Roasted chicken breast is one of my favorite things to make, but I hate heating up the house with it in the oven. Plus, there is the time it takes to really roast a chicken. Whether I have a half a chicken, a whole chicken, or just some bone-in chicken breasts, it takes way too much time to bother with the traditional cooking methods. That’s why, I love my Instant Pot, and I love this healthy and easy recipe for roasted chicken breast and vegetables!
Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetables – Roasted Chicken Breast
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To start, I have to mention that creating meals like this makes my entire family happy. The guys both love chicken and veggies, and I, of course, love something that fits so easily into my Weight Watchers plan. This meal including veggies is only 7 SmartPoints. I absolutely love that I can have such a satisfying meal for low-points. That leaves me room for dessert!
Note Regarding Cook Time: Time cooking really depends on the size of the chicken 20 minutes on the manual (high) setting is typically more than enough to cook through, but if you have an exceptionally large piece of meat, you may want to cook for longer.
- ½ Chicken or 2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cups Carrots
- 8 medium new potatoes (red or yellow)
- 1 cup pearl onions (or 1 onion chopped)
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Spring Rosemary
- 1 Spring Thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper
- Spread olive oil over the bottom of Instant Pot and pour chicken broth into bottom of Instant Pot
- Place chicken on top of the broth and cover with onions, thyme, rosemary, and garlic.
- Top with carrots and potatoes (you may wish to season with salt and pepper)
- Place Instant Pot lid on and set to seal.
- Set to the Manual Setting for 20 minutes.
- Allow to NPR. Remove from Instant Pot.
- For those who want crispy skin, remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.
Serving Size: 4 ounces chicken breast (skin removed), 1/2 cup potatoes, 1/2 cup carrots
WW FreeStyle Plan SmartPoints: 3 Per Serving if eating ONLY chicken breast
SmartPoints on Beyond the Scale: 7 Per Serving
PointsPlus: 7 per serving
While I calculate the points using my own account with Weight Watchers, I am actually not affiliated with them. However, I absolutely love how easy Weight Watchers has been for me, and having lost 40 pounds in 4 months, I know that it really does work. Focusing on healthier eating habits have made a huge difference in how I view food. You can also use the Weight Watchers SmartPoints Calculator if you don’t want to join the monthly program.
**Know someone who would like a Quinoa Dish? Check out the easy and simple recipe here!**
As you can see, this flavorful and moist roasted chicken breast recipe is going to be easy and delicious. You’ll love being able to make a great meal that everyone loves with just a few minutes of prep. That is one reason why I love my Instant Pot. Even on super busy days, I can make meals like this without having to tend the oven or stove top. Being healthy and full of flavor just makes it better!
More Weight Watchers Recipes:
- BBQ Apricot Chicken
- Weight Watchers Soup: Ground Turkey & Vegetable
- Weight Watchers SmartPoints Spaghetti Recipe
- Healthy Beef Stew Weight Watchers Recipe
- See more WW freestyle plans
- Learn about WW breakfast recipes
Kassie says
This looks so simple but amazing. Can’t wait to try.
Sandi Marson says
Are you placing the chicken on a rack or directly on the bottom of the pot?
Katie says
I place the chicken directly on the bottom of the pot.
Jenny M says
How important is it to use bone-in chicken? Would boneless work just as well? Thanks!
Katie says
You would need to adjust the time considerably with boneless. Boneless chicken breasts, I typically cook for around 25 minutes if thawed when cooking with something like the vegetables 🙂
Jenny M says
Excellent. Thank you!
nena says
What is NPR?
Katie says
NPR stands for Natural Pressure Release. Instead of opening the pressure seal immediately, you allow the Instant Pot to sit for the time designated to naturally let the pressure release.
Savannah says
How should I adjust time if chicken is frozen?
Katie says
I would add an additional an additional 15 minutes to the cook time with bone in meats.
Andrea says
How long would you cook boneless skin less frozen chicken breast with this recipe?
Katie says
20 minutes for boneless skinless without bone.
Dale says
Are the Freestyle Smart Point different for this?
Katie says
It would be different depending on if you have breast only or eat the thigh/leg. If breast only, you would subtract 3 points from this total per serving.
Jan Templeton says
Is the pot supposed to be on high pressure or low?
Katie says
The meat setting is what was used for this recipe. That is the high setting on those that don’t have the specific meat setting.
Jana says
How long would I cook for 4 bone in breast?
Katie says
Add 5 minutes to the cook time.
Julie says
How long do you cook if you use chicken thighs?
Katie says
Bone in thighs I would use the same time. Boneless thawed thighs, I would cook for 22-25 minutes.
Tina says
Hi Thanks for this recipe! It’s hard to find bone in recipes. I’m new to IP. I have 4 frozen bone in half breasts. I have a 6qt instant pot ultra. What is your recommendation for cooking this? Thank You!
Katie says
I would use the same cook time as shown 🙂
Tina says
Even though they are frozen and they are 4 half breasts with ribs?
Katie says
I would add an additional 10 minutes for frozen.
Wendy Heyman says
Why use meat setting not poultry?
Katie says
Just my preference. You could use poultry setting if you prefer, and check the timing.
Phil says
I’m going to use boneless chicken breast. Do I still cook them the same?
Katie says
For boneless I set for 25 minutes.
Lori says
I don’t have a meat button on my power pressure xl can you please suggest another setting?
Lori says
Got it!
Katie says
High pressure.
Yolanda says
What would you recommend if I put brown rice in along with it (1-2 cups brown rice dried)? Would 25 minutes still be okay for thawed chicken and rice, or 40 minutes for frozen? Thanks!
Katie says
As I have never made that combination, I honestly can’t give a good recommendation. You might want to look up other chicken and rice recipes for a better idea.
marc says
So I made this with two bone-in breasts. 40 minutes seemed to really dry them out, they still fell off the bone but the 40 minutes along with the NPR produced a pretty dry meat.
How would you suggest I reduce the time?
Katie says
Reduce by 10 minutes and see if they are better. It often depends on if you are working with frozen, or if you are working with larger or smaller pieces.
Adri says
Made this for dinnner tonite.. Very good. Lots of flavor.. Have saved it to my “tried, tested & true” file.. Thank you!!!
Lauren says
How long does it take to NPR? 10 minutes prep 40 minutes cook and how much time do we need to allow for the natural release?
Katie says
Usually less than 10 minutes for me. It will take time for the cooker to come to pressure as well. Total time from start to finish is typically around 1 1/2 hours max.
Debbie says
I am glad I found this recipe as I was specifically looking for an instant pot, bone-in chicken breast, weight watchers recipe. I have two bone-in skinless breasts. Would you recommend the same cook time for skinless but with bone? Thanks. Also, thinking about adding lemon to the mix.
Katie says
Yes, same cook time 🙂
Robin says
Why olive oil if you aren’t searing the chicken first
Katie says
I prefer it for added flavor 🙂 It can easily be left off the recipe if you wish.
Sherry Foley says
I’m trying this tonight!
George Gephart says
Should I reduce this recipe 50% for a Mini Instant Pot?
Katie says
Yes, I would recommend doing so if you are using the 3Quart option.
Paula Hoit says
Am I misunderstanding the recipe? On SmartPoints, all but the potatoes are 0 points (using boneless skinless chicken breast) But 1 small new potato is 4 points, x 8 is 32 points for 4 servings. So 8 points a serving. You state 3?
Katie says
Hi Paula – I go by the weight of the potatoes and not the number of potatoes. So, in this recipe, it was that low since the weight was lower than what you see within the app for a “size”.
Paula Hoit says
If you go by weight, why didn’t you include the weight in the recipe? People are depending on your point count to be accurate. 🧐
Katie says
If you look at the notes under the printable recipe where the points are listed, you will see that it specifies a serving as: 4 ounces chicken breast (skin removed), 1/2 cup potatoes, 1/2 cup carrots for 3 SmartPoints on the WW FreeStyle Plan.
While I typically weigh potatoes for the most accurate weight, I specify serving sizes that are easier to determine for the average home cook. It wouldn’t matter how many pounds of potatoes are used as long as you measure accurately according to the notes listed. It doesn’t show any number of potatoes as a serving, but a 1/2 cup serving which is 2 SmartPoints according to the app. The additional point in this serving is due to oil that it has in the cooking process.
I hope that clarifies the points for you. As always, I follow the WW suggestions and tell everyone to input ANY recipe – mine or others online – into their recipe builder prior to eating for the most accurate points. Different brands of products and weights of items will change points, so while the recipe is basically going to be this point value, if you chose to eat 1 cup of potatoes, you would need to add more points. If you skipped the olive oil, the serving would be lower in points. If it was a recipe with pasta, various brands and flours used will change points. It is always recommended by WW to enter any recipe into the builder for safety and accuracy.
Ryan says
She took the time to share this recipe as well as to answer all these questions. Many of them either redundant or down right dumb. The least you could do is be polite
Lisa says
Made this for my parents with a few changes. I used dehydrated onion rehydrated in white wine. Because my dad loves gravy, I increased the chicken broth to 1 cup. After it all cooked, I removed the chicken and veggies, set the Instant Pot to Sauté, stirred in 1 tablespoon of cornstArch mixed in some water, and cooked until it thickened. They loved it and asked me to save the recipe!
Kim says
Just made this recipe with three good sized boneless, skinless chicken breast thawed on Poultry setting for 20 minutes and it turned out delicious. Will be having this again. Thank you for sharing.