Instant Pot Chicken Breasts

How to cook deliciously seasoned, perfectly tender and juicy chicken breasts in the Instant Pot!

Ingredients

• 4 (about 6 ounces each) large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup pineapple juice, (you can also use low sodium chicken broth or water)

Instructions

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts; set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine Italian Seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and fresh ground pepper.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the seasonings and mix until thoroughly combined into a paste.
4. Rub the paste all over the chicken breasts.
5. Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.
6. Once olive oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides; about 2 minutes per side.
7. Remove chicken from the Instant Pot and set aside.
8. Add pineapple juice ( or chicken broth, or water) to the Instant Pot and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.
9. Place a trivet inside the Instant Pot and arrange the chicken breasts on the trivet in one single layer.
10. Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (this depends on your Instant Pot model), select HIGH pressure and set the timer to 5 minutes.
11. When the 5 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally for 8 minutes; then, release any remaining pressure. (For frozen chicken breasts, it will take longer for the pressure to build in the Instant Pot; about 15 minutes.)
12. Remove chicken from pot and let rest for 5 minutes.

FOR THE GRAVY (OPTIONAL)

1. After removing the chicken breasts and trivet from the Instant Pot, press the SAUTÉ button and bring the liquid to a boil.
2. Make a slurry with 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch; mix it up and add that to the pot; let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until thickened to a desired consistency.
3. Pour over chicken breasts and serve.