This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

It’s rare that I stumble upon a recipe hole in the internet, but after repeated searching, I could not find what I considered to be a simple guide for how to cook Instant Pot Chicken.

An instant pot with cooked shredded chicken

I had a basic question: how many minutes does it take to cook chicken in an Instant Pot? 

knew it would vary depending on if I was making Instant Pot chicken breasts or Instant Pot chicken thighs, if my chicken was frozen or fresh, and if it was bone-in or bone-out, but I wanted an easy answer.

You would think this kind of basic information (Instant Pot chicken!) would be easy to find. It wasn’t…until now.

  • If you are wondering how long it takes to cook chicken in a pressure cooker, this is the post for you.
  • Reference it anytime you are making Instant Pot chicken and want to know how long to cook it.
  • I’ve included some bonus information if you’d like to take your Instant Pot chicken to the next level, such as tips for seasoning, but if all you need to know are the basics (how much water to add to the Instant Pot with the chicken and long to cook your chicken in the Instant Pot), you’ll find that information quickly and easily here.

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN IN THE INSTANT POT

How to Cook Chicken breasts or thighs in the Instant Pot.

STEP ONE: Grab Your Chicken and Your Instant Pot + Trivet

boneless chicken breasts in an instant pot

STEP TWO: Add Water

How Much Water to Add to the Instant Pot (Varies by Model)

  • 6-quart Instant Pot: add 1 cup water
  • 3-quart Instant Pot: add 3/4 cup water
  • 8-quart Instant Pot: add 1 1/2 cups water

STEP THREE: Add the Trivet + Seasoning

Seasoned chicken in the instant pot
  • This step is not 100% mandatory, but it will help your chicken cook more evenly, so I recommend it.
  • At this point, you can also season your chicken if you like, but it’s not mandatory. I keep it simple with salt and pepper.

STEP FOUR: Cook on HIGH (Manual) Pressure According to the Cook Times Below

cooked chicken in the instant pot
  • The cook time will remain the same whether you have a small amount of chicken or a lot, but the time the Instant Pot takes to come to pressure will increase the more chicken you have.
  • The time it takes to come to pressure will also be longer if you’re cooking frozen chicken.

The below cook times are based upon average weights.

  • If your chicken is smaller, decrease the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes depending upon the extent of the size variation.
  • If your breasts or thighs are larger, increase the cook time by 1 to 2 minutes.
  • When in doubt, error on the side of less time. You can always cook the chicken for longer, but once it’s overcooked (especially when it comes to boneless, skinless chicken breasts), you can’t reverse the process.

CHICKEN BREAST INSTANT POT COOK TIMES

BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS

Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

  • 8 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 10-ounce boneless chicken breasts

Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

  • 12 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 10-ounce boneless chicken breasts

BONE-IN CHICKEN BREASTS (WITH OR WITHOUT SKIN)

Fresh Bone-In Chicken Breasts (With or Without Skin)

  • 10 minutes, natural release for 5 minutes
  • Based on 12-ounce bone-in chicken breasts

Frozen Bone-In Chicken Breasts (With or Without Skin)

  • 25 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 12-ounce bone-in chicken breasts

CHICKEN THIGH INSTANT POT COOK TIMES

BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS

Fresh Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

  • 6 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 3-ounce boneless chicken thighs

Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

  • 12 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 3-ounce boneless chicken thighs

BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS (WITH OR WITHOUT SKIN)

Fresh Bone-In Chicken Thighs (With or Without Skin)

  • 10 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 6-ounce bone-in chicken thighs

Frozen Bone-In Chicken Thighs (With or Without Skin)

  • 15 minutes, vent immediately to release any remaining pressure
  • Based on 6-ounce bone-in chicken thighs
instant pot chicken shredded with two forks

Does Cook Time Change if I Have a Smaller (3-Quart) or Larger (8-Quart) Instant Pot?

  • No matter which size model Instant Pot you have, the number of minutes you select on the Instant Pot remains the same.

The capacity of each Instant Pot and the amount of time the differently sized pots take to come to pressure will vary, but you’ll always set it for the same number of minutes, regardless of its size.

If you have a different brand other than Instant Pot and are wondering how long to cook chicken in a pressure cooker, the times listed above should still be accurate for other electric pressure cooker models.

STEP FIVE: Shred, Slice, or Dice! 

a hand mixer used to shred chicken in the instant pot

How to Use a Mixer to Shred Chicken

Once your chicken is cooked and cool enough to handle, you can dice it up or shred it for use in your recipe.

  • For easy shredding, you can place the chicken in a bowl (or even back in your Instant Pot—discard the liquid and remove the trivet first) and use a hand mixer like this one to shred the chicken. If you have a hand mixer or stand mixer, you need to try this trick!
  • You can also shred the chicken with two forks by hand.

Here’s what the above looks like as a quick step-by-step.

Step-by-Step How to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot

  1. Add 1 cup of water to the 6-quart Instant Pot. Insert the trivet. Add the chicken to the pot. If frozen, make sure the pieces are broken apart and not in a solid mass. (See above for the correct water amount if using a 3-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.)
  2. Season your chicken, if desired. (See blog post below for suggestions.)
  3. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for the number of minutes specified above, depending upon the type of chicken you’re cooking.
  4. After the cook time has finished, vent to release any remaining pressure. (If natural release is specified above for the type of chicken you’re cooking, let it natural release for 5 minutes and then vent any remaining pressure).
  5. Carefully open the lid and check the chicken’s internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The chicken should register 165 degrees F at the thickest part, and the thermometer should not touch the bone. (See below for what to if the chicken isn’t done if your chicken is below 165 degrees F.)
  6. Once cool enough to handle, shred or dice as desired. (See the above mixer tip for a quick way to shred.)
easy instant pot shredded chicken in a bowl with forks

What to Do If the Chicken Isn’t Done

  • If your chicken doesn’t read 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer when you open up the Instant Pot but is pretty close (around 160 degrees F), close the lid and let it rest for another 5 minutes before checking the temperature again. Often this rest is enough to get the chicken up to a safe temperature.
  • If it’s still not done, you can recover the Instant Pot and set for an additional 2 minutes of pressure (manual) cook time.
  • Last, if you prefer, you can finish cooking the chicken in a 350 degree F oven.

How to Season Chicken in the Instant Pot

Here are a few flavor ideas to try! (Amounts listed for approximately 1 pound of chicken.)

Mexican Instant Pot Chicken

Check out Shredded Chicken Tacos too!

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Italian Instant Pot Chicken

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

All-Purpose Instant Pot Chicken

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Classic Salt and Pepper Instant Pot Chicken

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Why Does My Instant Pot Say Burn?

  • A BURN warning on an Instant Pot occurs when the heat sensor reads a high temperature on the bottom of the pot, which can indicate scorching. This causes the pot to stop heating until it is resolved.
  • Make sure you are using the required amount of water for your Instant Pot model. You shouldn’t have a problem with this if you follow the instructions here, because this method uses enough water to prevent the warning.

What If I Don’t Have an Instant Pot?

How to Store Instant Pot Chicken

  • Leftover cooked, shredded, or diced Instant Pot chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight.
  • Shredded Instant Pot Chicken is IDEAL for meal prep. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, divide into individual containers, then use it all week long.
  • Instant Pot
  • Trivet (this also comes with the Instant Pot, but if you lose it, you can purchase a replacement online)
  • Hand mixer (for easy shredding)

I hope this post is an easy-to-reference, helpful resource for you the next time you’re wondering how to cook Instant Pot chicken.

More questions, comments, or tips? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Instant Pot Chicken

4.72 from 89 votes
How to Cook Instant Pot Chicken. Simple cook times for chicken breasts and chicken thighs, including fresh, frozen, bone-in, and boneless. Quick and easy!

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds chicken breasts or chicken thighs fresh or frozen, bone-in or boneless, skin off or on
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus other seasonings as desired

Instructions
 

  • Add 1 cup of water to the 6-quart Instant Pot. Insert the trivet. Add the chicken to the pot. If frozen, make sure the pieces are broken apart and not in a solid mass. (See blog post above for the correct water amount if using a 3-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot.)
  • Season your chicken, if desired. (See blog post above for suggestions.)
  • Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for the number of minutes specified in the blog post above/recipe notes below, depending upon the type of chicken you’re cooking (breasts or thighs, fresh or frozen, bone-in or boneless). The number of minutes won't change depending upon how much chicken you add (for example, 1 pound or 3 pounds) or your Instant Pot size; it will simply change the number of minutes it takes the pot takes to come to pressure and the countdown to begin.
  • After the cook time has finished, either vent immediately OR let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. (Reference the release directions listed in the blog post above/notes below for the type of chicken you are using.)
  • Carefully open the lid and check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part of the chicken. If your chicken is bone-in, make sure the thermometer doesn’t touch the bone. The chicken should register 165 degrees F. If it is below 160 degrees F, reseal and cook a few additional minutes. If the chicken is at 160 but not yet 165, you can simply set the lid on top and let it rest for 5 additional minutes, or until it hits the magic 165 degrees F.
  • Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Let cool until easy to handle.
  • Once cool enough to handle, shred or dice as desired. Alternatively, you can remove the trivet and excess liquid from the Instant Pot, return the chicken to the pot, then use a hand mixer to shred it quickly and easily. Use as desired.

Video

Notes

  • Leftover cooked, shredded, or diced chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight.
INSTANT POT CHICKEN COOKING TIMES:
  • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (10 ounces each): 8 minutes (for fresh) or 12 minutes (for frozen) + immediate release
  • Bone-In Chicken Breast (12 ounces each): 10 minutes + 5 minutes natural release (for fresh); 25 minutes + immediate release (for frozen)
  • Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (3 ounces each): 6 minutes (for fresh) or 12 minutes (for frozen + immediate release
  • Bone-In Chicken Thighs (6 ounces each): 10 minutes (for fresh) or 15 minutes (for frozen) + immediate release

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces shredded boneless, skinless chicken breastCalories: 187kcalProtein: 35gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 96mg

Join today and start saving your favorite recipes

Create an account to easily save your favorite recipes and access FREE meal plans.

Sign Me Up

Did you try this recipe?

I want to see!

Follow @wellplated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!

You May Also Like

Free Email Series
Sign Up for FREE Weekly Meal Plans
Each includes a grocery list, budget, and 5 healthy dinners, helping you save time, save money, and live better!

Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

Leave a Comment

Did you make this recipe?

Don't forget to leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





152 Comments

Leave a comment

  1. Thank you SO much for putting these Instant Pot chicken recipes on your website. I bought an Instant Pot a few years ago and was frustrated that I couldn’t find a recipe for cooking plain chicken breasts to put into a soup recipe that’s been handed down to me from my grandma & mother.

    Your website will be one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing your cooking knowledge with me!5 stars

  2. Hi Erin! I found this super helpful and was so excited to try it out! I used frozen boneless chicken breasts (2 of them that were about 10 oz) and I have an 8 qt cooker so I used 1 1/2 C water. Cooked them using the manual setting for 12 minutes. Released pressure, they looked and smelled yummy—went to pull them out to use the thermometer and they were still SO raw inside. What did I do wrong??5 stars

    1. Hi Halee, I don’t really think you did anything wrong, sounds to me, you would just need to put it back under pressure for a little longer. Also when your pressure cooker is coming up to pressure is there any steam releasing? You want to make sure no steam releases and it is sealing properly.

  3. My cooking skills are getting better thanks to this blog and the book! I appreciate you for adding so much work and detail into something like this where others might view as too simple. I followed this with frozen chicken thigh and used my Ninja Foodi pressure cook – and it turned out so delicious! I can’t believe how easy it was!
    I also appreciate your notes on how to store leftovers and how to use shredded chicken for other recipes. I never skip through your paragraphs because they are always full of helpful tips 😊
    Thanks for another great tip and recipe!5 stars

    1. Hi Kayla, you probably could, I just haven’t tried it. I am unsure how flavorful it would be since you are not actually cooking the chicken in the water.

Load More Comments