Set It & Forget It
11 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes for a Week of Meals—& Then Some
Plus, how to cook a chicken breast from frozen in 10 (!) minutes.
Photo by Hélène Dujardin
Did you know that you can cook chicken breasts straight from frozen...in 10 minutes? In the Instant Pot, anyway. If chicken is comfort food, then Instant Pot chicken is comfort cooking.
One night after work, starving, I came home to an empty refrigerator. (Hey, it happens to the best of us.) I had just come back from vacation and, as I'm one of those people who clears out his fridge even when he's only gone for a short weekend, I hadn't yet made my grocery run to restock my provisions.
Then, I remembered the freezer. In it was a half-empty pint of cookie dough ice cream and a pack of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Desperate, I threw them (the chicken breasts, not the ice cream) into my Instant Pot—still 100-percent frozen and unfeeling—along with a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and some spices. I set to Pressure Cook on High for 10 minutes. Though it took a few minutes to come up to temperature from frozen, and then for the pressure to release, the chicken came out fully cooked and perfectly juicy.
Humorist Arnold H. Glasow once wrote, "You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it." (In this case, you get the chicken by failing to plan dinner in advance, then saving the night by pressure-cooking it.)
In case you need another reason to believe in the magic of the Instant Pot, below are 11 quick and easy chicken dinners to make a convert out of anyone.
From Our Shop
Urvashi Pitre recipes excerpted from Instant Pot Fast & Easy © 2019 by Urvashi Pitre. Photography © 2019 by Ghazalle Badiozamani. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Melissa Hartwig recipes excerpted from The Whole30 Slow Cooker © 2018 by Melissa Hartwig. Photography © 2018 by Ghazalle Badiozamani. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
What's your favorite Instant Pot chicken recipe? Let us know in the comments below.
The Dynamite Chicken cookbook is here! Get ready for 60 brand-new ways to love your favorite bird. Inside this clever collection by Food52 and chef Tyler Kord, you'll find everything from lightning-quick weeknight dinners to the coziest of comfort foods.
Order Now
Written by: Eric Kim
Popular on Food52
22 Comments
dbk923
February 3, 2020
i have a pack of frozen chicken breasts i threw in the freezer and didn't think to separate into individual breasts. can i use your recipe on this block-o-frozen-breast?
Eleanor S.
March 17, 2019
I love Urvashi Pitre’s butter chicken!! I’ve made it so many times that I’d have to say it’s my go-to.
I’ve been wanting to try the sesame chicken recipe that you mentioned as well! Just a note though, it’s credited to Alex Snodgrass in the cookbook 👍🏻
I’ve been wanting to try the sesame chicken recipe that you mentioned as well! Just a note though, it’s credited to Alex Snodgrass in the cookbook 👍🏻
Mary A.
March 17, 2019
Hi! Need help on size of an Instant Pot. Does the size-6 or 8 at.- make a difference when using. Like crockpots, for 4 to 6 chicken breast, use 6 qt.
cookinalong
March 18, 2019
No. Either one will work fine. Even if the IP if full to the brim, the only time you'll run into trouble is if the liquid in the recipe goes above about 2/3 capacity. I've made stock when the bones, etc. are piled up with just enough room to lock the lid on and it worked fine.
Meg O.
March 14, 2019
The following shortcuts make the total prep time less than 30 minutes, and make a whole pot of soup for you while you are under the weather. I don't know about you, but I never want a complicated or lengthy recipe when i don't feel good.
Hope you feel better soon.
Chicken wild rice and mushroom soup
if you want a homemade taste to your chicken soup, you have to use a decent broth, or improve the flavor of a store bought one.
You can make what tastes like homemade and only takes about a half hour total, including time on the stove:
1 onion (small yellow) diced or faster, 1 bunch scallions, diced (wash scallions and dice using kitchen shears)
you will saute that in your soup pot in a small amt. EVOO until tender
2 ribs celery, diced or sliced to the size pieces you like in your soup. Add to onion and saute until tender. (I've never seen these already prepared in grocery store, so you will have cut them if you want them. If too ill to take the time, just use some celery salt instead of regular salt in the soup to get the flavor)
1 handful matchstick carrots, ready to eat, from grocery store. Add to pot and saute until tender.
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced. Add to pot and saute until tender.
Add:
2 quarts chicken broth, homemade if you have it, store bought if necessary, but then need to add flavor,
I use chicken flavored Better than Bouillion, about 1 heaping tsp. (has salt in it, so be careful not to make your soup too salty)
1 - 2 cans cooked wild rice, drained and rinsed.
meat of 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, cut to bite sized (i can buy this already prepared in my local grocery store)
heat to boiling, simmer 5 minutes.
Serve with sourdough bread or crackers.
Since I'm using pre-cooked wild rice, and using already cut mushrooms and carrots, and already cooked rotisserie chicken, the only parts I need to prepare are the celery and onion. The onion can be faster and easier if you wash a bunch of scallions and use your kitchen shears to cut them up.
Enjoy your soup and feel better soon.
Hope you feel better soon.
Chicken wild rice and mushroom soup
if you want a homemade taste to your chicken soup, you have to use a decent broth, or improve the flavor of a store bought one.
You can make what tastes like homemade and only takes about a half hour total, including time on the stove:
1 onion (small yellow) diced or faster, 1 bunch scallions, diced (wash scallions and dice using kitchen shears)
you will saute that in your soup pot in a small amt. EVOO until tender
2 ribs celery, diced or sliced to the size pieces you like in your soup. Add to onion and saute until tender. (I've never seen these already prepared in grocery store, so you will have cut them if you want them. If too ill to take the time, just use some celery salt instead of regular salt in the soup to get the flavor)
1 handful matchstick carrots, ready to eat, from grocery store. Add to pot and saute until tender.
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced. Add to pot and saute until tender.
Add:
2 quarts chicken broth, homemade if you have it, store bought if necessary, but then need to add flavor,
I use chicken flavored Better than Bouillion, about 1 heaping tsp. (has salt in it, so be careful not to make your soup too salty)
1 - 2 cans cooked wild rice, drained and rinsed.
meat of 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, cut to bite sized (i can buy this already prepared in my local grocery store)
heat to boiling, simmer 5 minutes.
Serve with sourdough bread or crackers.
Since I'm using pre-cooked wild rice, and using already cut mushrooms and carrots, and already cooked rotisserie chicken, the only parts I need to prepare are the celery and onion. The onion can be faster and easier if you wash a bunch of scallions and use your kitchen shears to cut them up.
Enjoy your soup and feel better soon.
Meg O.
March 14, 2019
Check out my recipe below.
If you use canned cooked wild rice, instead of raw, then your soup doesn't need to cook for more than 5 minutes to heat through. that makes the total time to put together less than 1/2 hour, and it will make 2 quarts of delicious chicken soup.
If you use canned cooked wild rice, instead of raw, then your soup doesn't need to cook for more than 5 minutes to heat through. that makes the total time to put together less than 1/2 hour, and it will make 2 quarts of delicious chicken soup.
Flora
March 14, 2019
Hi Eric, I am looking for a clean and delicious recipe for a chicken soup - I am a bit under the weather - and was wondering if you could point me to your favorite one. I have instapot but I am super open to cooking on my stove. Any advice is super appreciated!
Thank you!
Flora
Thank you!
Flora
Eric K.
March 14, 2019
Flora, oh no! I'm sorry you're sick. When I'm not feeling great, I just go super straightforward with my soup: chicken (either wings or a whole bird broken up), water, garlic cloves, and onion in the Instant Pot, high pressure for about 30 minutes and released naturally. It has that clean chicken taste and nothing else. This Big Little Recipe follows a similar idea: https://food52.com/recipes/78532-simplest-chicken-noodle-soup
Do you like fish sauce and Vietnamese flavors? Sometimes I'm in the mood for stronger things like this when I'm sick:
https://food52.com/recipes/80669-martha-stewart-s-instant-pot-vietnamese-style-chicken-soup
Feel better!
Do you like fish sauce and Vietnamese flavors? Sometimes I'm in the mood for stronger things like this when I'm sick:
https://food52.com/recipes/80669-martha-stewart-s-instant-pot-vietnamese-style-chicken-soup
Feel better!
Meg O.
March 12, 2019
I make an instant pot chicken with wild rice and mushrooms soup using rotisserie chicken.
Ingredients:
1/2 rotisserie chicken, pulled off bones and diced coarsely
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 - 1 cup ready to eat matchstick or jullienned carrots
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced (i like this best with shitake mushrooms, but have used portabella, button, crimini, or oyster fresh mushrooms. I have also in a pinch, soaked a bag of dried mushrooms in hot water, and then when softened, chopped them to bite sized pieces and added both the mushrooms and the broth to the soup.)
2 quarts homemade chicken stock, or two quart boxes store bought (like Swanson)
1 - 2 tbsp. EVOO
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/2 tbsp. chicken flavored Better Than Bouillion
1/3 - 1/2 cup white wine
Directions:
Saute the onions until tender in the EVOO in the instant pot on Saute.
Add the celery and saute until tender.
Add the carrots and saute until tender.
Add the mushrooms and saute until tender.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir to incorporate flavors, cover and cook at soup or rice setting (high heat and pressure) for 40 minutes.
Allow pressure to release.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread.
Ingredients:
1/2 rotisserie chicken, pulled off bones and diced coarsely
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 - 1 cup ready to eat matchstick or jullienned carrots
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced (i like this best with shitake mushrooms, but have used portabella, button, crimini, or oyster fresh mushrooms. I have also in a pinch, soaked a bag of dried mushrooms in hot water, and then when softened, chopped them to bite sized pieces and added both the mushrooms and the broth to the soup.)
2 quarts homemade chicken stock, or two quart boxes store bought (like Swanson)
1 - 2 tbsp. EVOO
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/2 tbsp. chicken flavored Better Than Bouillion
1/3 - 1/2 cup white wine
Directions:
Saute the onions until tender in the EVOO in the instant pot on Saute.
Add the celery and saute until tender.
Add the carrots and saute until tender.
Add the mushrooms and saute until tender.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir to incorporate flavors, cover and cook at soup or rice setting (high heat and pressure) for 40 minutes.
Allow pressure to release.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread.
Mary A.
March 17, 2019
I would like to buy an Instant Pot, can you advise me if I must times cook for 4 or less. Sometimes, maybe 9 or more. So, does it make a difference what size - 6 or 8 quart. Like crockpots supposed to be filled over half . Thank you for any information.
Urvashi P.
March 11, 2019
Thank you so much for sharing two of my recipes in this! I can’t wait to try your mom’s recipe as well. Also thanks for sharing my cookbook ❤️
urvashi
Www.twosleevers.com
urvashi
Www.twosleevers.com
Join The Conversation