Instant Pot Chicken Breast 3 Ways (with Slow Cooker Instructions)

3 Easy Recipes for Instant Pot Chicken Breast – with slow cooker instructions too! Can add to salads, bowls, stir fries, soups, wraps, casseroles, & tacos!

Hi I’m Lauren – Holistic Health Coach behind Free Your Fork and I’m here to help you with healthy living without obsessing.

I help people make simple swaps for real food recipes, safer beauty, and a healthier home. 

Today we’re making easily THE most-cooked recipe in our house – Instant Pot Chicken Breast!

And no worries if you don’t have an instant pot (but pls let’s talk if you don’t because they’re amazing) – I’ve included slow cooker directions for each one too!

Let me level with you, I make this all the time. Here’s why. This is that blissful, low maintenance side of food prep (vs. all out meal prep) where you get to cook up a whole bunch of protein at one time and then figure out what you wanna use it for later.

One of the biggest things my clients struggle with when it comes to meal prep is… the prep. So if you don’t love preportioning, feel overwhelmed making too many things at once, or get bored eating one meal on repeat all week – these recipes are for you.

Check the recipe swaps section at the end for what ingredients you can use to make your pantry + any special dietary needs work.

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BASE RECIPE: PLAIN CHICKEN AND BROTH

Sounds lackluster and basic but isn’t – “plain” in this case just means super versatile + adaptable + ready to add to any dish & take on all it’s flavors. Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3-4 cups chicken broth
• Pinch of salt

Instant Pot Steps

1. Add chicken breasts to instant pot. Add chicken broth until the chicken breasts are just covered (making sure not to exceed instant pot fill line). Sprinkle salt if using. 
2. Stir, cover, seal, and pressure cook on high for 11 minutes (if using larger chicken breasts, or 8+ chicken breasts, increase the cooking time to 15-16 min)
3. Natural release after 10-15 min and remove cooked chicken to a container. Store separately from any broth.

Slow Cooker Steps

1. Add coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, coconut nectar, and orange juice to slow cooker. Stir until well combined.
2. Cover and cook on low for 3-3.5 hours.
3. Remove cooked chicken

Notes

• Strain the broth after you’re done cooking, store in the fridge, and use it for a soup later! It’ll have double the flavor it had before you put it in the pot

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GOLDEN SPICE + COCONUT CHICKEN

The turmeric in the curry powder gives the outside of the chicken a gorgeous yellow color that really stands out in stir fries and salads. Love.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans coconut milk – full fat
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tbs turmeric
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbs dried minced onion
• ½ tsp salt

Instant Pot Steps

1. Add chicken breasts, coconut milk, and spice mixture to instant pot. 
2. Stir, cover, seal, and pressure cook on high for 13 minutes (if using larger chicken breasts, increase the cooking time to 15-16 min). If cooking from frozen, increase cooking time to 19 min.
3. Natural release after 10-15 min and remove cooked chicken
4. Optional: Use the saute function on your instant pot to reduce down the remaining liquid into a sauce to serve hot over chicken, veggies, and rice. Can add coconut nectar or honey to sweeten and thicken if you like. Store any liquid or sauce separately from chicken.

Slow Cooker Steps

1. Add coconut milk and spices to slow cooker. Stir until well combined.
2. Add chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-3.5 hours.
3. Remove cooked chicken
4. Optional: Transfer remaining liquid to a hot pan, bring to a boil, and then turn down and simmer on low until reduced and thickened to a saucy consistency. Then it’s ready to spoon over chicken, rice, and veggies. Store separately from chicken.

Notes

• FYI ON COCONUT MILK: It’s normal for the coconut milk to separate into solid and liquid in the can. You can blend these together with a quick whizz in the blender // add it to the instant pot first on saute, stirring until they melt together again // OR seriously just add it in. The heat from the instant pot will combine them all at some point so don’t worry
• HEADS UP ON TURMERIC: It stains. Clothes, nails, sponges, plastic or wood cutting boards. It is very often used as a natural food dye. So use a dark spatula or a metal spoon to stir the ingredients together. It won’t stain your instant pot liner or glass storage containers though! Keep this in mind while washing turmeric dishes!
• I do not recommend adding frozen chicken to the slow cooker for food safety reasons

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SOY-FREE TERIYAKI CHICKEN

Soy-free + gluten-free for anyone who (like me) needs that option for this favorite dish! Here’s how I make this at home:

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken breasts
• 1/2 c coconut aminos
• Juice of 1-2 oranges – or 1/3 c orange juice
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbs fresh grated ginger
• 3 tbs coconut nectar
• Optional: sesame seeds + toasted sesame oil

Instant Pot Steps

1. Add coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, coconut nectar, and orange juice to instant pot. Stir until well combined.
2. Add chicken breasts. Stir, cover, seal, and then pressure cook on high for 11 min (if using larger chicken breasts, or 8+ chicken breasts, increase the cooking time to 15-16 min)
3. Natural release after 10-15 min and remove cooked chicken
4. Optional: Reduce down sauce until thickened, using the saute function on your instant pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to low, simmer uncovered until thickened, stirring occasionally. It takes a while but thickens your sauce the natural way without any need for added starches (like arrowroot or cornstarch). Then it’s ready to spoon over chicken, rice, and veggies. Store separately from chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil for extra flavor.

Slow Cooker Steps

1. Add coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, coconut nectar, and orange juice to slow cooker. Stir until well combined.
2. Cover and cook on low for 3-3.5 hours.
3. Remove cooked chicken
4. Optional: Transfer remaining liquid to a hot pan, bring to a boil, and then turn down and simmer on low until reduced and thickened to a saucy consistency. Then it’s ready to spoon over chicken, rice, and veggies. Store separately from chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with a little toasted sesame oil for extra flavor.

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Swaps for Healthy Living Without Obsessing

For the plain chicken:

• You can swap chicken broth for vegetable stock/broth or even turkey stock/broth, you can also choose to just cook it in water – but it will be most flavorful in some sort of broth or stock. Bone broth works great too!

For the golden spice + coconut chicken:

• Try using a curry paste stirred into the coconut milk instead of the spice mixture
• You can use light coconut milk instead of full fat if you prefer
• You can use honey, date syrup, or agave in place of coconut nectar. You can even use coconut sugar – just make sure to stir it into the hot liquid until dissolved. I wouldn’t use maple syrup since it’ll have a stronger taste

For the soy-free teriyaki chicken:

• Tamari can be substituted for coconut aminos (also a gluten-free option)
• Regular soy sauce can be substituted for coconut aminos if you do not have any sensitivity to soy or gluten
• You can swap pineapple juice for orange juice
• You can use ground ginger and garlic powder in place of fresh ginger and fresh garlic, just use a light sprinkle of each since dried spices are often more concentrated than fresh ingredients
• Same sweetener swaps apply for this as for the golden spice + coconut chicken! 

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