This Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken Breasts Recipe is an easy chicken dinner recipe that you can set and forget in your pressure cooker! Serve the chicken and sweet, tangy sauce over rice or noodles for the perfect weeknight dinner! Includes step by step recipe video.
So now that we’ve explored some basic Instant Pot recipes, we’re taking things up a notch with these Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken Breasts.
If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you know that I will take pineapple on everything. Sweet or savory, breakfast, dinner or dessert — pass the pineapple.
Some of my favorites? Try these No Bake Pineapple Squares, Ham and Pineapple Sliders, or this Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce)
Little Miss S is growing up way too quickly but that also means our nights are slowly getting longer and more restful. I’m starting to feel a little more energetic during the day, but a baby, a preschooler and a kindergartener still make life kind of crazy and don’t leave a ton of extra time for 5 course gourmet meals 😉
We are all about easy these days.
Quick, one pot meals with few ingredients but big flavour is the way to go! And this Pineapple Chicken is right on up there.
If you’re not an Instant Pot rookie and you want to try some pot-in-pot cooking, you could add a baking dish of rice on top of the chicken, but I’m not even going to pretend that I’m there yet, friends. One step at a time 😉
I am not one of those Instant Pot lovers who have brought my microwave, my slow cooker, my oven, my skillets, etc., etc., etc., to the thrift store and now own just a collection of pressure cookers where they once stood. I still think it is best used for certain things, but chicken is one of those things.
You can definitely make this recipe using frozen chicken breasts, but the frozen chicken will release more liquid and dilute the sauce somewhat, so you may need to punch up the flavour after cooking. Serve it over rice, pasta, or these Instant Pot Baked Potatoes (if you’re one of those people who owns more than one 😉 ), and you’ve got an easy, flavourful meal that the family will go crazy for!
Unless your family is made up of people who don’t like pineapple in their dinner, and in that case, more for you 😉
Make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram and let me see!
Tips and Tricks for Making these Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken Breasts:
- My kids aren’t crazy about spicy food, but if you want to take things up a notch, you can sprinkle in a pinch (or more!) of red pepper flakes!
- I have found that at 10 minutes on high pressure, the chicken breast are easily over the safe 165 degrees F. If you have more than 4 chicken breasts and you are stacking them directly on top of one another, you may find you need to add a few minutes to the cook time. Always check the internal temperature of your chicken breasts before eating.
- If you want to fill this meal out a bit more, feel free to add in some veggies: carrots, peppers and broccoli would be great, just keep in mind they will be very soft after 10 minutes so you may want to open the pressure cooker up part way and add them just for a few minutes.
Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken Breasts
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 398ml can pineapple chunks with juice 14 oz
- 3 tablespoons sodium-reduced soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add pineapple chunks with juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to the Instant Pot (mine is a 6 quart). Stir until combined.
- Add chicken breasts on top of the pineapple.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the valve to sealing. Set to Manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down.
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off. Let pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes and then open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and turn the Instant Pot to saute, and adjust to less heat. Stir together the corn starch and water and stir into the sauce (you can take the chicken out to do this but it’s not necessary!). Cook and stir until the sauce has thickened, and then turn off.
- Serve chicken immediately over rice, noodles or with a side of veggies.
Nutrition Information
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Iwont Reed says
Stir fried some onion and bell pepper strips in a little sesame oil then removed from the instant pot and set aside before cooking the chicken and pineapple as directed, then removed chicken and added veg back to pot before thickening just to warm them again. Served all over rice. Delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Becky says
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs? If so, how long should I cook it? Thanks.
Becky says
I did use thighs instead of breasts. I cut them into 1”- 1 1/4” pieces. Pressured them for 4 minutes and a 10 minute natural release. It turned out good. Thanks.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear Becky! THANK YOU!
BETTY FORD says
I don’t know what happened, but the chicken breasts came out like rubber.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Betty, did you temp your chicken? It’s supposed to be at 165 degrees F. If it wasn’t then it needed to be cooked just a little longer which is why you might of received that result.
Ava says
I don’t have Crockpot or Instant pot. I can do it on a stove. Do I use same instruction but on a stove?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes you will use a similar method
Jay says
Can I used crushed pineapple p?
Ashley Fehr says
Yep! 🙂
Ginny Korsikas says
If I use the rice y=using the Instant Pot, which do you make first, the chicken or the rice?
Ally N says
Question: I am going to try and make this for one person (so half the chicken) would I half the rest of the ingredients as well? Looks amazing!! Can’t wait to try it tonight.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, I would halve the sauce ingredients unless you like a lot of sauce!
Janice l Talkington says
Can you cut the chicken into bite sizes , is the cook time the same ??
Ashley Fehr says
I would cook it for 3-4 minutes if you cut it first
Melody Wright says
Can you use fresh pineapple?
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely!
SUE TOMBERLIN says
This is wonderful and simple (I’m not much of a cook). Thanks for giving us this one, I will make it again and again. Oh, I did what you suggested with red pepper flakes and also added some roasted red peppers!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sue! I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
Tammy says
If I doubled the amount of chicken to 6-8 breasts, do I also double the rest of the ingredients as well as the cook time?
Ashley Fehr says
I would double the rest of the ingredients so that you have enough sauce! The cook time remains the same though.
Zantara says
10 minutes seems like a long time when fresh chicken tenders only takes 3 minutes to cook in the instapot. Could you explain why the prolonged cooking time? Was it based on the thickness of the chicken breast
Ashley Fehr says
3 minutes is sufficient for cooked chicken breasts for sure! I add a little extra time here because I found they are more tender. You can reduce the cook time if you want!
Kate says
Hi! This recipe looks amazing and I plan to make it tonight. Just wanted to check on the recipe instructions….do you release pressure when the timer begins at 10 mins (after the IP warms up), or do you allow it to warm up and then cook for the 10 min time before pressure release?
Ashley Fehr says
Once the cook time is over, you’ll likely want to let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then open the valve to release any remaining pressure. I hope that’s more clear!
Amy says
Do you need to sauté the chicken before??
Ashley Fehr says
Not necessarily, but the juices from the chicken will thin out and dilute the sauce somewhat
Jennifer Schwenker says
YUM! THANK YOU for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
So glad you liked it!
Jenn L says
It’s the best when there’s more sleep on the horizon! Loving this recipe and that it can be made in the IP!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jenn!
Nellie says
So excited to make this for my family! Instant Pot recipes for the win!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! Thanks!
J. James says
Could you use a crock pot for this recipe? I haven’t bot an instant pot yet.
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! I would cook them on low for 3-4 hours probably, depending on the thickness of your chicken.
Danielle says
I share your love of pineapple! I love that you used it here. And you used my love, the Instant Pot. I am really getting into using mine for so many things, it’s super handy. But I have not gotten rid of my other things yet…just not quite there. The flavors in this sound amazing, and I love the idea to sprinkle a dash of red pepper for some spice. YUM!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Danielle!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
Oh my gosh, this chicken is STUNNING, Ashley! Seriously loving all that pineapple goodness going on and the fact that I can just dump it in my instant pot! Dinner goals. <3
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sarah!