Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

Name: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 Chicken Breast; 1.5 Cups Salsa (thick, store bought ); 1 Tablespoon Taco seasoning (Optional); 1 Cup Frozen corn; 1 Cup Black beans (Drained ; Canned or boiled el dente)

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This easy instant pot salsa chicken is saucy, bursting with flavor, extremely easy to make and goes with everything! Make tacos with it or serve it with rice!

Why this recipe works

1. Its an easy, dump and go recipe. No babysitting, no sauteing!
2. This recipe works for family meals, meal planning and parties- it's an all in one!

I love anything with black beans and corn. If the recipe is healthy and simple then all the more better!

In fact, this recipe is a great family meal because everyone can make their plates up as per their wish! Also you can make this for an ARMY!

If you are on a diet, eat this with a salad or on almond tortillas. Just some guac with this saucy chicken and a generous helping of cheese and you have a winner! If you are entertaining, scoop the salsa chicken with some tortilla chips. You could eat this in so so many ways!

If that wasn't enough- It freezes very well - cooked and uncooked. You can dump all the ingredients in a freezer bag and throw it in the freezer. To cook, simply empty the bag in instant pot, cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.

If you aren't into corn and beans as much, try making my chicken tinga or if you like more veggies, then try this fajita chicken.

Here is another great option for your vegan tuesdays or is it thursdays? Instant pot vegan chili.

Ingredients for Salsa Chicken

Here is what you will need. I swear i love this recipe for the amount of prep work that goes into it. Which is ZERO!

Salsa- The most important one. I use the store bought kinds- because they tend to be thicker. Also because I am lazy at times. I highly recommend this one.

Can you use homemade salsa to make salsa chicken ?Yes absolutely! make sure it's the pasty kinds like in this recipe.Chunky salsa will alter the recipe. Though it will still be delicious.

That said, the recipe may change based on the type of salsa you use. If it's thinner than mine, the chicken could potentially have more water. If that happens, saute it for a bit and you should be good to go!

Chicken - I have used chicken breast. Simply because I like the texture of shredded chicken breast. It's possibly the only way i like to eat chicken breast.

You can also use chicken thighs to make this salsa chicken recipe. If you do that, increase the cooking time to 11 minutes.

The cooking time might seem more to you when you compare with other recipes. That's because we want the chicken to be super tender before we shred it.

Beans- I like black beans in mine. You could also use pinto or white beans. A mix of beans will also work well.Make sure you drain the liquid from the can and give the beans a rinse before using.

Corn- Here, I like to use the frozen corn. It's easier and lesser work than slicing it off a corn cobb. But feel free to use fresh corn too! You can also add grilled corn.

Taco Seasoning- Use any store bought variety. You can also make it at home-

1 part ground coriander
1 part ground cumin
1 part thyme
1 part garlic powder
½ part smoky ground chilli
½ part paprika.

This stores well in an airtight container.

How to make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

Step 1: Add ¼ Cup of water to the inner pot. This makes sure you do not get a burn messsage.

Step 2: Place the chicken over it. Sprinkle the taco seasoning and add the salsa. Also dump on the top- Corn and Cooked Beans.DO NOT MIX

Step 3: Pressure Cook on HIGH for 9 minutes. Wait for 5 minutes and then Quick Release, Open the instant pot. Remove the chicken and shred it using forks or use a hand Whisk.

Step 4: Put it back in the sauce and give it a good mix. Let the chicken rest inside the instant pot, in the keep warm setting for 5-10 minutes.

This will make sure everything mixes together.

Tip

To make sure all the flavors combing well, cook your salsa chicken in the liquid after you shred the chicken for 1-2 minutes

How to serve Mexican Shredded Chicken

This Salsa Chicken is so juicy and tender, I could eat it with anything. But, here are some options

In a tortilla with some lettuce, onions and maybe some Mexican cheese. Some Greek yogurt on top. Infact, try adding some of this Greek yogurt dip on top. You will love it!
Over some cilantro rice ,Quinoa or even plain basmati rice.
Inside a warm dinner roll with some sour cream.
With tortilla chips & guac.
You could also make some air fryer taquitos with this.

This is the most fun part of making meals that can be put together as per preference. Here is the list of possible toppings

Cojito cheese or Any Mexican blend cheese
Sour cream
Yogurt
Lime juice
Cilantro
sliced avocado
Pico de Gallo
Crema
Hot Sauce
Crushed nachos- this is so satisfying!
Sliced jalapenos- Use the pickled ones.

Here are some more instant pot chicken dinner recommendations recipes for you. Instant Pot Fajita Chicken with bell peppers and onions. This is great served with both rice and tortillas. We also make chicken tinga and chicken carnitas in the instant pot.

If you are looking for something cheesy and keto, you must try this crack chicken. A spin on creamy chicken , this Instant Pot chicken stroganoff is delicious with buttered rice.

Here are all my instant pot chicken recipes to make your decision eaasier!

If you made this delicious salsa chicken, drop me a note! Would love to hear your thoughts on it!

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Instant Pot Salsa Chicken - One Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken or Instant Pot Taco Chicken made with Chicken Breast,Corn and Beans.

3.87 from 213 votes

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 222kcal

Author: Chhavi

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

▢ 3 Chicken Breast
▢ 1.5 Cups Salsa thick, store bought
▢ 1 Tablespoon Taco seasoning Optional
▢ 1 Cup Frozen corn
▢ 1 Cup Black beans Drained ; Canned or boiled el dente

Instructions

Add ¼ cup of water in the inner pot of the instant pot.
Place the chicken breast on top of the water.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning on top of the chicken. Add the salsa on top of it.
Add the frozen corn and black beans on top of everything.
Close and select "PRESSURE COOK" for 9 minutes*** on high.
Once the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before quick releasing the pressure.
Open the pot, take the chicken breast out.Shred using two forks or a hand mixer or a stand mixer
Put it back in the instant pot.Give it a good mix and garnish with cilantro.

Video

Notes

Salsa*- Use your favourite store-bought salsa.Homemade salsa, though great will alter the recipe as they will release more water.

Taco Seasoning**- you can skip this if the salsa is very spicy or you dont have any on hand.

Cooking Time***-Increase the cooking time to 12 minutes if the chicken breasts are very large(10 oz or more)

For chicken breast- 9 minutes.For chicken thigh- 11 minutes.

You need to cook the chicken for more time than usual to shred it. That is why you probably see the cooking time is higher. And as we are cooking the chicken with the liquid, it will be juicy and tender.

Burn Message - The water is added to avoid the burn message.If you add the chicken breast directly, it can burn and show the burn message.

Watery Sauce- The dish could become watery if the salsa is very thin or the chicken breasts have too much water. In that case, saute the shredded chicken in the sauce for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.

Nutrition

Instapot Salsa Chicken with Frozen Chicken

The best way to use Frozen chicken is to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or in the hot water.

But if you are lazy like me and want to just chuck the chicken in.

Follow the steps below to use frozen chicken in the instant pot.

Make sure your frozen chicken breasts are separate and not a big mass of 3 chicken breasts toghether. They have to be 3 separate chicken breasts.
Add 4 minutes more time to the pressure cooking time.Thats it.

Freezer Salsa Chicken

Make this into a freezer instant pot meal.You can have dinner on the table with 0 prep!

Add all the ingredients to the freezer bag. Place it on a tray and freeze it horizontally. You can stack the frozen bags vertically or horizontally and save a lot of freezer space.

While freezing the ingredients- Make sure you flatten the freeze the ingredients. This will make sure all of the chicken breasts are not stuck toghether. That will increase your cooking time.

I do this when i have extra left over salsa.

Tips for Instant Pot Salsa Chicken

Burn Message- There is a chance of burn message appearing if you do not add the ¼ Cup of water before adding the chicken. This can also make the chicken watery, especially if the salsa is thin or if the chicken has too much water in it.

Watery Chicken- If the dish turns out watery, you can make it thicker using the SAUTE function. Also, Make sure you drain the beans completely before adding them to the pot.

Can I Add more vegetables to this chicken

Absolutely!
You can add chopped up peppers. They would go wonderfully with this chicken. Adding Celery & Carrots is also a great option. You should add tougher veggies along with the corn.

Is salsa chicken gluten free

This Chicken is very versatile. You can make it Whole 30,Paleo and Gluten Free by omitting the beans and using a compliant Salsa.
Serve this with almond flour or cauliflower tortillas for a super healthy, low carb Meal.

How long to cook Salsa Chicken in Instant Pot

It depends on what chicken- breast or thigh, Fresh or frozen you are using.
For chicken breast- 9 minutes. For chicken thigh- 11 minutes.
To shred the chicken, you need to cook it for more time than usual. That is why you probably see the cook time is on the higher side. And because we are cooking the chicken with the liquid, it will be juicy and tender.
When you shred the chicken, it will be easy. You wont need to wrestle with the chicken.

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