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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    Published: Sep 23, 2018 · Updated: Dec 12, 2023 · Post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken has only a few wholesome ingredients you can keep on hand to make a quick, healthy, delicious meal. Have dinner ready in less than one hour with minimal effort and basically no planning. This gluten-free, dairy-free meal is great for meal prep, too!

    salsa chicken in tortillas with avocados and parsley
    • About Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
      • Is it safe to use frozen chicken in the Instant Pot?
    • How to Make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
    • Recipe Tips
      • Best Salsa for the Recipe
      • Make Ahead Tips
      • Variations & Substitutions
        • Alternative prep & cooking methods
      • What to Serve with Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    About Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    This Instant Pot Salsa Chicken is seriously the main reason I love my Instant Pot so dang much!

    It's foolproof and can be adapted to your taste preferences and whatever you have in your kitchen.

    Simply add chicken, a jar of salsa, a little water, and optional bell pepper + onion to a pressure cooker.

    I prefer using frozen chicken because it's usually less expensive and you don't have to mess with raw chicken.

    The cook, shred the chicken, and enjoy!

    It's great for dinner when you forget to cook or you want to meal prep for the week.

    bowl of salsa chicken with tortillas, avocados, lime, onion, green bell pepper, jar of salsa, and parsley

    Is it safe to use frozen chicken in the Instant Pot?

    Wondering if it's safe to use frozen chicken in your Instant Pot?

    Yes, it's safe. It's actually safer than cooking in a slow cooker because the pressure cooker cooks the chicken so fast that it is in the temperature danger zone -- the temperature range for when food-borne bacteria can rapidly grow -- for only a short amount of time.

    When it's in the slow cooker, the chicken thaws and is cooked at a much slower rate so it is in the temperature danger zone for a lot longer and usually for longer than is technically safe.

    If you don't want to cook frozen chicken (or don't have it), you can easily use fresh raw chicken and cook for half the time.

    plate of frozen chicken, jar of salsa, green and red bell pepper, onion

    How to Make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    • Chop two bell peppers and an onion (or use frozen) and throw in the Instant Pot.
    • Add your chicken and a jar of salsa.
    • Pour a little water into the salsa jar to make sure you get all the salsa out of it and pour on top.
    • Cook, shred, and enjoy!

    It is SO simple!

    salsa chicken in tortillas with parsley, sliced avocados, and lime

    Recipe Tips

    Best Salsa for the Recipe

    The best salsa is really just your favorite salsa. I honestly use whatever salsa is on sale at the store that week.

    I like to change it up occasionally and use salsa verde one week, a regular salsa another week, and then a "fancy" salsa like mango black bean another week.

    Any salsa will work in this recipe.

    Make Ahead Tips

    This is a great recipe for meal prepping for the week. In fact, it is one of my favorite (and only) things that I do to meal prep for the week.

    Prepare and save the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to one month.

    bowl of salsa chicken with tortilla chips and avocado

    Variations & Substitutions

    Chicken: You can easily use chicken thighs in this recipe. I usually go back and forth between chicken thighs and chicken breast and usually use whatever was on sale at the store that week. However, with the chicken thighs, there will be a little more grease in the Salsa Chicken when it is cooked.

    You can also use pork loin or pork tenderloin.

    As noted above, you can use frozen or fresh raw chicken. I personally use frozen which I think is easier, but it's completely up to you.

    Veggies: While the bell pepper and onions are not mandatory to make this recipe work, I really like having the extra veggies. In fact, I usually use two peppers. I appreciate that I can throw this in a bowl and eat with chips and not have to worry about getting in extra veggies -- they're already in my bowl!

    If you don't like onions, use only bell peppers. If you don't like bell peppers, use only onions. Or don't use either. Carrots, celery, and tomatoes would also work well in this recipe.

    Alternative prep & cooking methods

    If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this in the slow cooker. I've actually done another video on Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Pork that I really like.

    bowl of salsa chicken with halved avocado, tortilla chips, empty salsa verde jar

    What to Serve with Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    Because this recipe has protein and veggies in it, all you need to do is add a carb and you're good to go!

    I serve mine with tortilla chips or in tortillas or over some cooked quinoa or brown rice. I've even served it alongside some mashed potatoes.

    It's also really taste when you add some sliced avocados. Or drain off the liquid and add over some chips. Sprinkle with cheese and make nachos.

    Final thoughts:

    I cannot recommend this recipe enough. Anytime I have a friend who is debating whether or not to buy an Instant Pot®, this is the recipe I tell them about and it convinces people 99% of the time to buy one.

    I'm seriously so thankful for this recipe because you do not have to plan ahead. Try to keep a jar of salsa in your pantry and a bag of frozen chicken in the freezer, so you can have a meal ready in less than an hour.

    And keep onions on the counter or diced bell peppers in the freezer (but even if you don't have them, don't worry because you get some veggies in the salsa).

    bowl of salsa chicken with sliced avocados, bag of tortilla chips, tacos on the side

    MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:

    • Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
    • Lamb Curry in Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Beef Pho
    • Jambalaya in Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Lentil Curry
    salsa chicken in tortillas with avocados and parsley

    Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

    This easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken uses only a few wholesome ingredients to make a healthy, delicious meal for in under an hour with little effort or planning
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Pressure Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9
    Author: Meme

    Ingredients

    • 1 large onion diced
    • 2 medium bell peppers diced
    • 12 ounce salsa any kind
    • 2.5 pounds chicken breast frozen or fresh
    • ½ cup water

    Instructions

    • Add onions, pepper, salsa, and chicken to the Instant Pot. Pour water into the salsa jar and pour into pot.
    • Close & lock the lid of the Instant Pot, and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes for frozen chicken or 10 minutes for fresh chicken.
    • When the time is done, let the pressure cooker release pressure naturally for 10 minutes then turn the valve to Venting to release remaining pressure.
    • Remove chicken and shred. Return to the Instant Pot and stir together.

    Notes

    *Makes 9 cups
    *Use chicken breasts or thighs.
    *Can use 12-16 ounces salsa.
    *If you want the mixture to be thicker, turn the Instant Pot to Saute and cook for 10-20 minutes until it thickens.

    What to Use in This Recipe

    instant pot
    Instant Pot
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

    Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Nutrition Facts

    Nutrition Facts
    Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
    Serving Size
     
    1 cup
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    169
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    3
    g
    5
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    80
    mg
    27
    %
    Sodium
     
    415
    mg
    18
    %
    Potassium
     
    654
    mg
    19
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    5
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    3
    g
    3
    %
    Protein
     
    27
    g
    54
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1045
    IU
    21
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    37.2
    mg
    45
    %
    Calcium
     
    23
    mg
    2
    %
    Iron
     
    0.8
    mg
    4
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Comments

    1. Tawnie Kroll

      October 01, 2018 at 10:38 pm

      5 stars
      5 ingredients?! YASSSS love this!

      Reply
    2. Lindsey

      October 02, 2018 at 3:03 pm

      5 stars
      This has been the perfect addition to my meal prep for easy meals this week!

      Reply
    3. Emily

      October 07, 2018 at 2:10 pm

      5 stars
      I just got an Instant Pot for my birthday and have been terrified with what to do with it this looks like the perfect first recipe to try out - thank you!

      Reply
    4. Liz

      October 07, 2018 at 4:31 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for my husbands lunch this week! He's so excited and loves anything with green salsa!

      Reply
    5. Lorie

      October 07, 2018 at 8:58 pm

      5 stars
      Need. Instant. Pot. NOW. But making this in the slow cooker is still amazing!

      Reply
    6. Nutrition à la Natalie

      October 08, 2018 at 8:10 am

      5 stars
      You're making me want an Instant Pot!!

      Reply
    5 from 7 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Meme holding Watson at a restaurant in san diego.

    Hi, I'm Meme!

    A thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist here to help you enjoy food, make eating easier, and live free of diets & shame.

    About Meme

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