Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot

It’s simple to make pressure cooker turkey breast in an Instant Pot. Here’s an easy method to cook breast fillets so they won’t be dry.

I finally used my electric pressure cooker to cook some meat. Yay! I’m slowly learning how to do pressure cooking.

The convenience of using an Instant Pot to do my cooking is something I need to take advantage of.  When I made my pumpkin casserole recipe, I decided to serve it with some turkey meat.

It just seemed like turkey would be perfect served with a savory pumpkin dish. So, I went searching for how to make pressure cooker turkey breast and found this site which showed the method for poached chicken.

My turkey breasts were slightly larger and I decided to place them on a rack above the water so I could keep them herb crusted. However, placing them directly in the water will result in them being moist and juicy.

Since I didn’t cook the turkey breast fillets in the water, I ended up drizzling the cooking water over the meat when serving. It’s not shown in the pictures and I did that right before eating.

For me, ten minutes was about right. The Instant Pot website states here that 7-9 minutes is how long they should be cooked, so mine may have been slightly overcooked.

I also cooked the pressure cooker turkey breast on the “Poultry” setting. The default setting is 15 minutes, but that is too long for turkey breast fillets.

When in doubt, you should always consult the manual before cooking anything in the Instant Pot. Or, see if you can find the answer on the product website

I like to rub an herbal blend to give the turkey meat some flavor. Otherwise, it can be very bland. My husband isn’t a fan of herbs, so I’ll have to make a lightly seasoned piece for him next time.

The blend of herbs and spices that I used are garlic powder, rosemary, sage, and thyme. I also sprinkled on a little salt and pepper. The seasoning were rubbed onto the meat.

When you make pressure cooker turkey breast in the Instant Pot, you always want to add in liquid. If you don’t, the meat will be very dry.

You can use a chicken or turkey stock for more flavor. I just used regular water, but the turkey juices did run down into it during cooking. It was perfect for drizzling over the meat when serving.

We usually don’t do a big turkey for Thanksgiving Day as we get together with our extended family on another day to celebrate the holiday. Using the pressure cooker to make a small turkey breast will be perfect for us this year.

Sometimes, I even get stuck going into work on Thanksgiving Day. I’m hoping it doesn’t happen this year, but if it does, it’s good that I can cook up my small turkey breast in the Instant Pot quickly.

Have you cooked boneless turkey breast fillets in the pressure cooker? How has it turned out? Do you prefer poaching them or cooking them on a rack?

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast with Herb Crust Recipe

4 from 1 vote

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Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast with Herb Crust

A simple to make turkey breast cooked in an Instant Pot. It cooks up fast and keeps it juicy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Instant Pot, turkey

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Build Pressure 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2 people

Calories 251 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 turkey breast fillets about 16 ounces
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place rack in Instant Pot if desired (turkey breast can be poached directly in the water).

2. Rub herbs and spices onto turkey breasts then place into Instant Pot.

3. Lock lid and press "Poultry" button and adjust time anywhere between 7-10 minutes depending on size of fillets. (I did 10 and it was too long)

4. When time is up, open valve for a quick pressure release and open lid after pressure has gone down. Remove the turkey meat.

5. The remaining liquid can be served with the meat or saved for later and used as a broth.

Nutrition Facts

Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast with Herb Crust

Amount Per Serving (1 fillet)

Calories 251 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1g 2%

Cholesterol 140mg 47%

Sodium 681mg 28%

Potassium 34mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 2g 1%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Protein 57g 114%

Vitamin A 2%

Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 2%

Iron 20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.