Confused About Fresh vs Frozen Instant Pot Chicken Recipes? Here’s Your Answer

Today our culinary staff takes on another common Instant Pot question:

Q. I have an Instant Pot recipe that calls for fresh chicken breasts. How much time is added for frozen chicken?

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A. The general rule of thumb for the Instant Pot is that the same amount of cooking time is needed for frozen ingredients as for fresh, but it will take longer to come to pressure, lengthening your overall recipe time.

However, there are important exceptions to this rule. Pressure cooking is highly dependent on the thickness of what you’re cooking. So if your chicken is frozen all together in a solid block (as opposed to individually frozen), you will need to add about 20% extra cooking time. 

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For safety, always use a food thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. The safe minimum internal cooking temperature for chicken is 165 degrees.

Be safe, and enjoy the delicious results!