cook. For example, if fresh meat takes one hour to cook, the same meat cooked frozen would take 1 1/2 hours.
The frozen pieces will make things colder, longer and cause the pot to take longer to create steam, and thus pressure. What is this? Bargain for at least 10 extra minutes for the pot to come to pressure when using frozen meats.Sometimes up to 40 extra minutes, depending on what you are making.
If your recipe calls for diced, thawed chicken, but you didn't defrost the chicken breasts in advance, there's an easy fix! Pour 1 cup water into your pressure cooking pot and place a trivet in the bottom. Balance the frozen chicken breasts on the trivet, stacking crosswise if necessary. Lock the lid in place.
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