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Home » Search by Cooking Method » Instant Pot » The Easiest Instant Pot Chicken Tenders from Frozen

The Easiest Instant Pot Chicken Tenders from Frozen

Published: Mar 20, 2019 · Modified: Jun 17, 2020 by WholeLottaYum · This post may contain affiliate links · Find our privacy policy here

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I recently accidentally ended up with a bag of frozen chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts when I was planning to use for a chicken chili verde casserole. 

At first I was a little disappointed for grabbing the wrong bag, but since I regularly make frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot, I knew I could easily make instant pot frozen chicken tenders too.

instant pot chicken tenders done cooking in a pot

I realized that not only do I love cooking with frozen chicken tenders, I actually prefer cooking with them when I needed shredded or chopped chicken for a recipe. 

Here’s why using instant pot frozen chicken tenders for recipes is so amazing: 

  • Frozen chicken  costs less than fresh
  • Frozen chicken tenders cost less than frozen chicken breasts
  • Chicken breasts are often irregular sizes whereas chicken tenders are a uniform size
  • Using your Instant Pot or a pressure cooker to cook frozen chicken tenders makes them really moist and ideal whether you need them sliced in a recipe or shredded.

Ingredients & supplies you need:

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders (we used the Trader Joe’s frozen chicken tenderloin)
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper 
  • 1/2 tsp salt

An instant pot

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Tenders

Instant pot frozen chicken tenders cook up lickety-split and I know will become a recipe you use time and time again for salads, casseroles, soups, and other meal favorites.

Start by pouring 1 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the instant pot or pressure cooker. You won’t need to insert your rack for this recipe.

instant-pot-chicken tenders gets started by adding chicken broth to the pot

If I was using fresh chicken I’d add a little more liquid,  but since these are frozen you only need 1 cup of broth.

Definitely do not use less than 1 cup of broth since that’s the minimum needed to allow your pressure cooker to create the steam and pressure needed to properly cook the chicken.

Add the frozen chicken tenders to your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, I love to use long-handled rubber tip tongs for the job.

You might also hear these called chicken tenderloin and those terms (chicken tenders or chicken tenderloin) can be used interchangeably. 

frozen chicken in instant pot with seasoning before cooking

Turn your Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure cook (depending on your IP model).

Close and tighten the pressure cooker lid and cook the chicken for 6 minutes on high. 

Once the cooking time is done, do a natural release for 5 minutes and then remove the lid. 

Remove the chicken tenders from the Instant Pot and let it cool slightly before slicing or shredding the chicken.

instant pot chicken tenders after the lid gets opened

Shredding Chicken Tenders

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 in under 30 seconds.

Who knew shredding chicken could be so fast and easy?

Storing and Freezing Extra Chicken

While you might not need an entire bag of frozen chicken tenders for the recipe you’re making, it’s so easy to get them cooked all at once and then store the remaining cooked chicken in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for later use.

Freezing shredded chicken is super easy and a great way to keep extra on hand when you need it for a last-minute recipe.

To freeze shredded chicken :

Put the chicken in quart size freezer bags and squeeze the air out of the bag to help it last as long as possible. Frozen shredded chicken should keep for about  2 months. 

We also LOVE to use our Seal-a-Meal to store pre-cooked frozen chicken!  Vacuum sealed chicken pieces will last in the freezer for about 9 months.

***

Cooking instant pot chicken tenders from frozen is such an easy and economical way to have extra chicken on hand whenever you need it for a recipe. Let us know how things work for you and your pressure cooker! 

Other Recipes You’ll Love:

  • Low Carb Chili Verde Casserole
  • Baby Back Ribs in Oven
  • Stuffed Peppers Without Rice

instant pot chicken tenders from frozen pin for Pinterest

Continue to Content
frozen chicken in instant pot

Instant Pot Chicken Tenders from Frozen

Yield: 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes

Simple instant pot chicken tenders you can make from frozen. What an easy way to have extra chicken on hand for recipes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2.5 lb bag of frozen chicken tenders
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the instant pot or pressure cooker
  2. Turn Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook (depending on model) and set for 6 minutes
  3. Place chicken into the pot and seal the lid
  4. After it's done cooking, do a natural release for 5 minutes before pressing the button to release the rest of the pressure

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Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 139Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 21mgSodium 572mgCarbohydrates 1gNet Carbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 9g

Did you make this recipe?

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© WholeLottaYum
Category: Instant Pot
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. SR says

    October 26, 2020 at 12:14 am

    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?

    Reply
    • WholeLottaYum says

      October 27, 2020 at 12:55 am

      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.

      Reply
  2. DT says

    August 23, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    Would the recipe change for the instant pot duo mini (3 qts)?

    Reply
    • WholeLottaYum says

      September 24, 2020 at 9:24 am

      I don’t believe so! I’m pretty sure it would still be the same cooking time.

      Reply

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