Don’t worry about the hassle of cooking frozen chicken we have three easy ways you can cook frozen chicken in less than forty minutes and save your dinner from disaster.
How to Cook Frozen Chicken
Who can resist a delicious homemade dinner that only takes minutes to make? Our Instant Pot is our go-to appliance for making chicken in the shortest amount of time possible. We’ll show you below how to cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot, but the oven and the air fryer work great as well! Whether you are craving pasta with creamy sauce or a crispy salad topper, we have three quick and easy freezer-to-plate methods that transform your tough, crumbly frozen chicken into tender and juicy meat with little effort. We want to help you quickly turn frozen chicken into dinner! We’ve also added some recipes you can make with frozen chicken. Here are a few of our favorites: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, and Crescent Chicken Roll-Ups.
Oven Method
The oven method is the most traditional way of cooking frozen chicken. If you don’t have an air fryer or instant pot, don’t worry! You can still get delicious, moist, and flavorful chicken. This method does take a little longer than the others, but it works!
Preheat oven to 350.Place frozen chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Try to use chicken breasts that are about 1-inch or a little less. Thicker chicken will need longer to cook and may need to be cooked at a lower temperature.Rub a little butter or olive oil on each chicken piece. DO NOT skip this step! It helps bind the seasoning to the chicken and makes it taste so much better.Season your chicken as desired.Bake for 30-45 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Air Fryer Method
The air fryer method is quicker than the oven and the chicken comes out so well. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may not be able to fit as many chicken breasts in the basket as you would in the oven. I was able to fit three chicken breasts in my air fryer. When I cook frozen chicken in the air fryer I like to add a breadcrumb topping, but you can leave the breadcrumbs off if you’d like.
Preheat the air fryer to 360.In a small bowl mix ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper to taste. You can add other seasonings if desired.Place each chicken piece in the air fryer. Try to use chicken breasts that are about 1-inch or a little less. Thicker chicken will need longer to cook and may need to be cooked at a lower temperature.Rub each chicken breast with butter or olive oil. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mix over the chicken and press down so it sticks to the chicken.Spray a little cooking spray on the tops of each piece. Bake at 360 for 10 minutes. Then, flip each piece and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Instant Pot Method
The instant pot method is my favorite way to cook frozen chicken. The chicken comes out so moist and it is perfect for slicing or shredding. You will need a trivet for this method. Most instant pots come with a trivet, but I lost mine so I bought a silicon trivet at Target. If you don’t use the trivet and you put the chicken directly into the broth or water, it will essentially boil the chicken instead of steaming it and the texture will be more rubbery. See the recipe card below for our instant pot method!
Can I Cook Frozen Chicken in a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot?
The short answer is no, and I will explain why. The USDA recommends that chicken, raw or cooked, does not sit in the “danger zone” for more than 2 hours. The “danger zone” is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees. It needs to be either stored in the fridge at lower than 40 or be kept warm at 140 or above. Since most crock pot recipes are longer than two hours, the frozen chicken will be in the “danger zone” for too long. Thawed chicken heats up fast enough to clear the 140 threshold before the 2 hour mark, but the frozen chicken does not.
Recipes You Can Make with Frozen Chicken
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
Easy Crescent Chicken Roll Ups: Dinner Recipe for Busy Weeknights
Share It on Instagram!
