Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (3-Ingredients!)

4.73 from 11 votes

Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (3-Ingredients!)

Easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken! Pressure cook chicken with taco seasoning and salsa, shred it and add it to tacos, burritos, salads and more.

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Resting time10 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: people

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Aneesha Gupta

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1.5 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless skinless thighs
2-2½ tablespoons taco seasoning I use Trader Joe's 1.3oz Taco Seasoning (see notes for substitute)
1 cup salsa (I use Trader Joe's Salsa Authentica)
¼-½ cup water : adjust based on how thick your salsa is

Instructions

Turn on the Instant Pot and drizzle olive oil in the cooking pot. Layer chicken breast and spread them around.
Season the chicken breasts with about 2-3 teaspoons of taco seasoning. Flip the chicken and season the other side. Reserve the remaining seasoning for the next step.
Pour salsa all over the chicken breast covering them. Now sprinkle the remaining taco seasoning all over that.
Pour water all around (not over) the chicken breast so there is enough clear liquid for the pot to build pressure.
Close the lid and set it to sealing position. Select pressure cook or manual and cook for 10 minutes (12 minutes for thicker breast) at high pressure. After cook time is up, wait 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. Open the lid when pressure pin drops.
Remove chicken breast in a plate. Using two forks shred the chicken. Alternatively, shred it in the pot using tongs and a fork.
Stir the shredded chicken in the sauce. This salsa chicken is ready to be used in tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, tortilla soup, pizzas or even for taco salad. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast work best for this recipe. Adjust the cook time to 12 minutes if the chicken breast are thicker than 1 inch. To use boneless skinless chicken thighs, reduce the pressure cook time to 8 minutes.
Salsa: use your favorite jar or salsa. If the salsa is very thick add an additional ¼ cup water.
To make verde chicken: Use a jar of salsa verde instead of tomato salsa to make shredded salsa verde chicken.
Homemade taco seasoning: If you like to make your own taco seasoning, mix together: 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1.5 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
Water: Water or any clear liquid is needed for the cooker to build pressure. For that reason pour the water around the chicken and do not stir. Adjust the quantity based on the cooker size.
Store & Freeze: Store leftover salsa chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Alternatively, freeze it for up to a month.

Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition