Instant Pot Salsa Chicken recipe is the way to go if you are a meal planner, or cooking for a crowd. With just a few ingredients, and less than 45 minutes, this pressure cooker Mexican shredded chicken will be ready for tacos, taco bowls, enchiladas, or salads!
Originally published on 12/20/2017
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
This is a quick and easy Instant Pot meal to make. It's one of the easiest in my Instant Pot recipe collection! You can make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken with as little as 2 ingredients, but I like to add extra seasoning so it comes out very flavorful.
You can make so many tasty recipes from Mexican shredded chicken, or freeze it for future delicious meals.
Season your chicken breasts and add them to the inner pot.
Pour the salsa over them and close the lid and cook. You will soon have tasty Instant Pot Salsa Chicken. Easy!
Shred and add back to the sauce and enjoy!
I'm a big fan of bringing my own lunch to work. Maybe splurging once in a while, but I like knowing what I'll be eating, and being able to control the portions and ingredients.
Of course, the other big advantage of bringing your own lunch to work is the cost. If you make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and shred it, you can get several lunches out of this recipe. Hooray for meal prep!
Add some cooked rice, black beans, corn, cheese, and sour cream for delicious taco bowls! Make chicken tacos, or add the meat to a salad.
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If you make this great salsa chicken recipe, please leave a comment below with a star rating. I'd love to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken is Mexican flavored shredded chicken breast that you can use for tacos, burrito bowls, and casseroles. Lots of flavor, and this pressure cooker shredded chicken is so useful!
- 3 - 4 Chicken Breasts**, skinless/boneless (approx. 8 oz ea)
- Salt, to season meat
- Pepper, to season meat
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder, to season meat
- 1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning***
- 1 tsp Oregano (If you can get Mexican Oregano, it's really good)
- 16 oz Salsa*
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Season chicken breasts on all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
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Put ½ cup of salsa in the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Then add the chicken breasts to the pot, setting them on the salsa.
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Sprinkle the oregano and taco seasoning over the chicken.
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Pour the remaining salsa over the chicken, covering it. *If your salsa is really thick, you can add ¼ cup of water to help the pressure build, but I have never needed to. I use a salsa that is from the refrigerated section of the store, and it works nicely, with good flavor.
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Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button (or dial) and then the + or - to choose 10-12 minutes** depending on the weight/thickness of the breasts. You don't need to add any additional liquid to the pot, the salsa and chicken have enough to bring it to pressure.
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When the cooking cycle has ended, let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure. Then, after 10 minutes, manually release any remaining pressure (there may not be any, and that's okay) by turning the steam release knob to Venting.
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Remove the chicken to a large bowl and shred it, using two forks. Then add it back to the pot. If there is too much liquid for your taste, just scoop some out. Leave some, as it has a lot of flavor, and will also keep the meat moist (the liquid is also great over rice).
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Now you are ready to use it in your favorite recipes!
**If your chicken breasts are the really large (11 oz or more) sized, increase cook time by 3 minutes.
***Try my Easy Taco Seasoning recipe. It's great in so many recipes, even pasta!
RESOURCES TO MAKE pressure cooker salsa chicken and More
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Margareta
Very good recipe
Monika
I’ve made this numerous times in the past two months, so delicious. I actually put it on top of some wild rice, add some sriracha sauce, avocado slices, and sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes for a homemade burrito bowl. So delicious.
Aprilyn
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I added a little extra water like you recommend and it was perfect. I like having a little extra liquid so we can eat the chicken for leftovers!!
Sandy
That's great, Aprilyn!
Sarah
Recipe was great! Very tasty. I used partially frozen chicken breasts and stirred in some black beans after shredding it all. I used a hand mixer to shred the chicken... life changing. thanks for the great simple recipe! Very versatile, I served it over nachos, over rice and as a taco. Big hit with my family of 4!
Sandy
Hi Sarah, thank you! Love the hand mixer tip!
Marlee Wilson
I have made this recipe so often ... it's so easy and incredible. I used a variation of your taco seasoning (made with a little less heat) and use lettuce as wraps to keep it GF. Thanks so much for such a fantastic recipe!
Sandy
Thank you, Marlee! I'm so happy that you could adjust it to work for you!
Abby Smith
Hello, I am going to make your salsa chicken recipe tonight for 5 adults and want to double the recipe so I have enough and maybe some for leftovers ? do I need to double the time under pressure as well?
Sandy
Hi, You don't need to double the time, but just watch for undercooked spots where the chicken overlaps.
Donnie
I have tried a few other Mexican style pulled chicken recipes and none of them even came close to this one. I will be making this one often. I was really worried about the salsa possibly burning since I have an Ultra that everyone seems to believe is more sensitive to burn notices, but it worked perfect.
This will likely be my go to for chicken like your taco pasta is for ground hamburger or turkey.
Sandy
Hi Donnie! I'm so glad this worked well for you! No one wants that burn error! Thank you for your review!
Whitney
Do you have a favorite salsa to use? Tia!
Sandy
I like the ones in the deli department that have a bit of spice to them. In my area we have San Juan Salsa Co.