By now you all know probably one of the BEST kitchen appliances I have ever purchased was my Electric Pressure Cooker. This thing truly is revolutionary and a God send for me. No you don’t understand just how much I respect this thing. I am one that honestly has truly limited free time so while I cook every day I still have other stuff to do. Plus I’m human, even I need some down time. That’s where this Electric Pressure Cooker truly comes into play.
I get up at 3:30 am M-F (5:30am on the weekends) just because, well I do. I don’t sleep a lot so you’d think I’d have more time than most but unfortunately I don’t. I’m constantly on the go between my day job, TKW (Thank you as it’s because of you that I’m so busy with that!), normal daily stuff, working out and trying to have some type of quality time with Mr. Fantabulous. So on those days when I get home from work only to realize that I forgot to take stuff out for dinner or I’ve changed my mind on what we’re having, I reach for my Electric Pressure Cooker.
Mr. Fantabulous was in the mood for chicken and we were short on time. Since I knew I could rock wings in this Electric Pressure Cooker, why not see what whole chicken breasts could do, right? As I was figuring out how to make this, seasonings and so forth a comment my best friend Vanessa said to me popped back into my head. She said “Lor, you should do a series on leftovers and how you can turn them into something new. I have a hard time with that and I’m sure your TKW Family does as well.”
Okay seriously this girl is amazing. I love how she gives me suggestions and ideas like this. So on a side note, I’m working on that series in an upcoming post.
So as I was prepping this, which literally includes putting the meat in the pressure cooker, spices and some type of liquid. As I thought about it I realized that if I kept the seasonings pretty standard that I could also use the liquid as stock. Now feel free to add in whatever spices you want – I’ve added in chipotle powder, garlic and onion powder, oregano and so forth. Really the skies the limit on this. And if you wanted you can even use the BBQ sauce from my pressure cooker Bourbon Honey BBQ wings in this!
In just 10 minutes I had 4 huge chicken breasts that were just incredibly moist and juicy with such amazing concentrated flavors. One of them I shredded with 2 forks and my word it shredded beautifully! I’m talking it just fell apart practically! The other 3 I let cool to room temperature. Once cooled I cubed one for a killer avocado chicken salad with toasted pecans, cranberries, red onions and greek yogurt (cause lord knows I loathe mayo!). The third one I sliced up, made a quick pan gravy with some of the stock and smothered the chicken slices with that alongside some creamy mashed potatoes. The last one I tossed in some bbq sauce, caramelized some onions, fried up some bacon and placed it on some pizza dough with sharp cheddar and chives. WOW amazing! So literally right there… 4 different dishes out of a single recipe AND I haven’t even touched the stock yet! Pretty friggen awesome, huh?
Now if you’ve ever made poached chicken breasts the traditional way it’s not exactly the fastest. First you have to bring the ingredients just to a simmer over medium-high heat where bubbles start forming around the edge of the pot. Next you have to reduce the heat to medium-low to keep temperature constant, about 170 to 180 degrees which is a pain in the butt. THEN you have to cook it for another 15-20 minutes. And then maybe it’s done. But the flavor, yeah no… I’ve made it that way and it’s just not the same. I will never poach chicken that way ever again.
Ever!
In this recipe you can see I used boneless, skinless breasts. In any rich chicken stock you want to use bone-in chicken and or the entire chicken. One of the best benefits about using a pressure cooker to make stock at is that it speeds the process up quite a bit, and helps seal in flavor that otherwise boils off into the air as the stock simmers and steam. A very basic chicken stock is a pretty simple thing to make. It’s made with water, chicken, aromatic vegetables like onion, carrot, and garlic, and then herbs. There really is no right or wrong way when it comes to what you add to the stock herb-wise; it truly is a personal preference. For a full-bodied, richer stock toss in some bones, even leftover chicken carcasses with help boost up the flavor profile of the stock.
I’d say the biggest thing to learn about using this pressure cooker is realizing that it is not a simple plug in and insta-pressure. It has to build up the pressure first. So sure to cook under pressure the recipe takes 10 minutes but it also takes about 10 minutes to build up the pressure first. While it’s heating up and building pressure the unit is locked to prevent you from getting injured. Trust me, hot steam to the face or skin is not fun at all.
Now let’s talk the benefits of pressure cooking this. Study after study has shown that the longer you cook food and the more liquid you use the more nutrients you lose. Water-soluble vitamins and minerals are simply cooked out and washed away. Pressure cooking helps retain the quality of the foods you cook with by preparing them quickly and with very little water. Meats stay juicy and moist. By cooking with superheated steam natural flavors are often intensified.
The best way to destroy vitamins is to cook your food in an open pot of boiling water. Yeah doesn’t sound so awesome boiling chicken now does it? To retain the most nutrients possible, most experts recommend that you use as little water as possible and cook foods rapidly because many vitamins are sensitive to water, heat and air exposure (vitamin C, the B vitamins and folate in particular) and water used for cooking can dissolve and wash away water soluble vitamins, while the heat deteriorates them.
The longer the cooking time and the higher the temperature, the worse it becomes. It is best to choose the cooking method that most optimizes and preserves the nutrients in food. In a study published by Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers investigated effects of various means of cooking broccoli. Up to 97 percent of certain antioxidant compounds were destroyed by microwaving, while steaming the broccoli caused only 11 percent loss. Therefore, any cooking that minimizes the time, temperature, and water will help to preserve nutrients. Pressure cooking under steam is one of the methods best because it minimizes time and requires little water.
All in all, this recipe is incredible and you will never think of poached chicken as boring ever again. It’s honestly one of the best ways I’ve ever made chicken and the only way from now on I will poach it. The flavors are just incredible. So if you don’t have an Electric Pressure Cooker I strongly urge you to save up, put it on your wish list or whatever to invest in one. This one is the best one for me and I have zero issues or complaints with it. I LOVE it!
PrintPressure Cooker Perfectly Poached Chicken Breasts
Find more fantabulous recipes, tips and tricks at www.thekitchenwhisperer.net. Also, join our TKW Family on Facebook
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 large breasts), thawed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion (leave the skin on), rough chopped
- 2 whole cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 4 tablespoon rough chopped parsley
Instructions
- In an Electric Pressure Cooker add all of the ingredients.
- Lock the lid and set the pressure to high for 10 minutes.
- As soon as the pressure cooker timer goes off, do a quick release.
- Once the pressure is released, remove the lid and pulled out the poached chicken breasts.
- Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the stock.
- Allow the stock to cool and remove the fat.
- Save the stock for another use by either storing in the fridge or placing the freezer.
- This chicken can be used a bajillion ways now – salads, sandwiches, pizza toppings, anything.
Notes
I can’t say enough amazing things about this pressure cooker! Electric Pressure Cooker
Suggestions on Spice Mixtures to add:
3/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, plus the parsley, pepper and salt.
If you want the chicken to have more of a chicken soup taste go with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder, plus the salt/pepper and parsley.
Looking for more Pressure Cooker Recipes?
AMAZING Bourbon Honey BBQ Pressure Cooker Wings
St. Louis Ribs with Whiskey BBQ Sauce
Fantabulous Pressure Cooker Pork Ragu
Lu says
I have an 8 quart instant pot and I put 4 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast in with 4 cups of chicken broth and plus the onions and spices. It took 23 minutes to build up pressure before it started counting 10 minutes of cooking. I did the quick release and took the chicken out and cut into one of them and it is very disappointing because it is not moist at all. 😩. Since it took so long to build up pressure I’m wondering if I do it again to end the cooking cycle as soon as it builds up the pressure?
TKWAdmin says
Lu,
I see you used way more chicken than what I have in the recipe. Was your chicken frozen? Depending on your pressure cooker and the temp of your ingredients it will take time to build up pressure; that’s simple laws of physics.
I’ve only ever made the chicken this way and it turns out perfect every time. I personally would not recommend shutting off the cooking cycle once pressure builds as I would think the chicken wouldn’t cook.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Zach says
What changes do you recommend if the chicken is frozen?
TKWAdmin says
Hi Zach,
If they are large increase the time by 5-7 minutes. Regular (like individually quick frozen you buy in a pack add 3-5 minutes).
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Chris says
Don’t use so much liquid. The more liquid, the longer it will take to get up to pressure. Try 1 cup liquid or less. It’s the steam doing the cooking, not like a submerged boil, so you can also use a raised rack inside the cooker.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Chris,
Pressure cookers require at least 1 cup of liquid otherwise you run the risk of it smoking or, depending on the model, having it shut off and flash the ‘BURN’ display. But you’re spot on about if you use too much liquid you’re boiling the item versus pressure steam cooking them. Great comment!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Chris says
I have an 8 quart Fagor stovetop model, they go with 1/2 cup liquid for cook times of 10 minutes or less, then 2 cups for times greater than 15 minutes. Definitely check your manual for your cooker, though. 3 pounds of chicken pieces they chart at 10 minutes, a whole bird of that size 12-18 minutes.
TKWAdmin says
I’ll be honest Chris – every pressure cooker that I’ve used; every book I’ve read (including the manuals) all recommend at least 1 cup of liquid. However I could see the logical reasoning behind if <10 minutes.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Bojangles says
No matter the amount of liquid, my understanding is that it doesn’t ever come to a boil when using a pressure cooker. It will obviously take longer to come up to pressure though. Only when using a quick release will the liquid inside come to a boil. 10 minutes is just too long for boneless chicken breasts and they will be dry
TKWAdmin says
I’ve been pressure cooking my chicken breasts like this for years and they’ve never been dry. Now if you’re using say pounded thin cutlets or the like sure it would take less time but these are from the butcher full sized boneless breasts.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Kelli says
What do u mean by leave skin on the onion and rough chop? By skin do u mean even the outer peeling? Never heard of this. Newbie to pressure cooker. Trying chicken now. Thx!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Kelli!
Yes the actual outer peel. Wash it first, naturally, but leave that peel on. That peel will actually help flavor the chicken. Think of it when you make homemade stock. You should always leave it on as that’s how you get an amazing depth of flavor as well as color.
You got this! Just be careful when you release the pressure – I actually use tongs to help release it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Sarah says
Your music is terrible
TKWAdmin says
Huh? What music? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Ashley says
Hi!
I just found this recipe and was wondering about tips using the old style PC, (by which I mean the 4 quart pot on the stove), for this recipe? I’ve never seen an electric PC but I’ll definitely be shopping on eBay this evening for one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Ashley!
So if I understand correctly your PC is heated by gas, right? No worries, as long as you control the heat to high pressure for about 9 minutes and then running it under cold water. However I’m really not familiar enough with the old fashioned ones where they don’t have a pressure gauge like the newer ones. I have a stove top one (http://amzn.to/2rKgSy1) but that one has new where I don’t have to measure PSI. It has a digitial read that shows me where to set the heat (flame).
As for the electric ones, the InstantPot is the way to go. http://amzn.to/2rbizHK is the 6qrt one that is about $99 but keep watching as I’ve seen them as low as $79.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Elizabeth says
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! Sounds like the perfect way to poach Chicken Breasts, which I’ll be doing later today 🙂 This might be a silly question, but after reading over the ingredients one more time, I’m wondering if you used 2 whole heads of Garlic, or just 2 individual Cloves, roughly chopped.
TKWAdmin says
Hi Elizabeth 🙂
It’s 2 cloves (individual cloves). And it’s not a silly question 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Elizabeth says
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly!! I was just about to toss in 2 whole heads of garlic :O lol I do love garlic, but that might have been a bit much 🙂
Connor says
For some reason the first time I made these they were AMAZING. Great taste and not dry at all.
I’ve made it twice since and they’ve been extremely dry which is really disappointing. Any idea on what kind of mistakes I might be making that could leave them dry? I haven’t done a lot of experimenting but thought you might be able to save me the trouble!
Thanks in advance,
Connor
Connor says
Oh no! I meant to mark 5 stars idk what went wrong!
SandyToes says
Hi Lori,
Let the gushing flattery commence! I just had to drop a note to let you know that these chicken breasts are now the ONLY chicken I use in chicken stir fry. I used to get inconsistent results, great one time, overdone the next, but no more. You know how that goes.
After letting one of these breasts mostly or completely thaw, they slice up beautifully (you knew that) and remain moist and tender. Every. Single. Time. I toss them in at the end, with the sauce, giving them just enough time to warm through. It’s meant the end of overcooked, dried out chicken. It also means that stir fry is even faster and so much more convenient. I mean, seriously convenient. Chop a few veggies, grab whatever sauce is in my fridge, and cook. Less than 15 minutes later, dinner is on the table.
Even if this was the only thing I used them for (it’s not!), the superior results would make it worth poaching them in advance. We love using them for salads, shredded and tossed with bbq or tomatillo sauce for pulled chicken and chicken tacos, and of course they’re lovely smothered in a pan sauce or gravy. Even with all those wonderful things, the most transformative was how they behave in a stir fry. I can’t thank you enough for bringing this chicken and a lot more stir fry into my life.
TKWAdmin says
Oh Ms. SandyToes how I just wanna hug you right now 🙂 I’m beyond thrilled that you love these as much as I do. I cook this chicken every single Sunday for my weekly meal preps. It’s so truly versatile and like you showed above you can use pretty much in anything! So let me ask you – what other types of pressure cooker recipes would you like to see? Most of my entree recipes I can convert to a pressure cooker just so you know 🙂
Thanks again dear for being so gracious and with such kind words!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
SandyToes says
Hi Lori,
There are 1783 recipes (that’s my guess, anyway) recipes for cooking tough meats, and we all know them.
I would love to see more like this, innovative things that no one else is doing. Everyone knows pressure cooking is the death of boneless chicken breasts! Not any more, thanks to you. If you’ve got a way to pressure cook boneless chops that makes them tender I’d be beyond thrilled.
By the way, I’ve shared this poached chicken recipe with my pals at Chowhound. We’ve got a pretty active bunch of pressure cooking cooks over there. Several of them have tried it with excellent results.
TKWAdmin says
Oh that’s awesome, thank you so much!!! Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll make sure to add more recipes like this one!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Nancy says
Oh! I am SO sorry! I just read back through the entire post again, picture by picture. I see you DID mention other spices you added…somehow I missed that the first time through. My apologies…and I won’t be applying anywhere for a job as proofreader anytime soon.
TKWAdmin says
OMGosh please, no need to ever apologize 🙂 What I’ll do is update the recipe to say “there are some spice mixtures I used”. And omg please I’m HORRIBLE at proof reading!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Nancy says
These look amazing…trying them tomorrow. Call me crazy, but the beautiful photo of the finished breast looks to me like there is more than just parsley used as seasoning. Do you have a special spice mix you use? Or could you have added additional herbs/spices other than what is in the recipe? Love your site, love your recipes! Thanks!
TKWAdmin says
Hi Nancy 🙂
Yes you’re correct, it has more spices. For me I kept it pretty simple – 3/4 tsp chipotle powder, 1 1/2 tsp garlic and 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp oregano, plus the parsley, pepper and salt. Honestly you can go with what ever spices you like. If you wanted the chicken to have more of a chicken soup taste go with 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp onion powder, plus the salt/pepper and parsley.
And thank you so very much for your kind words! I really, really appreciate it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!