Learn how to cook chicken tenders in a pressure cooker, the quick and easy way! You'll love this easy method for cooking Instant Pot frozen chicken tenders to be used in other recipes like casseroles, chicken salads, sandwiches, and more. It's a Whole Lotta Yum!
Cooking Instant Pot frozen chicken tenderloins is so easy!
Honestly, when you're needing perfectly cooked shredded chicken for other types of recipes, tossing a frozen bag of tenderloins into the pot seriously can't be any easier.
Cooking easy moist chicken tenders from frozen are cheaper than cooking frozen breast meat or fresh tenderloins, they're uniform in size so easier to turn out perfectly in a pressure cooker, and they're great for meal prepping other recipes for the week like chicken salads, casseroles, soups, or freezing for future dinner ideas.
Ingredients you'll need
- 1 cup water or chicken broth - even apple juice would be great to add a touch of sweetness
- 2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders (we used Trader Joe’s frozen chicken tenderloin), any brand of frozen tenderloins are fine.
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- other optional seasoning ideas - chicken rub, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, lemon pepper, BBQ seasoning, McCormick's store bought seasoning.
Supplies
- An Instant Pot - ours is a 6 qt pot but an 8 qt will work as well.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Tenderloins
Step 1: Add 1 cup of liquid to the bottom of the pot.
Step 2: Add the frozen chicken tenders.
Step 3: Pressure cook the chicken on manual high for 6 minutes. Do a natural release for 5 minutes before removing the lid.
Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing or shredding them for recipes. Enjoy!
Recipe notes
- This recipe works best if you're cooking a bag of 2 lb-2 ½ lb individual frozen chicken tenders at one time. The cooking time will change if you're perhaps cooking just 4 chicken tenders or a block of frozen solid chicken tenderloins. If you have a block frozen solid, these also might take longer to cook than the recipe states.
- It's easy to change up the flavor of the chicken depending on how you're using them after cooking! Feel free to add Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or your favorite spice rub mix or change the cooking liquid.
Shredding cooked chicken
While you can definitely shred the chicken tenders with a fork or even something like these nifty meat claws, if you have either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, you can quickly and perfectly shred the chicken to use in recipes in under 30 seconds.
How to use this in recipes
- We love to shred the meat for Chicken Tacos, casseroles using precooked chicken, or for making Chicken Salad.
- You can also slice them for making our BBQ chicken bowls, chicken wraps, adding to pasta, or serving as a simple main dish with rice and salad.
- You can also use them for adding protein to soup.
Reader questions
The main reasons chicken gets chewy and tough in a pressure cooker is either by overcooking them, or forgetting to do a natural release of the pressure. You also want to let the chicken rest before using them so that the juices distribute throughout the meat, making them tender and juicy.
We always recommend having an inexpensive digital meat thermometer and cooking the chicken to 165 F. It's hard to know what the temp is at during pressure cooking, so check the temp after cooking and if they're overcooked, you'll know to cut down the cooking time for next time.
When all else fails, overcooked chicken is very forgiving if you're using it in other recipes like chicken salad or soup! Soaking the meat in chicken broth will also help to add moisture back to the meat.
Store leftovers for up to 5 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in a freezer bag. For longer freezing, you can use a Seal-a-Meal (we love ours so much!), this will help the meat last for 9-12 months.
More ways to cook chicken tenderloin
We have a TON of chicken tenderloin recipes on our website! They're easy, quick cooking, healthy, and cheap.
- How to cook chicken tenders - this covers lots of cooking methods
- In an Air fryer (healthy, no breading), or make air fryer BBQ tenders, low carb parmesan crusted, or with breadcrumbs (but no flour)
- Pan fried - our most popular tenderloin recipe! Or make them blackened in a skillet
- Healthy Baked (made without breading)
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
Frozen Chicken Tenders (Instant Pot Recipe)
Simple Instant Pot chicken tenders you can make from frozen. Use a large grocery store frozen bag (2-2.5 lbs) and make lots of chicken for shredding and other recipes like salads, wraps, casseroles, or soups.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water, chicken broth, pineapple juice, or apple juice
- 2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Place the chicken on top of the broth and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pot.
- Turn Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook (depending on model) and Pressure Cook the chicken for 6 minutes.
- After it's done cooking, do a Natural Release for 5 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure in the pot.
- Remove the chicken with tongs and use in your favorite recipe! This especially works well for shredding chicken for casseroles, salads, and soups.
Notes
- This recipe works best when you're cooking at least 1 ½ lb- 2 ½ lb of chicken tenders, if you're reducing the amount of chicken in the recipe, it would also reduce the cooking time.
- This recipe is meant for individually quick frozen chicken tenderloins, not a block of frozen chicken tenders.
- It's ok to substitute water or juice (like apple or pineapple) for the chicken broth and to skip the salt and pepper depending on what recipe you need the chicken tenders for.
- Other seasoning ideas include lemon pepper, chicken rub, BBQ seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco mix, or McCormick's seasonings.
- Cooked chicken tenders can easily be shredded for recipes by using two forks, meat claws, or shredding them in a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- If the chicken isn't done after pressure cooking, just pressure cook it for 1+ more minute. It'll come back to pressure very fast!
- If you overcook the chicken, shredded meat is very forgiving in recipes with sauces, mayo for salads, or liquids like soups.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 139Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 21mgSodium 572mgCarbohydrates 1gNet Carbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 9g
Shani Maybruck says
Can you cook already breaded frozen chicken tenders in a Instapot?
WholeLottaYum says
Hi Shani, this recipe is just for raw chicken tenders. I wouldn't cook precooked breaded frozen tenders in an instant pot. They'll be very soft and mushy. I'd bake them or air fry them. Jen
Danielle Witzigman says
Tip for 8 quart Instant pot. Did 2 cups of the chicken broth, eight chicken tenderloins 1/2 inch thick seasoned with lemon pepper from frozen, cooked on high for six minutes, did natural release for 15 minutes turned out perfect
Mike says
I did 4 tenderloins and they were over cooked. Their temperature all were over 200 degrees. Yes they were frozen. I used a rack.
WholeLottaYum says
It's possible 4 tenders weren't enough in the pot. We used a bag of chicken tenders for recipe testing which was 2+ lb. Or it's possible your chicken tenders were smaller than the ones I'd used.
Cendy Knight says
Recommendation on time if you double the amount of tenders? I have a 4.8lbs package.
Sharlette R Madison-Gress says
I don't see where you say to use the salt and pepper. Are you adding it to the pot or using it after cooking?
Marianne says
Does the salt and pepper just get added to the frozen chicken in the pot before cooking?
SR says
I followed the recipe exactly as described and the chicken tenders were only partially cooked when I opened the instapot. Any variances on timing that should be considered?
WholeLottaYum says
It's possible they were a little larger than the brand used in the recipe, or it could be a difference in pressure cooker model? Or did it not natural release and a quick release was done instead? I would suggest putting the chicken tenders back in the instant pot for one more minute. if they're still a little raw on the inside.
DT says
Would the recipe change for the instant pot duo mini (3 qts)?
WholeLottaYum says
I don't believe so! I'm pretty sure it would still be the same cooking time.