This Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe will show you how to cook the best, perfectly juicy, and flavorful chicken breast in the pressure cooker. The delicious gravy is a bonus!
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Why This Recipe Works
Did you know that you can make a juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken breast in your Instant Pot? It only takes 5 minutes of pressure cooking time and 5 minutes of pressure release. A good sear on each side ensures the chicken breast is juicy and the gravy is flavorful. I love serving the chicken with mashed potatoes and salad or roasted veggies. This recipe is a must-try for beginners and pressure cooking fans!
I used a 6qt Instant Pot to make this dish, but 3qt and 8qt can be used as well. Just make sure to check the amount of liquid needed to build pressure for a specific size of the pot.
Ingredients:
- chicken breasts: boneless skinless, roughly the same size;
- chicken stock: necessary liquid for building up the pressure; if you are not making gravy, use water instead;
- minced garlic: adds flavor since chicken breasts tend to be quite plain;
- olive oil: for browning the chicken, this step adds flavor; avocado or grapeseed oil can be used as well;
- seasoning: kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder.
How to make Instant Pot chicken breast?
- Start by mixing the seasoning in a small bowl and season chicken breasts on both sides.
- Heat up olive oil in the Instant Pot and brown each chicken breast on both sides. This is when you are creating the flavor for the chicken and the gravy so be patient.
- Remove chicken from the pressure cooker and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a little bit of the chicken stock. Scrape any cooked-on bits, there is a ton of flavor there.
- Pour the rest of the chicken stock into the pot. Set the trivet inside and arrange the chicken breasts on top.
- Close the lid and press the manual or pressure cook setting.
- Set timer to 5 minutes (7 minutes for large chicken breasts).
- Once the timer is done, do not flip the pressure valve. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the IP and remove chicken and trivet.
- Mix cornstarch with water and add to liquid in the IP. You can cook it for a few minutes on the saute setting. It will thicken into a delicious gravy.
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What to serve with this dish?
Since I always make gravy with the liquid left from cooking the chicken breast, I love serving it with mashed potatoes and stuffing or salad. More side dishes to serve along with this chicken breast:
- Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- The Best Roasted Broccoli
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Easy Mashed Cauliflower (for a perfect low-carb meal)
You can serve it chopped or sliced on a salad:
Best Tips!
- Do not release the pressure manually. If you switch the valve to venting after the cooking cycle ends, all the moisture from the chicken will be sucked out and the meat will be dry. Always wait for the pressure to release naturally when cooking meat in the Instant Pot.
- Be patient when browning the chicken. If you are trying to flip the meat and it seems stuck to the pot, that means it's not ready to be flipped. Wait. Be patient. This step builds flavor for the chicken but also for the gravy.
- Do not add hot water to cornstarch. To make the slurry for gravy, mix cold water with cornstarch until there are no clumps visible. If you add hot water, the cornstarch will cook and clump up.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, chicken thighs are perfectly cooked in the Instant Pot. Follow my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs for full instructions.
I do not recommend using frozen chicken breast because frozen meat can't be browned and you won't have the delicious flavor on chicken and the gravy. If you want to cook frozen chicken breast and don't care for the gravy, simply place frozen meat on a trivet, add chicken stock to the bottom of the pot and cook for 2 to 4 minutes longer than the fresh chicken breast. The Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure (up to 12 minutes).
Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can use them to make a variety of dishes. To reheat, use a microwave or stove.
Yes, you can add cut-up potatoes and arrange them in the liquid. Use a mix of water and stock. Once the cooking time is over, remove the chicken and trivet and mash the potatoes right in the pot. You can also add baby potatoes, cut in half, around the chicken on a trivet, and still make the gravy from the liquid.
Absolutely! The steps are the same, except you may need less liquid for the Instant Pot to build up pressure. Check the instruction manual for the exact number of ounces needed.
More Instant Pot recipes:
For more recipes using the digital pressure cooker, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category. Also, check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders and Italian seasoning.
- Sprinkle over each chicken breast, on each side.
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot.
- Press "saute" setting and wait 2 minutes. Add olive oil to the Instant Pot.
- Place chicken breast in the pot and brown on each side for about 3 minutes. This is when you are creating the flavor so be patient.
- Remove chicken onto a plate and set aside.
- Add minced garlic to the Instant Pot and stir a few times. Let is brown slightly in the leftover oil. Press "cancel/off" button.
- Add ¼ cup of the chicken stock to the Instant Pot and deglaze the bottom by scraping any cooked on bits with a wooden spoon. Add remaining stock to the pot.
- Place trivet in the Instant Pot and arrange all chicken breasts on top.
- Close the lid and set valve to "sealing" position. The newer models do it on their own.
- Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook at HIGH pressure. Press "manual" setting and set timer to 5 minutes. The IP will beep after a few seconds and it will start coming to pressure. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Once the timer is done, press "cancel/off" button and do not flip the sealing valve. Let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturaly. It will take about 5 minutes. Carefully open the lid away from your face (there will be some steam left in the pot). Remove the chicken onto a plate and set aside. Remove trivet from Instant Pot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to the liquid remaining in the pot. Whisk well. You can press "saute" setting and cook it for a minute or two until thickened.
- Serve chicken with gravy.
Notes
- The 5 minutes of cooking time is perfect for chicken breast between 6 and 8 ounces. If your chicken breasts are larger (up to 12 ounces), add 2 more minutes of cooking time.
- If you don't want to make gravy, you can use water for the liquid required for pressure cooking.
- You can adjust seasoning to your liking, by adding your favorite spices. I recommend using coarse sea salt if possible. It will make the gravy very rich. Use 1 and ½ teaspoon of sea salt, if possible.
- We are using garlic twice: one to season the chicken and one to make a flavorful base for the gravy.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Jenne Bryant says
Yummy and Easy!
Meagan says
This was the first recipe I made with my InstaPot, and it was amazing! I’d give 5 stars for the gravy alone, my husband is obsessed. Thank you for sharing this, it was super easy to follow 👍🏻
Susan says
This is SO SIMPLE !!
And QUICK !!
The GRAVY is hands down a Blue ribbon ✅. (I even licked the plate)
Thank you for sharing 💕
Matthew says
I want to double this recipe, do i need to add time for that. If so how much. Thanks.
Robert Lerum says
I'm doing this for the 2nd time , the only thing I have done different is put a dry rub on the breasts instead of the Italian seasoning plus the spices that you used. Also did P-P some rice.. fingers crossed... it worked thanks
Samantha says
This recipe was fantastic!!! My husband loved it-moist, tender, and perfectly timed… Thank you.
Janelle says
I am super new to Instant Pot recipes, but this was sooooooo simple and absolutely perfect. The chicken was juicy. I think I accidentally added too much black pepper simply because I misread the recipe, but it still turned out fantastic. After this was cooked, I grabbed frozen steamer broccoli and packaged brown rice with quinoa. Heated those up in a few minutes and added it all together for an awesome meal prep. I have 4 meals ready to go and leftover chicken for a go to wrap or high protein snack. Thank you so much! Love this recipe! WILL BE USING IT LIKE ALL THE TIME.
Cindy says
Can you use frozen boneless skinless chicken breast with this recipe or do you need to defrost them first?
Anna says
Hi Cindy! You won't be able to brown frozen chicken breast, so the flavors won't be the same.
Christine Zeppa says
Hi Cindy,
I’ve made this 2 times with Thin sliced frozen chicken breasts from Costco. It turns out great!
I sprinkle the herbs right on the frozen chicken and brown on the sauté mode. It just takes a bit longer to brown, but it works just fine. I then cooked my 4 chicken breast for 12 min. And it came out perfect! It’s super easy on those busy nights you forget to go to the store and all you have are from zen chicken breast from Costco. Thanks for the recipe!
Chris ~
Debbie W says
What a wonderful recipe, my two guys in the house loved it. So simple, moist & delicious. Next time I might try adding potatoes. Thank you!!
Ronda says
This is the best way to cook chicken breasts! It comes out flavorful and juicy, nom nom nom.
Abigail says
Hi, it took longer than 5 minutes for it to naturally release. I’ve been waiting 30 minutes and it still hasn’t finished naturally releasing. I’m supposed to wait until the silver thing pops up right? Please help
Ash says
Wait 5 mins than flip the sealing valve (to venting) and wait until it pops to open it.
Donna says
I did the same thing the first time I used the IP. I learned that I had to turn the Keep Warm function off or it would never release pressure naturally.
Tammy says
Made this tonight and love how quick and easy it was. It is my opinion the gravy was too salty but that is my only complaint. The chicken was moist and flavorful and my husband can't say enough about it. Thanks for sharing!
Grace says
Hi. We have a large family. Can you cook 8-10 chicken breast all at once??? Or do I need to cook them in different batches??
Maureen Dudics says
Excellent recipe!! My husband loved it. There were NO leftovers! Great instructions. Simple ingredients. This will become a once a week favorite. Thank you!
Pamela Stec says
I made this tonight and it is hands down the best thing I have made in my IP since I bought it 2 weeks ago. I followed the recipe exactly, using 4 chicken breasts and adding the 2 minutes as suggested. I wouldn't change a thing!!
I can't wait until we can have company again so I can show off my new IP skills.
Debra says
Just made this recipe and omg it's so delicious. I added baby potatoes on top of the chicken then made gravy out of the broth. This will be a staple in our home. Yummy!!!
Angie says
My family devoured this chicken, delicious! I made it with your mashed potato recipe. Will definitely be a new regular on the menu. Thank you!!
Anna says
Yay! I love that! Thank you so much, Angie!