Instant Pot Chicken Breasts (2024)

For the Spice Rub

• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning plus more as needed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika, plus more as needed

For the Chicken Breasts

• ▢ 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 pounds total, see Notes

To Cook the Chicken Breasts

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
• ▢ 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water

• Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon paprika to small bowl. Stir ingredients together until well-blended. Set aside.

• Place 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Pat chicken breasts completely dry on all sides with paper towels.

• Sprinkle half of spice blend evenly over chicken breasts, then flip chicken breasts over and sprinkle remaining spice blend on other side, making sure to also season sides of chicken breasts. Add additional salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, or paprika if needed to season chicken as desired.

• Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to Instant Pot, covering as much surface as possible. Heat olive oil in Instant Pot until oil is hot and shimmering.

• When oil is ready, place seasoned chicken breasts directly in bottom of Instant Pot insert, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding pot.

• Sear chicken breasts 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom. Flip chicken breasts over and sear 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and set aside. Repeat with any remaining chicken breasts.

• Once all chicken breasts have been seared and removed from insert, turn off Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth while Instant Pot is still hot and use silicone spatula to scrape up any browned bits of chicken that may be stuck to bottom of insert.

• Place Instant Pot trivet in bottom of Instant Pot insert. Arrange seared chicken breasts on top of trivet, overlapping chicken breasts if needed to fit in Instant Pot.

• Secure lid on Instant Pot with valve in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize, then cook time will begin.

• Once 5-minute cook time ends, immediately and carefully Quick Release pressure inside Instant Pot, then carefully remove lid. Use caution, as any escaping steam will be very hot.

• Carefully remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes. After chicken has rested, transfer chicken to serving plates and serve warm with desired sides.

• Spice Blend: You’re welcome to use different combinations of spices and seasonings each time you prepare this recipe.
• Chicken Breasts: Use chicken breasts that are roughly the same size and thickness, to ensure they cook at the same rate. Trim chicken as needed, or pound especially thick pieces with rolling pin or large skillet until thinned.
• Cook Times:All pressure cookers behave differently, so double-check your chicken with a food thermometer before serving to make sure it’s fully cooked. It should read 160° Fahrenheit internally immediately after cooking and 165° Fahrenheit before serving. You may need to adjust the cook time slightly depending on the age of your Instant Pot and the condition of the sealing ring.
• Make it Gluten Free: Double check that your chicken broth doesn’t contain any gluten.