Learn how to make the perfect Instant Pot Chicken Breasts & Gravy with these simple tips that will flavor your chicken from the inside out. These are the most flavorful and juicy pressure cooker chicken breasts.
With the help of your electric pressure cooker, you can have these amazingly flavorful and juicy chicken breasts on the dinner table – and there’s even some gravy to top it all off!
My game plan for making these Instant Pot Chicken Breasts extra delicious? Flavor them right from the get go.
Just like with my oven baked chicken breasts, I like to rub them with lots of yummy spices – oregano, cumin, paprika – and then brown them on both sides using the SAUTE setting. The spices (especially the paprika) and that browning step really give these chicken breasts that beautiful color.
If you skipped these steps, your chicken breasts would basically look liked boiled chicken – they would still taste good, but would totally be lacking that golden color.
You can definitely skip the browning step if you’re making shredded chicken (see below), but I like to get those flavors going from the start.
Another way I’m making my Instant Pot Chicken Breasts extra flavorful is by cooking them with beer. Filling the pot with a cup of pilsner or lager really gives them a great flavor, it also makes some pretty amazing gravy. However, if you’d prefer not to use alcohol, you can also use water.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken Breasts – I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Oil – Canola, avocado, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Spices – Oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
- Light Beer – I use this as the cooking liquid to add extra flavor. Pilsner or lager works great. However, you can also use water or chicken broth.
- For the Gravy – Cornstarch, water, salt & pepper.
How to make them
- Combine the salt and spices with oil to create a paste. Coat the chicken breasts with the paste.
- Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE and heat the oil. Once hot, add the chicken breasts.
- Brown the chicken on both sides then remove it from the pot.
- Add beer (or water or chicken stock) to the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place a trivet in the Instant Pot and return the chicken on top of the trivet. Hit the CANCEL button.
- Cover and seal the lid and turn the vent to sealing.
- Press the MANUAL (high pressure) button and set the timer to 5 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for Instant Pot to come to full pressure, then the display will show a countdown timer.
- Once the 5 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8 minutes (10 minutes for larger chicken breasts), then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken from the pot and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.
To make the gravy
- Combine the water and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and bring the cooking liquids to a simmer.
- Add the water-cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Although I love to eat these Instant Pot Chicken Breasts for dinner, with that golden, delicious gravy spooned on top, I also love to just leave them plain, and use them for meal prep. I’ll cube up the chicken breasts and add them to salads and grain bowls throughout the week. It’s such an easy way to sneak in a bit of protein.
Uses for Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Storing leftovers
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container (these are my favorite!) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will also keep in the freezer for up to three months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Reheating air fryer chicken breasts
Chicken reheats best on the stove. Add it to a small skillet with a splash of water or broth and heat until the chicken is warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
You can definitely cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. The cooking time remains the same, but it will take longer for the pressure to build in the Instant Pot, about 15 minutes vs. 10 minutes.
Yep! To make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot, increase the cooking time to 10 minutes (vs. 5 minutes). You can skip the gravy step in this recipe. Instead, add the chicken to a large bowl with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and shred with two forks. Or, use the paddle attachment of your mixer to shred the chicken.
What to serve with it
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Easy Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Reduction & Cranberries
- Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Miso Cauliflower
- Arugula Salad
- German Potato Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad
- Click here for MORE side dishes to serve with chicken
Wine pairings for chicken
- A Viognier or unoaked Chardonnay would pair nicely with these chicken breasts.
- If you would like to go the red route, I’d suggest a Pinot Noir, or other light bodied red. Avoid hard, oaky tannic reds and they can overwhelm the delicate flavors of the chicken.
- More → the 8 BEST Wine Pairings for Chicken.
More how-to chicken guides
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
- Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
More instant pot recipes
- Instant Pot Persian Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Authentic Italian Sunday Gravy
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Did you make this instant pot chicken breast and gravy recipe?
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Instant Pot Chicken Breast and Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons canola or avocado oil (divided)
- 3 chicken breasts (boneless + skinless )
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup light beer (pilsner or lager or water)
Gravy:
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the salt and spices with 1 Tablespoon oil to create a paste. Coat chicken breasts with the paste.
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and heat the oil. Once hot, add the chicken breasts.
- Brown the chicken on both sides (2-3 minutes per side) then remove it from the Instant Pot.
- Add beer to the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and return the chicken to the Instant Pot on top of the trivet. Hit the CANCEL button.
- Cover and seal the lid – turn the vent to sealing. Press the MANUAL (high pressure) button and set the timer to 5 minutes (10 minutes for shredded chicken). It will take about 10 minutes for Instant Pot to come to full pressure, then the display will show a countdown timer.
- Once the 5 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8 minutes (10 minutes for larger chicken breasts), then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove chicken from the pot and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to redistribute.
Gravy:
- Combine the water and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and bring the cooking liquids to a simmer then add the water-cornstarch mixture. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
For Shredded Chicken:
- Skip the gravy step. Instead, add the chicken to a large bowl with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and shred with two forks. Or, use the paddle attachment of your mixer to shred the chicken.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
Watch the web story here.
this looks delish! I dont have an instapot but could try it in my dutch oven, I think!
I am going to try this scrumptious dish and let you know how I make out. I have never heard of an instant pot.
We buy our chicken from an Amish market and it is so delicious and we don’t have to do any special treatment for it to be tasty and moist. I’ll cook right on stove, maybe use my Lodge cast iron skillet!
I love my cast iron skillet too Mary! Have you tried my recipe for Easy Roasted Chicken? It’s one of my favorites, and made in a skillet.
Oh my goodness! This recipe is so delicious! I doubled the amount of chicken, used two tablespoons of olive oil and double the spices for the paste, stuck the paste and chicken in a Ziploc and smooshed it all over the breasts. I put one cup of beer (Blue Moon was what I had in the fridge) & half cup water in before returning the chicken to the pot. At the end I had to put in double the slurry amount to thicken it! So delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Holly!
So easy can i say i love you NOW, thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
So happy to hear that you liked it Louise!
Made this tonight and served with cauliflower rice for a fantastic low carb meal! Yum!
That sounds delicious Jenny!
Hi. I’m new to IP. I thought I did everything per instructions and chicken came out like rubber sorry to say. I think I should not have split the breasts. They were probably too small. Also I had it in the “normal” high pressure setting. Did you use low setting? I have IP Duo 60. I’m sure it was me. Your recipe did make great gravy. That was good. I did the natural release 8 mins and let it sit 5 mins. I will try again with breasts unsplit. Trying to get them juicy not steamed consistency. Also if I had only two breasts still 5 mins. Thank you !
Hi Diane – I would not split the breasts. Mine were REALLY thick and they came out great with that cook time. I do use the normal high pressure setting. I hope that helps!
FINALLY the perfect recipe for moist and flavourful chicken breasts in the Instant Pot! Last night was my third time cooking chicken breasts in the IP and I was so nervous since they always came out overcooked and dry.
Frozen breasts (larger than 6oz) sautéed for 2 mins on each side, high pressure for 6 mins and natural release for 10mins = MAGIC. Erin you are my hero and made my weekly meal prep SO much better!
I’m so happy to hear that Cass – Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hi Erin – I just bought an 8-quart Intant Pot and I would like to try your recipe. Does the size of the IP make a difference in the cooking times or anything else in your recipe? I have 6 chicken breasts to cook. Thanks for your advice.
Lisa
Hi Lisa – The size of the IP shouldn’t make a difference at all. Enjoy!
Hi! Can chicken broth be used in place of water or beer?
Hi Trish – Definitely!
I really like the tip, thinks
We really liked it and it came out moist. The gravy was okay but just felt lacking in something. Next time I will try putting chicken broth instead of the water and see if that make a difference. We put this on a bed of rice and put the gravy on the rice as well. I will say I loved how quick this was to make though and the vegetable oil mixed in with the seasoning was smart as it stuck to the chicken which did not stick to the pot.
Can you do a second layer of chicken breasts? I have six to cook and would prefer to do one batch of cooking.
Hi Angelique – It’s best not to stack the breasts as they won’t cook evenly.
I just came across your site and am going to try this recipe as my first ever IP meal. Can I season and sauté the chicken and prep it beforehand?
Hi Kurt – I definitely think that will work! Just pop it into the fridge and do the rest of the steps when you’re ready.
HUGE hit! Chicken came out so juicy and was delish!
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it Angelique!
does it need to be put right onto the trivet and what does it mean heat to oil?
Hi Kyna – I put the chicken directly on the trivet. You’ll first heat the oil using the saute setting on your pot. Hope that helps!
Question: Do you double the ingredients to feed 6?
Hi Robyn – Yes, I would do that!
looks amazing. going to make this for dinner first time using instapot.
This was my first recipe using my new IP – and it turned out great! Chicken was moist and super flavorful. Served with quinoa and kale with gravy on top. Yum! Looking forward to exploring more of your recipes. Thanks.
I’m so glad you liked it Michelle! Love your serving suggestion too!
I would like to double this, but you said not to stack the chicken. How do you get it all to fit without stacking? Thanks in advance!
The chicken is awesome and the tip for the paddle and mixer was great.
I made this last night. I loved how I could sauté in the same pan. I appreciated the detail instructions as I’m new to my insta pot and I’m still not comfortable with it. I coulked mine frozen slightly thawed, no problem. I couldn’t get my insta pot to release the pressure, so I’ll skip the long story. But I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I could have removed them exactly when they should have been.
Made this tonight in my new instant pot. I had 4 pieces of good size chicken breast. I doubled the spices & it came out delicious. Thanks for your recipe, I will be making this again.
With the chicken on the trivia, are they covered with the juices?
Great recipe and timing was good. I also used this recipe, minus the gravy to cook chicken for soup. Made the chicken extra tasty.
Made this tonight and it was my first time cooking chicken breasts in my new instant pot. It turned out GREAT!!! I was a bit worried because I didn’t measure the seasonings and the gravy had a very heavy cumin aroma, but it tasted just right and we all loved it! I made it with baked sweet potatoes and green beans. Will definitely be making again!
Made this tonight with baked sweet potatoes (in the oven) and green beans. It was my first time making chicken bread in my new instant pot and it turned out GREAT!!! I was a little worried about the gravy because I didn’t measure the seasonings and it smelled heavily of cumin, but it tasted perfect and we all loved it! Will definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it Mikki!
I am new to the IP so I tried this recipe. It turned out delicious, but the chicken was so tough. Any ideas? I followed the recipe.
Hello, Im a single dad, new to cooking and new to the instant pot. I have to say I followed your directions and ended up with a great meal that me and the kids really enjoyed. We’ll definitely be eating this again! Thank you so much!!
I’m so happy to hear that Mike!
First time user of instapot. Used your recipe for chicken breasts. Came out yummy! Tnx.
This turned out great. I’m fairly new to the instant pot and it was super easy. I used chicken broth as I didn’t have any beer. A keeper for sure!
If the bone is in the chicken breasts how do I adjust cooking time?
Hi Debbie – I haven’t yet tried bone in, but I think I would try them at a 10-minute cook time based on other recipes I’ve seen. Hope that helps!
I don’t do a ton of Instant Pot cooking, but I needed a simple and fast dinner option and had some chicken breasts in the freezer. This is a smart IP recipe and comes out better than I dared hope. The gravy is nice and flavorful. On the side I made a black bean and roasted corn salad. I’ll come back soon and see what else you have lying around here.
Hi Erin!
I’ve tried a number of instant pot chicken recipes and yours is by far, the best and my go-to recipe. I make a batch of cooked chicken almost every week for my husband to take to work and mix in whatever leftovers we have in the frig and its great for chicken salad recipes too. Thanks so much.
I’m so happy to hear that Colleen. Thank you so much for the positive feedback!
Hi! If I want to double this recipe is there anything I should know first? Should i just double the amount of chicken and leave everything else the same? Or double the entire recipe?? Thank you!
Hi Meghan – I would double the entire recipe. Hope that helps!
If doubling the recipe I can’t fit 6 chicken breast together my instant pot so do I just make it twice separately? If so do I take the gravy out first before I start on the second batch? I do t want it to burn. I’ve made this before and it was amazing just never a double batch
Hi Brittaney – Yes. I would make it twice separately and remove the gravy, otherwise it will thicken too much with a double cook time. Hope that helps!
Hi! I’d love to try this out tonight- I only have two chicken breasts, though. Does that matter? Thanks!
Hi Lauren – Nope, you can make this with only two chicken breasts! You won’t need to make any changes to the recipe.
This was incredible! I will be making this many mire times in the future. Thanks so much for this recipe!
You are so welcome Shay! I’m glad you liked it!
It’s extremely rare that I cook something in this house that all 4 of us (me, hubs, and 2 picky boys – 1 of which has sensory issues) love, but this recipe accomplishes exactly that! Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome Kelly – I’m glad it was a hit in your house!
I followed the recipe to a “T,” and the chicken still came out dry. 🤷🏼♀️
Followed the recipe and it turned out great! Forgot to take pic after I put the gravy over the chicken though! Well, can’t figure out how to add the pic I took
I love this recipe. I have made it at least 10 times and the chicken is perfect every time. But the gravy…I can’t stop eating it!!! I used chicken stock instead of beer but otherwise kept the recipe exactly the same. Thank you so much for such a fabulous recipe.
You’re so welcome Colleen! I’m so happy you’re enjoying it!
The chicken turned out fine, but the liquid below turned into a burnt molten lava so I wasn’t able to make gravy. Not sure where I went wrong or how to prevent in future. Any advice?
Hi Gena. That’s too bad!!! I would try adding a bit more liquid to the pot next time. Hope that helps!!!
I’ve made it about 4 times now. Gravy is nice, chicken turns out great. Easy to prep and cook. has become my “go to” for chicken breasts in the instant pot. Thank You!!!!
You’re welcome Kris!
Love this recipe! Was wondering if I could use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Hi Danielle – That should work! Cook time should remain the same 🙂
This recipe is quick and easy. The chicken comes out so juicy and tender! I think it is the best instantpot chicken recipe by far. The gravy has great flavor and is excellent on white rice. I served this dish with a side of carrots.
Thanks Carrie!
Winner in my picky family! Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome Krystal!
Did you use beer? Do I make the gravy using the beer and cornstarch?
Hi Sarah:
The beer goes in with the chicken. Then that liquid will become a gravy –
Combine the water and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and bring the cooking liquids to a simmer then add the water-cornstarch mixture. Cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.