Instant Pot Chicken Breast
from kristineskitchenblog.comThis Instant Pot Chicken Breast is juicy, tender and flavorful. It's served with a luscious gravy that's made right in the Instant Pot after the chicken cooks. Serve with your favorite side dishes for an easy, delicious meal.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 228kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or water, use 1.5 cups for 8 quart pot, use broth if you plan to make gravy
To Make Gravy (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Rub the seasoning mixture over all sides of the chicken.
- Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. Once hot, add the chicken breasts to the pot and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a clean plate. Turn off the sauté function.
- Pour the broth into the pot and scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Place the metal trivet in the pot and put the chicken on top of the trivet.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes for small chicken breasts, 5 minutes for medium chicken breasts or 7 minutes for large (12 ounces each or greater) chicken breasts. The Instant Pot will take 7-10 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will start counting down.
- Once the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes (just leave the pot alone; it can be on keep warm). Then move the steam release valve to the venting position to allow any remaining steam/pressure to escape. Open the lid and use an instant read thermometer to check that the chicken has cooked through to at least 165° F. (If it's not done, you can turn on sauté to bring the broth to a boil, then turn off the pot and put the lid back on for a few minutes to finish cooking the chicken from the residual heat.)
- Let chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.
To Make Gravy (Optional):
- Remove trivet from pot. If desired, pour the liquid from the pot through a strainer to strain out any solids and then return the liquid to the pot. Turn on sauté. Add the butter to the broth in the pot.
- In a small bowl, stir together the 1 ½ tablespoons each of cornstarch and water. Stir this cornstarch slurry into the liquid in the pot. Bring to a boil and cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens. Remove from the heat (take the inner pot out of the base), season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Video
Notes
To use frozen chicken breasts:
- Chicken breasts should be separated and not frozen in a large mass.
- Brown the frozen chicken breasts in olive oil in the Instant Pot before seasoning them.
- Put the chicken broth in the bottom of the pot, scrape up any browned bits, and put the browned frozen chicken on top of the trivet.
- Sprinkle the seasonings on the chicken.
- Pressure cook on high pressure 10 minutes for small chicken breasts, 12 minutes for medium chicken breasts or 15 minutes for large chicken breasts, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165° F for food safety.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 615mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
