This Instant Pot Salsa Chicken recipe can be made in just 20 minutes with the help of your electric pressure cooker and five simple ingredients.
Don’t have an instant pot? Try this Crockpot Salsa Chicken recipe.
One of the first recipes I posted on this blog was for Crockpot Salsa Chicken. The pictures were embarrassingly horrible and the blog post was all of two short paragraphs (photographs and post have now been updated). Still, it’s a recipe that I make quite often. But even more now, I make that recipe in my Instant Pot.
Instead of cooking the chicken for 4-5 hours on low in my crockpot, I throw the chicken into my Instant Pot and let it cook for just 20 minutes. You can even throw frozen chicken breasts right in – The cooking time will be the same!
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken ingredients:
- Chicken Breasts
- Jar of Salsa
- Onion
- Jalapeno
- Taco Seasoning
How to make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken:
The process is simple. Rub the chicken breasts with a bit of taco seasoning, throw in one diced onion and one diced jalapeno and then top it all off with a jar of salsa. The result is juicy (never dry) chicken that shreds easily and is super flavorful. Also, because you’re using jarred salsa, it’s easy to control the heat by purchasing salsa that’s your desired heat level – mild, medium or hot.
FAQ:
Yes. For best results, cook your chicken for just 20 minutes in the instant pot, with a natural pressure release.
While the cook time is just 20 minutes, it will take time for the instant pot to build and release the pressure. Estimate in an additional 30 minutes to account for that time. So total cook time is around 50 minutes.
Yes! The instant pot is great for cooking raw chicken. It comes out deliciously tender and flavorful.
Yes! You can make this recipe with frozen chicken. The cook time will remain the same, but it will take a bit longer for the pot to come to pressure.
Yes! You can layer the chicken on top of each other, or stack them side by side.
Definitely! The cook time will remain the same.
Salsa Chicken will store in the freezer for up to three months. I like to portion it into individual ziploc bags and freeze it flat. Then, when you’re ready to use it, just thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and heat it up in a saucepan on the stove.
What to do with Instant Pot Salsa Chicken:
- Serve it taco-style in soft or hard shells.
- Serve it in lettuce wraps for a low carb option.
- Serve it bowl style on top of Instant Pot Mexican rice, instant pot rice or instant pot quinoa, with your favorite toppings like pico de gallo, guacamole, or cilantro lime crema.
- Serve it as a salad.
Wine pairings for Salsa Chicken:
•Look for lighter-bodied, fruit-focused reds like Beaujolais or Grenache.
•Alternatively, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Vinho Verde are good white wine pairing options.
If you loved this Instant Pot Salsa Chicken recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
More taco recipes:
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Steak Carnitas Bowls
- Quinoa Taco Bowls with Guacamole
- Taco Zucchini Boats
- Salmon Tacos with Blackberry Corn Relish
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Recipe
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and sliced
- 1 16-ounce jar salsa
- Kosher salt (to taste)
For Serving:
- Butter lettuce leaves for wrapping
- Sliced Radishes for topping
- Avocado for topping
- La Victoria Red Taco Sauce for topping
- Greek yogurt or sour cream for topping
- Shredded cheddar cheese for topping
- Cilantro for topping
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Rub chicken breasts with taco seasoning and place in bottom of Instant Pot.
- Spread chopped onion and jalapeno over chicken breasts. Pour salsa over top.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set to HIGH pressure for 20 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release naturally. This should take 10-15 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and shred with two forks. Place chicken back in Instant Pot and stir to combine. Season with salt, to taste.
- To serve, spread chicken on lettuce leaves and top with any desired toppings.
We’ve been eating a lot less corn and grain in our house, so lettuce wrap tacos would be a great meal to add into the rotation!
Jarred salsas or taco or enchiladas sauces like from La Victoria are a great cheat way to marinate and add a lot of flavor to food! I was shocked too they were 100 years old – they are classic because I’ve always remembered them being around, but who knew 100 years classic!
Holy crap you’re making me seriously re-think getting an instapot. I’ve been on the fence. But with school about to restart for my kids it sounds like a great thing to have at the house for quick and delicious dinners. And this, like always, looks incredible! And I love your wine recommendations 🙂
This recipe was so simple, cheap, quick and tasty! I’ve made something like this in my slow cooker before, but I didn’t have hours to spend on it today. This was a really great alternative! A huge hit at my house!!!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed them Amanda!
I am nervous that there is not even a tiny bit of water added. It won’t burn without more liquid than just the thick and chunky salsa?!?!
Yep. Burn notice. 🙁
We love this recipe! Can you share more nutrition facts for a single serving?
Hi Morgan – that should show on the recipe card! Hope that helps 🙂