How to Cook Frozen Chicken
Updated Jun 29, 2025
It's easy to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot with minimal effort or planning. Perfect for easy weeknight meals and meal prep.
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Cooking Frozen chicken is easiest with an Instant pot!
There are a bunch of ways to cook frozen chicken, but when I’m short on time (which is most days), I go straight to the Instant Pot. It’s fast, hands-off, and the chicken turns out juicy every time, no need to thaw or babysit the stove. I use this method when I forget to defrost chicken for dinner (which happens a lot), and I just need to get chicken on the table or into another recipe.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Ingredients
- Frozen chicken: Use skinless boneless chicken breasts.
- Broth or water: You can use water to cook the chicken, or for more flavor use chicken stock or vegetable stock.
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper are essential. The extra spices like garlic powder and oregano are optional, or swap for your favorite spice blend.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken
How to Cook Frozen Chicken
It's easy to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot with minimal effort or planning. Perfect for easy weeknight meals and meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 pounds frozen chicken breasts about 8 ounce each
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon total other spices eg, garlic powder & oregano
- 1 cup chicken/vegetable broth
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast inside the Instant Pot. Season with salt, pepper and any other seasoning you’re using. Pour the broth over the chicken.
- Place the lid on and move the valve to sealing. Press manual pressure and set the timer to 10 minutes high pressure. You’ll notice the Instant Pot will start to come to pressure first and then the timer will begin. It can take 8-10 minutes to come to pressure.
- When the cook time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining pressure. Carefully open and remove the lid. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to make sure it’s 165°F or higher. If it’s not, seal again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the remaining broth in the Instant Pot to use for soups. Cut the chicken as desired and use in a recipe, as desired.
Equipment
Notes
Oven-Baked Frozen Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place frozen chicken breasts in a baking dish, brush with oil, and season.
- Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature hits 165°F.
- Works best with individually frozen pieces.
- Add frozen chicken to a pot with broth or water.
- Bring to a gentle simmer (not a hard boil) and cook until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- This is a great option for soups or shredded chicken.
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F.
- Arrange frozen chicken in a single layer—no stacking.
- Cook for 18–25 minutes depending on thickness, flipping halfway through.
- Perfect for crispy chicken with a quick cook time.
- Slow cookers aren’t recommended for frozen chicken. They heat too slowly and can keep the meat in an unsafe temperature range for too long.
- Microwaves tend to cook unevenly and leave cold spots, which isn’t ideal for frozen meat.
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 48g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 789mg, Potassium: 850mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 194IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Video Tutorial
Tutorial Tips
- Save the broth after cooking. The remaining liquid is good to use in soups or to cook grains.
- Use Bone-In Chicken. This method will work for bone-in frozen cuts of chicken, too, just make sure the weight is the same. If it is weighs more, add a few extra minutes of cooking time.
- Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure. This is fancy way of saying don’t open the valve once the Instant Pot Cook time is done, just let the pressure slowly release. If you release it quickly, your chicken won’t have enough time to cook. It also can make the chicken tough and stringy.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check that your chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should register at 165F. If the chicken is not at this temperature, seal the Instant Pot and cook for an additional couple of minutes.
- Check out the complete guide on using an Instant Pot.
Recipes to Make with Cooked Chicken
- In Buffalo Chicken Salad
- In Chopped Asian Chicken Salad
- In Chicken Lettuce Cups
- On top of Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Comments
Hi! Was wondering if you need to have low-sodium or regular broth for this recipe, please? Thanks!
Hi Christina, you can use either!
This recipe is delicious! The only issue I had was I had to double the cook time. However, it was delicious!
Thank you! The cooking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Can this recipe be for bone-in, boneless or either? Thanks
This recipe is for skinless boneless chicken breasts that are about 8 ounce each in weight You can use bone-in chicken though as long as the weight is the same.
Your email on how to use the Instant Pot to cook frozen chicken is so timely because I just purchased the Instant Pot Pro and it is supposed to be delivered today. It is almost like you were reading my mind,
thank you,
Paul
That’s perfect! Hope it helps!