Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Tenders

BBQ frozen chicken tenders Instant Pot no breading, or in Ninja Foodi pressure cooker style come out so good! Forgetful? This is how to cook frozen chicken from rock hard right out of the freezer frozen to tender and moist every single time.

Frozen chicken Instant Pot style turns out surprisingly delicious. This super tender meat lathered with your favorite sauce for dinner is a game changer y’all. Give frozen meat in a pressure cooker a try and you’ll be a believer too. Just one of many easy quick Instant Pot recipes on our site. (affiliate links present)

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Tenders Frozen Recipe

We are not referring to the previously cooked and breaded ones in a bag in the freezer section. If that is what you’re looking for read our air fryer frozen chicken tenders post instead. These have no breading and are a healthy version that are just as good (maybe better).

We have shared how to cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot years ago. That was mainly for whole breasts and best if shredding chicken at the end. That is great but if you have this style of meat and want them to stay whole, here are directions for that.

I’m sure you’ve seen these at the store. They tend to be more expensive than whole boneless skinless breasts but are more tender like their name suggests. What is the difference? Well their larger counterpart is more nutritious they say and quite a bit larger.

Ingredients

1. Frozen chicken tenders, it is best to break them up but if they are in a solid chunk we have cook times for that too.
   • you could use chicken tenderloins but I would decrease timing by 1 minute
2. Chicken broth or water to steam them

Equipment Needed

A trivet or vegetable steamer basket you will want and your pot itself. Beyond that is just the food itself and tongs are helpful to lift them out.

Variations

That is seriously it y’all. If you have made our Instant Pot frozen chicken breast with sauce this is very similar, just with less time. Sauce you use if your choice, barbecue is easy and delicious but teriyaki would be great too.

in Ninja Foodi

If you are new to using a Ninja Foodi you’ll use the lid that isn’t attached. Other pressure cookers, the directions are the same. They are all almost the same but some may have more buttons than others.

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in Pressure Cooker

• Separate the pieces id they are in one solid chunk so the steam heats each piece evenly to become tender.
• Pour broth into pot (or water) and add a trivet.
• Put meat on top and seal lid as well as your steam valve.
• Set to steam function with a natural release pressure at the end which is always recommended for meat.

If tenders are in one solid chunk, steam for 5 minutes. Then allow for a natural pressure release. Separate them and put the lid back on and secure steam valve on top. Steam for 2 more minutes with a quick release. Remove, plate and pour bbq sauce or homemade teriyaki sauce over the top of all of them.

If you have one of my other favorites you can make our other version which are air fryer chicken tenders no breading. The biggest difference is that this way you will get a bit of crisp on the outside whereas these won’t.

Both are great and healthier than frozen chicken nuggets in air fryer for sure. Just depends what machine you want to use that day AND if your dinner is still rock solid you’ll need this one.

Cooking Tips

If yours are a “normal” size you shouldn’t have to really check internal temperature. I mean you can really break one apart in half and make sure it isn’t still pink and juices run clear. If your chicken tenderloin pieces are quite large then yes use a thermometer for sure to make sure they are 165 F. Quick and easy meal prep and timing right??

I mean you don’t have to eat whole either. If you really are in the mood for chicken tacos then cook the chicken as directed below. Then shred those babies right up. Toss diced cooked chicken tenders with your favorite sauce and throw it into a tortilla with cheese and cabbage!

How to save leftovers

You might have leftovers and we surely don’t want those to go to waste though. If you do make sure they come to room temperature. Then I like to use freezer bags, a pint size should be enough. Put all inside and suck all the air out so they don’t dry out. When you reheat them in the microwave brush sauce on them first so they say moist. You could heat them again in your air fryer too though to add some crisp too!

Jump to this Instant Pot frozen chicken recipe below and give this under 30 minute meal a whirl already. 😉 If you serve it up another way let us know so we can try that too.

Need other ideas? Dice what is left up and throw it into some fried rice or over rice with teriyaki sauce for a quick lunch the next day. Two meals for the price of one is totally my type of cheap Instant Pot recipe idea for sure.

Frequently Asked Questions