This Instant Pot Chicken Tenders recipe will show you how to cook moist and juicy chicken strips in a fraction of the time using a pressure cooker!
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Instant Pot chicken tenderloin strips are quick, easy, and very family friendly. And, they are ready in less than 30 minutes.
These pressure cooker chicken tenderloins are perfect as an appetizer or main meal any night of the week. Plus you can use frozen chicken tenderloin without thawing!
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenderloins are also called chicken tenders. And they are very tender meat from under the breast of the chicken.
They are also known as chicken strips or chicken fingers.
But, whatever you call them, the Instant Pot is going to make sure they’re cooked perfectly, even the frozen chicken tenders.
Adults and kids alike will love this homemade chicken tenders recipe with yummy dipping sauces.
You can serve them as an appetizer or snack or pair them with your favorite side dishes for a super easy and totally delicious dinner.
NEW TO THE INSTANT POT? Read How to Use the Instant Pot 101 first. And Tips & Hacks for the Instant Pot are ideal for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
Love chicken tenders recipes? Try our Nashville Chicken Tenders (KFC copycat), Shake and Bake, Baked Chicken Tenderloins, and Bisquick Chicken Tenders.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Olive oil – You can also use any high-heat cooking oil for this recipe.
- Seasonings – paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, ground black pepper. You can also use your favorite seasonings. Italian, Cajun or even ranch dressing mix would all be great options.
- Chicken tenderloins – fresh or frozen (see instructions below for frozen).
- Chicken broth – I prefer low sodium but you can use the regular ones.
Kitchen Tools Needed
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How to Cook Chicken Tenders in Instant Pot
Cooking preparation. Add olive oil to the pressure cooker and sauté. The pot will take a few moments to heat up.
Coat the chicken. Lightly brush the chicken tenderloins with oil. Then combine the seasonings together in a shallow dish. Then, dip the chicken strips into the seasonings, pressing gently to coat.
Sauté the chicken. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken tenderloins to the Instant Pot. Then sauté for 1-2 minutes on each side. Use tongs to remove the strips from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
Pressure cook the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the pressure cooker then add the metal trivet or sling.
Then place the chicken tenders in Instant Pot and seal the lid. Cancel sauté, and select manual high pressure for 5 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot cooking is done, allow the pressure cooker to do a natural release for 3 minutes. Then, do a manual quick release.
Ready to serve. Serve the cooked chicken tenderloins with your favorite dipping sauces.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Tenders in Instant Pot
- Pressure cook the frozen chicken tenders first.
Pour the chicken broth into the pressure cooker and add the metal trivet. Set the frozen chicken tenders on the trivet, and seal the Instant Pots lid.
Then select the manual high pressure cooking setting for 5 minutes. Once the Instant Pot cooking is done, allow the pressure cooker to do a natural release for 3 minutes. Then do a manual quick release. - Using tongs, remove chicken tenderloins to a plate. Press cancel and use pot holders to drain the chicken broth from the pot.
- Press the sauté button, add oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot and allow to heat. Lightly brush the chicken tenderloins with oil, and combine the seasonings together in a shallow dish.
Dip the chicken strips into the seasonings, pressing gently all around to coat. Sauté chicken for 1-2 minutes per side until golden in color. Serve homemade chicken tenders warm, with your favorite dipping sauces.
What sides go well with Instant Pot chicken tenderloins?
This versatile main dish is delicious with just about any side. How about fried wontons, loaded potato casserole, mashed potatoes, or rice?
Or serve it with fresh veggies like asparagus, green beans, or broccoli.
Enjoy tender chicken strips with your choice of dipping sauces to compliment the meal.
They are perfect with homemade buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, spicy honey mustard, or ranch dressing.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Tenderloins
Store cooked and cooled chicken strips in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
They also freeze well! Put them into a ziplock bag or storage container and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw frozen chicken strips in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat, cook in the oven at 350°F. Or, heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, use an Instant Pot sling or anything that raises the chicken strips above the broth.
If the chicken is cooked in Instant Pot for too long it can become rubbery. Use the recommended cook time as a guide, and check for doneness early.
Cooking chicken tenderloins in the Instant Pot will take about 5 minutes at high pressure. Plus, 3 minutes for a natural pressure release and 1-2 minutes to sauté. So, the total cook time will be about 10-12 minutes.
Get the Full Pressure Cooker Chicken Tenders Recipe:
Instant Pot Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- trivet or sling
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins (fresh or frozen) *for frozen, see notes below*
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Add 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil to the pressure cooker. Press the sauté function button. While the pressure cooker is coming to pressure (this takes a few minutes) lightly brush the chicken tenderloins with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Combine the seasonings together in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken strips into the seasonings, pressing gently all around to coat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken tenders to the pot. Sauté chicken strips for 1-2 minutes on each side, until light golden in color. Use tongs to remove the strips from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
- Add chicken broth to the pot, and add the metal trivet to the pot leaving the handles up. Place the chicken strips on the trivet. Press cancel and manually set the pressure cooker to high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once pressure cooking is done, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for 3 minutes. Then manually perform a quick release of the pressure. Serve the chicken tenders warm with your favorite dipping sauces like ranch, BBQ, or honey mustard.
Video
Notes
- Pressure cook the chicken first. Pour the chicken broth into the pressure cooker and add the metal trivet. Place the chicken tenderloins on the trivet, and seal the lid. Select manual high pressure cooking setting for 5 minutes. After the Instant Pot cooking is done, allow the pressure cooker to do a natural release for 3 minutes. Then, initiate a quick release.
- Using tongs, remove chicken tenderloins from the pot. Press cancel. Use pot holders to drain the chicken broth from the pot.
- Press the sauté function button. Then add oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot and allow to heat. Lightly brush the chicken tenderloins with oil. Combine the seasonings together in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken strips into the seasonings, pressing gently all around to coat. Sauté chicken for 1-2 minutes per side until golden in color. Serve homemade chicken tenders warm, with your favorite dipping sauces.
Delicious and super easy. I was searching for a quick and easy recipe and this was it! Seasonings were perfect. My husband said at least three times “this is delicious”!
This will. Be my go-to recipe for tenders.
Thank you!
What would I need to change if I am using 2lbs of chicken therderloin?
Double the oil and seasonings, everything else remains the same (broth and cooking times) unless you are using an 8 quart or larger size pressure cooker. Then I’d use 1.5 cups of broth.
This was really good and turned out so tender AND beautiful. I doubled the spices because I really like a good “crust” of seasoning. I also tried it on pork chops as well a different time. It was delicious.
After removing the chicken and steamer rack, I turned the sauté back on, sprinkled 1-2 tsp of flower over the top, whisked, and brought to a boil to thicken the gravy. Served chicken with gravy and au gratin potatoes quite a hit. thank you.
Great idea! Isn’t the Instant Pot perfect for turning broth into gravy?! Many of my Instant Pot recipes include how to make a gravy sauce from the broth, like this one: https://thefeatherednester.com/instant-pot-pork-tenderloin-and-potatoes/.
The included photo shows rice on the same plate – is that the cilantro rice others have commented on? It looks yummy!
It’s a new recipe that I will be publishing soon. But, the cilantro rice is a great recipe (it is linked in the post) and you can make it with white or brown rice. Here is a link to the blog post with the recipe: https://thefeatherednester.com/weeks-poultry-seafood-recipes/
I can’t stop thinking how good this is with cilantro rice. The chicken itself is flavorful and tastes even better with cilantro rice!
I’m so glad you liked it, Linda!
This was a perfect meal prep dish for me! made this and divided up into portions for lunch. Flavorful and will definitely make again.
Using them for lunch prep is a great idea! I’m so glad you shared that.