The longest experiment of all times: Instant Pot Chicken. How long to pressure cook a whole chicken, chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings AND chicken breasts. Iβve got chicken coming out of my ears now!
First the bad news. Um, Iβm never eating chicken again in my life I think. Ew! Iβm also never eating rice again after my Instant Pot Rice post. Only veggies for me the rest of the month please!
The good news: you donβt have to get to that point because I got you all the numbers with my experiments ;)
Here is your Instant Pot Chicken Encyclopedia!
Before I start. This is all for thawed (NOT FROZEN) chicken and chicken parts. AND itβs all cooked on the trivet with water at the bottom, not touching the chicken. You can add whatever seasoning or sauce you want. Or you can cook it on top of rice or beans or whatever else cooks in the same amount of time. This is simply the minimum times you need to have the chicken or chicken parts IN there.
Now letβs get to the details. Shall we?
Warning: this is a VERY long post talking about my experiments and results. If youβre in a rush, you can justΒ Jump to Recipe and there I list just the results.
Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot
So the interweb research said 25 minutes pretty much for any size chicken. Some tested a 3lbs chicken, some tested a 4 lbs chicken, nobody tested both or more at several different times.
I wanted to find the magic formula for consistent results because not all my chickens are always the same size, right?
SOOOO, I cooked 3lbs (1300 g) chickens at 18 minutes, 23 minutes and 25 minutes. In all three experiments, the internal temperature made it to 165F so a small chicken basically CAN βin theoryβ be cooked for 18 minutes only. HOWEVER, the thighs and drumsticks were not nice and tender and rather weird in texture. Plus, there were just a little bit not so clear juices but lightly pinkish (temp was fine though, inserted into both thighs and breasts, so safe).
23 minutes was perfect and 25 minutes was great. No major difference to be honest so Iβd say 23 minutes is the magic number for a small chicken 3 lbs and under.
The big chickens 4lbs 7oz (2000g) I tested at 22 and 25 minutes. 22 minutes just barely got to 165F (4 minutes into resting period) but same as for the small chicken after 18 minutes, the texture wasnβt really that perfect. The one cooked for 25 minutes was absolute perfection.
Conclusion and magic formula for Instant Pot Whole Chicken:
20 minutes + 1 minute per lbs on High Pressure + Natural Pressure Release
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Holy cow β or maybe I should say holy chicken β this was the one that gave me the biggest headache. So first I tested three 10-oz (280g) breasts at 4 minutes, 5 minutes and 6 minutes. After 4 and 5 minutes, it didnβt make it to 165F in the resting period but the 6 minutes one was at 155F after opening and within 4 minutes resting time made it to 165F internal temperature.
My conclusion then was approx. 2 minutes per 3.5 oz (100g), right? WRONG! If you cook a 3.5 oz (100g) tiny chicken breast for 2 minutes itβs totally overcooked (like 200F kinda overcooked). Also, Iβve cooked two same weight but different thickness breasts at the same time but they had different internal temperatures after cooking.
Naturally, the next experiment was the thickness. A 1.2-inch thick (3 cm) breast cooked to 165F in 4 minutes.
My conclusion then was 50 seconds for every 1/4 inch OR 1 minute for every 3/4cm, right? WRONG! Because a 1/2-inch chicken escalope was completely overcooked after 2 minutes (like 200F kinda overcooked).
By now Iβm about to give up, right? Only, Iβve already tested 1/2-inch chicken escalopes and tiny chicken breasts, medium sized 1-inch thick 7-oz (2.5cm/200g) chicken breasts and large 1.5-inch thick 10 oz (4cm/280g) breasts and I know at what times they properly cook through without completely overcooking.
It doesnβt make much sense to me (I feel like I need a math PhD to understand it) BUT Iβve got a table for you and we can all just not care about the formula, I would probably have to include surface and distance to heat source and all kinds of complicated things nobody would want to calculate each time they made a breast anyway, so here is a handy bullet list instead:
Conclusion and table for Instant Pot Chicken Breast:
- Breasts or escalope or cubed chicken UNDER 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) = 0 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes Natural Pressure Release (about 3.5oz / 100g breasts)
- Breasts OVER 1/2 inch (1.3cm) but UNDER 1.2 inches (3cm) = 4 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes Natural Pressure Release (about 7oz / 200g breasts)
- Breasts OVER 1.2 inches (3cm) but UNDER 1.5 inches (4 cm) = 6 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes Natural Pressure Release (about 10oz / 280g breasts)
Now, before we jump to the next category, Iβve got to confess one thing. I didnβt like the texture of any of the pressure cooked chicken breasts. My favorite method to cook chicken breasts is and will always be pan-fried. It gives the juiciest and softest breasts of all.
HOWEVER, for mixed things like Instant Pot Chicken and Rice itβs awesome!! To choose which rice you want to cook with which piece of chicken check out this Instant Pot Rice guide. OR cook it in a ton of delicious sauce such as in this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken recipe and itβll taste absolutely amazing!
Instant Pot Chicken Leg
The whole leg or just thighs and drumsticks are a lot easier to cook. AND, they taste amazing pressure cooked. Not like the breasts. They become super tender and delicious!
There is a much higher margin for success. Where breasts shouldnβt be overcooked or they become mega dry, all the bone-in parts are way more forgiving and actually benefit from overcooking because the longer they cook the softer they get and the easier they are to pull apart from the bone. Of course, there is an upper time-limit but itβs REALLY high.
So the least amount of time whole legs seem to need (independent of size) to get to the safe 165F is 18 minutes but itβs hard to remove the meat from the bone after such a short time. The longer you cook it the more tender it becomes and more fall-off-the bone. Iβve cooked it at 22 and even 30 minutes and at around the 22-minute mark it becomes really tender and still at 30 minutes they were great. So Iβd say 22 minutes is great if youβre cooking them alone but you can go all the way to 30 minutes if youβre cooking them with whole sweet potatoes that need that long or wild rice for example.
Conclusion for Instant Pot Chicken Leg:
22-30 minutes High Pressure + 5 or more minutes Natural Pressure Release
Instant Pot Chicken Thighs & Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
I havenβt tested cooking them to 30 minutes but βin theoryβ they should be just fine because if the whole leg is fine up to that time the individual parts should be, too.
My goal testing was finding the minimum time, clearly. Chicken thighs at 10 minutes high pressure + 5 minutes natural pressure release got me the 165 F but with slightly pink fluid and very hard to remove from the bone. Extremely weird texture.
At 15 minutes high pressure they become extremely tender and fall-off the bone. I myself have cooked them for up to 22 minutes and full natural pressure release and they were still divine. Super soft and juicy.
For drumsticks, I noticed that 15 minutes seems to be the absolute minimum for starting to soften down. Anything under may make it to safe temp but not fall-off the bone. I myself have cooked to up to 22 minutes and just like the thighs they were divine. Super soft and juicy.
Conclusion for Instant Pot Chicken Thighs and Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks:
15-30 minutes High Pressure + 5 or more minutes Natural Pressure Release
Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Almost all recipes I found online all suggested 5 minutes HP + different times natural pressure release. The 5 minutes did get them to the safe 165F after the resting period BUT they were far from fall-off the bone.
Just like for the whole legs or just thighs and drumsticks longer cooking equals more tender and fall-off the bone meat.
Chicken breasts and bone-in dark chicken really cook completely different.
Anyhow, after a 10-minute high pressure cooking time + 5 minutes or more natural pressure release I noticed they become nice and tender. The wings of the big whole chicken that cooked for 25 minutes had perfect wings, too. So I guess 25 minutes is still fine.
Conclusion for Instant Pot Chicken Wings:
10-25 minutes High Pressure + 5 or more minutes Natural Pressure Release
Leave Skin On Or Remove When Making Instant Pot Chicken?
Iβm a big advocate of always leaving the skin on, at least if youβre cooking only the chicken. If youβre cooking it on top of rice for example, the dripping fat WILL mix into the rice. Youβll have to decide if youβre ok with that depending on how fatty your other meals were during the day.
When youβre cooking only chicken on the rack with water in the bottom, the fat will drip into the water but the skin will keep the meat moist.
Now, be aware that the skin will NOT crisp up when cooked in the instant pot. It will be rubbery and yucky. You have two options after your chicken is cooked through. Either remove the skin and discard OR put under the broiler for a couple minutes for it to crips up.
Quick Pressure Release vs Partly or Full Natural Pressure Release for Instant Pot Chicken
Always let the pressure release naturally for at least a couple of minutes or you risk of all the steam evaporating really quickly and drying out the chicken.
Safe Chicken Temperature and Resting Period
The internal temperature for safe consumption of chicken (yes, all parts of it) is 165F.
This does not mean that the chicken has to be at 165F right after opening the lid of the pressure cooker. For chicken breasts always aim for rather 155F. Within 4-5 minutes the temperature will rise to 165F. If you aim for 165F right after opening the lid, youβr chicken will overcook during resting time.
ALWAYS, let chicken rest at least 10 minutes after cooking before cutting into it. If you cut into it right away all its juices run out and youβre left with extremely dry meat.
Chicken parts with bones in them are safe to eat at 165F but not tender. Always aim for rather 185F or more for those parts to get to fall-off-the-bone consistency.
Instant Pot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 chicken leg
- 1 chicken thigh
- 1 chicken drumstick
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 chicken wing
Instructions
- Add trivet into instant pot, add 1 cup water, add whole chicken or 1-2 chicken legs (in one layer), 2-4 chicken thighs (in one layer), 2-6 chicken drumsticks (in one layer), 1-4 chicken breasts (in one layer), 2-12 chicken wings in one layer.
- Here are minimum and maximum times for juicy, tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken parts, for more information read through the blog post:WHOLE CHICKEN:Β 20 MINUTES + 1 MINUTE PER LBSΒ HIGH PRESSUREΒ +Β FULL NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE.CHICKEN LEGS:Β 22-30 MINUTES HIGH PRESSUREΒ +Β 5 MINUTES OR MOREΒ NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASECHICKEN THIGHS:Β 15-30 MINUTES HIGH PRESSUREΒ +Β 5 MINUTES OR MOREΒ NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASECHICKEN DRUMSTICKS:Β 15-30 MINUTES HIGH PRESSUREΒ +Β 5 MINUTES OR MOREΒ NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASECHICKEN BREAST:Β UNDER 1/2 inch THICK =Β 0 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes NPROVER 1/2 inch but UNDER 1.2 inches THICK =Β 4 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes NPROVER 1.2 inches but UNDER 1.5 inches THICK =Β 6 minutes High Pressure + 5 minutes NPRCHICKEN WINGS:Β 10-25 MINUTESΒ +Β 5 MINUTES OR MOREΒ NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE
Nutrition
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Maria L. D. says
Canβt say anything less than THANK YOU for taking the time to test the cooking time and to share this knowledge. All the time that you invested doing the testing and writing the conclusion to share is very helpful to all of us. Thank you again.
Lorena says
Thank YOU Maria for taking the time to come back, comment and rate my post. I really, really appreciate it!
Susan says
This is so helpful! Iβm wondering how I would do bone in chicken breasts?
THank you.
Carol says
Thank you Lorena for doing all the hard work. Can you mix breasts and leg quarters and cook together? If so how do you figure the time?
Lorena says
Hi Carol, I havenβt tried mixing and I think I wouldnβt mix. In case of a whole chicken you have a lot of skin on the breasts so they donβt dry out as much while waiting for the rest to cook through but breasts alone will dry out much faster while the leg quarters wouldnβt be cooked through properly.
John says
I get what you are saying about the breasts drying out (and I havenβt tried this) but could you wrap the breasts in food safe clingfilm?
Lorena says
Hey John, Iβm not sure that would make a difference. The problem is that there is no searing process as is when pan frying so the liquid simply flows out of the center of the breast instead of being sealed in. If you wrap it that wonβt change. The liquid will simply not wander too far away from the breast but still out of the breast. But thatβs all just theory. I might be totally wrong and it works wonderfully. If you try, definitely let me know.
Ava says
25 mins on high pressures quick release and I usually forget for a few mins. Falls off the bone, fully cooked.
ThrivingWithEssentials says
Very, very helpful! I made your Chicken and Rice recipe and my husband ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. (he NEVER eats the same thing two days in a row!) He said βthis is a keeperβ¦seriously, I want you to make sure you remember this one.β
Thank you!
Lorena says
OMG! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know. What a wonderful compliment!!
Jessi says
Thank you! This is exactly what I wanted!!
Lorena says
Iβm so happy you found it useful Jessi!!
Shirley says
Wish I could stuff the chicken but it cooks to fast, it wouldnβt have Time to cook the dressing. Is there a good dressing I can pressure cook
Lorena says
You can always add spices like cajun, or just salt, pepper and paprika or salt, pepper and oregano. Other than that you can always make a sauce while the chicken is cooking. This one is my absolute FAVORITE: https://wellnessinsightsdaily.org/out-of-this-world-tahini-herb-sauce/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Naomi says
What if your (whole) chicken is partially frozen? All the βfreshβ whole chickens were partially frozen on the back today
Lorena says
Hey Naomi,
I recommend leaving it in the fridge until it defrosts because frozen chicken gets super dry in my opinion. If thatβs not an option Maybe just add a couple extra minutes just in case but in theory it shouldnβt take longer to cook, just longer for the pot to get to pressure.
Jennifer says
Ive cooked a whole frozen chicken before. As long as you have good liquid in there, it will be fine. I take it out and put it under the broiler afterwards to crisp up. The only difference is that it takes longer to come to pressure
Lorena says
thanks for the info Jennifer!!
Carla says
Are there any adjustments you would suggest for boneless/skinless thighs? Thanks!
Lorena says
Hi Carla, I havenβt tried them in the IP yet. Iβm sure they cook faster but probably are just fine at the 15-ish minute mark.
Mel says
I am new to this method of cooking. Your breakdown is very interesting. Iβm sure it will be helpful. I find the comments to your posting to be very informative as well.
Lorena says
Iβm glad you find it useful Mel :)
Jean says
Thank you for this β¦ as I am new to IP cooking. I was wondering how you pan fry your chicken breasts as I agree about the texture after cooking some already.
Lorena says
My favorite way is to use a heavy bottomed pan and heat it over medium heat for a looong time so itβs really super mega hot (but important, medium high, otherwise chicken will immediately burn), then once itβs hot, add a little bit of high smoke point oil and add chicken breast (1 or 2 works fine, more is trickier because the pan gets cold too fast). Sear 1 minute on one side, 1 minute on the other, then add tight sitting lid and reduce heat to low immediately. Set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove pan from heat WITHOUT OPENING LID, NO PEEKING!! And set timer for 10 minutes again. Then open the lid and remove breast. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into the juiciest and yummiest chicken breasts ever :D
Faith says
Thanks for this post. I will definitely try it
Lorena says
Iβm so happy itβs useful for you Faith :)
Jim.S says
That sounds pretty easy !
Thanks, Jim / Muskego Wisc
Lorena says
Iβm so happy you find it useful Jim :)
Dixie says
Thank you for doing all this work and then sharing your results!
Paul Raia says
Thank you for the time and effort you put into your experiment. I use my IP to make bone in, skin on breasts and thighs to supplement my dogs dry kibble when feeding. Using 6 minutes per pound as a guide Iβve had success with both cuts. Adding a cup of water and piling all thighs or breasts on the trivet has worked for me. I buy a family size package of either one and calculate times by weight on the package. After cooling I divide it up and use sandwich bags to freeze all but one that I refrigerate. I will share your guide for future use, thanks again
Lorena says
Wonderful Paul!! Iβm happy to know that stacking seems to work, too. Thank you for sharing that info. Definitely have to test that once Iβm over my aversion to chicken, haha
Lori says
How can you cook 0 min at high pressure?
Vince says
I had the same question and found my answer here:
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-tips/
Now it makes sense. Good Luck!
Lorena says
Thank you Vince for posting. Correct. Lori, you just press βmanualβ (or βpressure cookβ on newer modelsβ) and set for 0 minutes. The pot comes to pressure and then immediately shuts off. The time to come to pressure + 5 minutes pressure release keep the thin chicken long enough in enough heat to cook through :)
Sandra says
This is how I cook a whole chicken now (about 3 pounds). Brown and put in IP without the trivet. Quarter an onion (skins and all) horizontally slice a whole head of garlic and rough cut some celery. Put in bottom of pot and add the whole chicken. Cover with water to maximum fill line β donβt worry if an inch or so of chicken sticks over the water. Set to high pressure β000β and NPR for 20 minutes. You will be left with amazing chicken to BBQ under the broiler, use for quick recipes or whatever. Strain the stock (this is better than anything you can buy and defat it the next day for soups, etc.) β you will need a large container.
Lorena says
Wait, you cook on high pressure for 0 minutes and then pressure release 20 and thatβs enough for a WHOLE chicken?? If I wasnβt so grossed out with chicken I would totally give this a try immediately. Impressed!
Julia says
Itβs because it takes so long to reach pressure that the chicken is cooked by the heat and building pressure of it actually trying to reach its final pressure. I did this accidentally one time and the chicken was amazing, as was the stock!
Sherron says
I am just learning about my Instant Pot and I love this breakdown. I have done leg of lamb which was very good, mussels β delicious, and beef bone broth. Your post is going to help so much!
Lorena says
Iβm so glad you found it useful Sherron :)
Sherron says
Thank you so much for this. I am just learning about my Instant Pot and I love this breakdown. I have done leg of lamb which was very good, mussels β delicious, and beef bone broth. Your post is going to help so much!
Trieneke says
I make dogfood with a 10 lbs. bag of skinned chicken leg quarters β how much water should I add and how long do I pressure cook it in my 8 quart Instant pot?
Lorena says
The water is the same for 1 or 10 legs because the chicken isnβt in the water but on the trivet. The water is at the bottom not touching the chicken and the times βshouldβ also be the same for 1 or 10 legs.