Instant Pot Chicken Breast

Cooking chicken breast in the instant pot is quick, easy and so hands-off! It's perfect for meal prep or if you quickly need some shredded chicken for a recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Extra time 20 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 230kcal

Author Nora

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts each about 6oz
1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Season chicken: Combine the seasoning and olive oil and brush all over the chicken breasts.
Place in instant pot: Place the steamer rack in the instant pot (see notes), pour in the chicken broth and place the seasoned chicken breasts on the rack.
Set instant pot timer: Close the lid, set the valve to the “sealing” position. Choose “pressure cook” and set the timer to 8 minutes.
Pressure cook: Building the pressure will take around 10 minutes, then the instant pot will start counting down the 8 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, switch off the instant pot and leave it alone for 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure. After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure manually and open the instant pot to remove the chicken.

Notes

Rack or no rack?

You can place the chicken on the rack, or place it directly into the broth. If I'm using the chicken in a recipe, I prefer making it on the rack so most of the seasoning stays on the chicken. If I'm planning on eating the chicken breast and turn the broth into a gravy, I cook the chicken without the rack to help flavor the broth.

Recipe tips

Do not skip the 10 minute natural pressure release! If you do, the chicken may come out very tough and rubbery.
If your chicken breasts are much larger or much smaller than 6 ounces, you'll need to adjust the cooking time. I would start with 6 minutes for 5oz chicken breasts, and 10 minutes for 7oz chicken breasts.
If the chicken feels a little tough (this can absolutely happen with cheaper chicken like I said in the beginning of this post - it definitely happened to me with the chicken in the photos!): It helps to slice or shred the chicken, then place it in the hot broth for 5 minutes before serving to plump it up a little.

Ingredient notes

Chicken: The biggest difference I notice in higher quality chicken is how much less it shrinks during cooking. So do make sure to keep this in mind when choosing which chicken to buy for this recipe.
Oil: Feel free to use melted butter in place of the oil for a richer taste.
Seasoning: This is my go-to seasoning for chicken. Feel free to make up your own seasoning. Sometimes I use seasoning salt to make it easier, but using the individual spices does really add more flavor.

Nutrition