Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (2024)

Chicken Fricassee

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (1)

Credit: Chicken Fricassee

These pressure cooker chicken recipes are complex in flavor but so simple in execution. The pressure cookerallows you to whip up quick meals, but through its flavor-concentrating powers, younever miss outonany subtlehint of spice, herbaceous freshness, or savory richness. Enjoy these heartyweeknight chicken dinners with half the hassle. No pressure.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken Adobo

Pressure-Cooker Chicken Adobo image

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (2)

Credit: Kelsey Hansen;Prop Styling: Audrey Davis;Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Pressure Cooker Chicken Adobo Recipe

Deliciously balanced with savory and sweet, chicken adobo is a great addition to anyone's collection of go-to comfort foods. This dish typically requires a lengthy period of simmering to build up the deep, rich signature flavor, but the pressure cooker helps you achieve the same level of flavorful satisfaction in a fraction of the time. Note, if you don't have fish sauce on hand, you can leave it out—but if you're going by the grocery store anyway, it's definitely worth investing in a bottle. Serve the adobo over rice for a vibrant andhearty entree.

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Pressure Cooker Brunswick Stew

Pressure Cooker Brunswick Stew image

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (3)

Credit: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Robin Bashinsky; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pressure Cooker Brunswick Stew Recipe

For our largely hands-off take on the classic comfort food, we create an intensely flavorful base by first pressure cooking a whole chicken on top of a combination of boxed tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and a handful of flavor power player ingredients. While using a whole bird definitely contributes to a slightly lengthier cook time (as compared to using already cut chicken), this cooking technique is a huge part of what makes the rich and delicious backbone of this stew, without adding additional chicken stock or water. With the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, and mustard, we hit the flavor notes of making this potluck staple with BBQ sauce (which is a commonly called for component of Brunswick Stew), but the result is infinitely tastier and more dynamic than what you’d get by dumping in a store-bought bottle. In addition to the lima beans and corn called for here, sliced okra would also make a great veggie addition. While hearty in terms of texture, this dish is balanced by an abundance of bright flavors we can’t get enough of.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken and Black Pepper Dumplings

Brunswick Stew; Photographer: Daniel Agee; Food Stylist: Robin Bashinsky; Prop Stylist: Audrey Davis

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (4)

Credit: Daniel Agee

Pressure Cooker Chicken and Black Pepper Dumplings Recipe

Just a touch of fresh lemon and tarragon add a subtle touch of sophistication to an otherwise classic and wholly comforting pot of chicken and dumplings. Done in just 30 minutes, this dish is perfect for any night of the week. While we went with a super simple drop biscuit for the dumplings, feel free to try using canned biscuit dough or your own favorite dumpling recipe here.

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Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho

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Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (5)

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Adam Dolge; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho Recipe

For pho, it's legitimately all about the intensely deliciousbroth. And thanks to the flavor-concentratingpower of thepressure cooker, we were able to make a robust and dynamic chickenbroth—using shallots, fresh ginger and cilantro, and a fewspices—in a matter of minutes. Thus, this restaurant favorite can now be a comforting, go-to weeknight dinner.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala image

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (6)

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Adam Dolge; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

This speedy take on chicken tikka masala is one of thosebig flavor, low effort meals you'll want to put on repeat week after week. In fact, this recipe exemplifies just about every reason we love the pressure cooker—it's efficient, it's easy to use, and it produces huge flavor in a matter of minutes. If you do a little bit of prepping ahead (say, cooking your rice and chopping aromatics the night before or in the morning), this rich and saucy supper can be on your dinner table in 10 minutes.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti

Pressure-Cooker Chicken Spaghetti image

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (7)

Credit: Kelsey Hansen;Prop Styling: Audrey Davis;Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Pressure Cooker Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

This comforting and delicious Chicken Spaghetti is satisfying meal the entire family can get behind, and can be made with just a quick (and inexpensive) stop by the grocery store on your way home. Thanks to the pressure cooker, thisrecipe yields the flavor of a rich, long-simmered sauce in only 25 minutes. While browning the chicken and onions does help build flavor, it's OK to skip this step. Just add about 5 minutes to your cook time and discard theskin before adding your chicken to the pressure cooker. This dish is also easily adapted for your Instant Pot, click HERE for detailed instructions.

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Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho

Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (8)

Credit: Victor Protasio

Pressure Cooker Chicken Pho Recipe

Andrea Nguyen, author of The Pho Cookbook (Ten Speed Press; $20) and several other groundbreaking books about Asian food, loves her 6-qt. fa*gor Duo pressure cooker ($67; amazon.com) to make pho, the national soup of Vietnam. "It's not too expensive, and it's easy to use--no jiggling valves or dials." That said, you can also make this recipe in a stockpot (see "Stockpot Pho," below); just allow more time. If you're serving more than four people, recruit some helpers to put together the bowls, assembly-line style, so the soup doesn't get cold.

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Mexican Chicken Stew

Mexican Chicken Stew image

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (9)

Mexican Chicken Stew Recipe

Ground guajillo chile powder is found in Mexican markets and adds a complexity to the stew thatregular chili powder cannot. Though it's more mild compared to other chile powders, guajillo chile powder is tangy, smoky, and rich.

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Asian Chicken Thighs

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Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (10)

Asian Chicken Thighs Recipe

Serve these saucy chicken thighs over cooked noodles with a side of steamed broccoli for a well-rounded meal. Finishing the chicken thighs in the broiler to ensure a crispy outside and juicy on the inside.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (11)

Credit: Lee Harrelson

It's hard to believe a soup with this much flavor simmers for only 20 minutes. And making the crisp tortilla strips for the topping is a great way to use up any extra corn tortillas you have on hand.

Recipe:Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee

Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (12)

Credit: Chicken Fricassee

Chicken Fricassee Recipe

Don't limit your pressure cooker to stewing tough cuts of beef, pork, or lamb: You can prepare elegant entrées, too, like this chicken with a rich sauce and vegetables. For the best textured vegetables in this dish, allow the carrots, onions, and mushrooms to come to pressure, and then immediately take them off heat and release pressure.

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Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken Recipes - MyRecipes (2024)

FAQs

Does cooking chicken in pressure cooker make it tender? ›

By placing cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker and placing the chicken in the steamer basket above the liquid, you are guaranteed tender, moist chicken every time. However, you can also use the cooker to make a sauce and cook your chicken submerged in flavour.

Can you overcook chicken in a Instapot? ›

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

How to make food in pressure cooker? ›

Cooking with a pressure cooker in 6 easy steps:
  1. Add food & liquid in the pot.
  2. Close lid, ensure valve is at the correct position.
  3. Select pressure setting. Electric pressure cookers: select cooking program and time. ...
  4. Wait for the pressure to build up inside the pot.
  5. Starts cooking under pressure. ...
  6. Release pressure.

Is it safe to pressure cook chicken? ›

Boneless chicken breasts and thighs cook in the same amount of time—just 10 minutes at high pressure will do it! Just be sure to arrange the meat in a single, even layer in the pot, as it cooks more evenly that way. It should reach about halfway up the chicken.

How long does it take to cook chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Cooking Time: A 3-4 lb chicken generally takes about 20-25 minutes on high pressure. Add an additional 5 minutes for every additional pound. Natural Release: Allow for 10-15 minutes of natural release before doing a quick release.

Why is my chicken tough after pressure cooking? ›

Maybe the pressure build-up inside wasn't enough for the chicken. Maybe you didn't really cook it long enough. Maybe you released the pressure too soon, without allowing it to cook completely. Maybe there's something wrong with your pressure cooker.

Does a pressure cooker dry out chicken? ›

Oddly enough, it can be really challenging to get the right texture when cooking boneless chicken breasts. They cook quickly in the Instant Pot, but if you don't cook them long enough they get a weird, rubber-like texture that's nearly impossible to chew, and if you cook them too long, their texture gets dry.

How does pressure cooker cook chicken so fast? ›

Water under 10 lbs of pressure can get as hot as 240 degrees. This is why pressure cooking is faster than simply boiling. Water and steam transfer heat better than air. That's why pressure cooking is faster than baking.

Does chicken get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

What Cannot be cooked in a pressure cooker? ›

Here are six things you should always avoid cooking in a pressure cooker.
  1. Dairy products. Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. ...
  2. Fried foods. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers. ...
  3. Quick cooking vegetables. ...
  4. Cakes and bakes. ...
  5. Eggs in the shell.
Jul 23, 2023

How much liquid do you need for pressure cooking? ›

Add Liquid

“Jiggle top” cookers need a minimum of one cup of water, while valve cookers need at least half a cup. Put food in the cooker first, then add water. When learning how to use a pressure cooker, make sure the unit is never more than two-thirds full of liquid, so the steam has enough space to accumulate.

Does KFC pressure cook their chicken? ›

Pressure frying: KFC uses pressure fryers to cook their chicken. Pressure frying allows for faster cooking times compared to traditional open fryers. The pressure helps to seal in moisture and cook the chicken evenly and quickly.

Why does KFC pressure cook their chicken? ›

Because it is fast and practical, it also saves labor. More tasty: When a piece of chicken is inserted in very hot oil in pressure fryer tank, it rapidly gets sealed making it difficult fort he juice inside the chicken to escape. Entrapping the chicken juice within while cooking adds to its taste.

Does pressure cooking make meat more tender? ›

Both slow cookers and pressure cookers do a good job of tenderizing tough meat, but each makes meat more edible in a different way.

Does pressure cooker make meat softer? ›

Pressure cooking, like slow cooking, will tenderize tough cuts of meat like beef brisket, beef chuck, pork shoulder and lots of other cheaper, tougher cuts. Pressure cooking (or slow cooking) is not the best approach for cooking expensive, tender steaks or rib roasts.

What cooking method makes chicken most tender? ›

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

Will pressure cooking cooked meat make it tender? ›

This technique also forces moisture into the food quickly. That's why things like meaty stews and curries are so perfect in a pressure cooker — all of the moisture makes for saucy, extra-tender, succulent results.

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