Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (Video)
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken has so much flavor from lime and melted mozzarella, and this is an Instant Pot dinner the family will love. This recipe is a pressure cooker version of my super-popular Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, so you can choose whether to use the Instant Pot or the slow cooker!
PIN Instant Pot Salsa Chicken to make it later!
It’s no secret that I was a big slow cooker fan for many years, and now I’m a big Instant Pot fan who also still likes the slow cooker. And in the Slow Cooker Recipes section of my recipe index there are some hugely popular recipes, and quite often I’ll get a comment asking how to make one of those beloved slow cooker recipes in the Instant Pot.
I’d never want to give those instructions without testing the recipe in the Instant Pot, and it did take me a few tries of recipe testing with Jake and Kara to make this Instant Pot Salsa Chicken work as well as my super-popular recipe for Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken.
But we thought the final version of this was so tasty, and this is an extra-easy 5-ingredient dinner! And if you use a salsa without added sugar, it’s low in carbs as well! Hope you’ll give it a try if you like the sound of this easy low-carb salsa chicken dinner with Mexican flavors.
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link) or other mild or medium salsa that’s low in sugar
- fresh-squeezed lime juice
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper
- grated Mozzarella Cheese
Why I use Pace Picante Sauce for Instant Pot Salsa Chicken:
I’m a big fan of Pace Picante Sauce, which I love both for the flavor and the fact that it doesn’t add many carbs for a recipe like this. Of course tomatoes have natural sugar, but some salsas have added sugar. I used medium Pace Picante Sauce for this recipe, but if you’re cooking for kids you may prefer mild salsa. And of course you can use any low-sugar salsa you prefer to make Salsa Chicken.
What size Instant Pot did I use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes! You can use Instant Pot Recipes to see my growing collection of Instant Pot Recipes. You’ll find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker.
Want more low-carb Instant Pot Dinners?
For more dinner ideas using the Instant pot check out Favorite Keto Instant Pot Recipes. And if you’re an Instant Pot fan who loves Mexican food, this recipe was featured in Low-Carb Mexican Food in the Instant Pot on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site!
Pressure Cooking the Instant Pot Salsa Chicken:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim fat and undesirable parts from the chicken, spray the pot with nonstick spray, and put chicken in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- Mix the salsa and fresh lime juice. (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.)
- Pour the salsa-lime mixture over the chicken and lock the lid of the Instant Pot.
- Set it to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally when the time is up, then remove the chicken to a cutting board, leaving the salsa mixture in the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH TEMPERATURE, and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes, but keep an eye on it.
- While the sauce cooks down, preheat broiler and move the rack so it’s about 6 inches away from the broiler.
- Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and arrange them in the baking dish.
Finishing the Instant Pot Salsa Chicken:
- When the sauce has thickened, turn off Instant Pot and spoon the sauce over the chicken in the baking dish.
- Sprinkle with a generous amount of grated Mozzarella.
- Broil until the cheese is melted and slightly starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes, but watch it carefully.
- Serve hot, with diced avocado, sour cream, or Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to add at the table if desired.
More Chicken in the Instant Pot:
- Green Chile Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Rice Greek Chicken Bowls
- Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
This Instant Pot Salsa Chicken has lime and melted mozzarella, and it's an easy dinner the whole family will love. Make this in the slow cooker if you prefer that method!
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 3/4 cup, mild or medium salsa (see notes)
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste for seasoning chicken
- 1 cup grated Mozzarella (or more)
Instructions
- Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from the chicken breasts.
- Spray the instant pot with nonstick spray, put chicken in the Instant Pot and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- Mix the salsa and fresh lime juice. (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for this recipe.)
- Pour the salsa-lime juice mixture over the chicken.
- Lock the lid of the Instant Pot.
- Set it to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally when the time is up, then remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board, leaving the salsa mixture in the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH TEMPERATURE, and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 8-10 minutes, but I would check it a few times.
- While the sauce cooks down, preheat oven broiler and move the rack so it's about 6 inches away from the broiler.
- Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and arrange them closely together in the baking dish.
- When the sauce has thickened to your linking, turn off Instant Pot and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with a generous amount of grated Mozzarella.
- Broil until the cheese is melted and slightly starting to brown, about 3-4 minutes, but watch it carefully if you have a powerful broiler.
- Serve hot, with diced avocado, sour cream, or Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to add at the table if desired.
Notes
I used Pace Picante Sauce (affiliate link) which has 1 gram of sugar in 2 tablespoons. Be sure to use a low-sugar salsa if you're watching carbs. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.
This recipe is an Instant Pot version of Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with Lime and Melted Mozzarella. That recipe was created by Kalyn; adapted for the Instant Pot with help from Jake and Kara.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 577mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 33g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Instant Pot Salsa Chicken is a perfect easy dinner for low-carb and Keto diets, and this is also great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. Be sure to choose a salsa without added sugar.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more ideas for your Instant Pot! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Instant Pot Salsa Chicken was first posted in 2018, and it’s been super popular on the blog. It was last updated with more information in 2023.
31 Comments on “Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (Video)”
I am not a fan of chicken breasts, can I use boneless thighs?
Yes, thighs should be fine for this recipe.
Thank You!
Can this be made another way besides in a instapot
There is a link in the recipe to the slow cooker version. I haven’t made it any other way than those two methods.
How do you make this in the slow cooker?
If you look in the third paragraph of the post, there is a link to Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken that will take you right to that recipe.
My kids are super picky and STILL loved this!! I put it on top of riced cauliflower that I added the last few minutes of cooking so it had the salsa and lime flavor! Thank you for sharing!
Oh yaay; I am always so happy when a recipe gets a thumbs up from the kids!
Can I use frozen chicken for this? Do I need to adjust the time?
I haven’t made it with frozen chicken so I wouldn’t really know how that will work. I’d just thaw the chicken in hot water for a short time.
So I’m probably missing something, but removing the chicken from the Instapot after 6 minutes, the chicken was raw inside. So I’m guessing step 8 means to place the chicken back into the Instapot and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes more, not just the sauce?
No, I didn’t put the chicken back in the Instant Pot when I cooked the sauce. If you cooked the chicken 6 minutes at HIGH pressure and then let it natural release, the chicken should be fully cooked. That is at least 10 minutes to come to pressure, 6 minutes cooking time, and about 15 minutes more while the pressure is releasing.
Hello,
How long would you suggest leaving the chicken on natural release?
Thank you!
Natural Release means let the pressure release until it has all released, so that’s not a specific amount of time. The length of time will vary depending on how much liquid there is. For chicken I would try to let it go 15 minutes at least if you don’t have time to do a fully natural release.
Does the salsa and lime juice give the pot enough liquid so you don’t get the burn notice or do I need to also add a cup of liquid?
It was enough liquid for my Instant pot; did you see the photo with the liquid after cooking, some of which was released from the chicken. But if you’ve had problems with that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add a small amount of liquid (I think 1/4 – 1/2 cup would be plenty.) You’d need to simmer a bit longer at the end to evaporate the extra liquid. Hope you enjoy!
So simple to make and so perfectly flavorful! This recipe will be my new go-to. Thank you!
Thanks Ryan, so glad you liked it!
I noticed that in the picture there are 8 chicken breasts in the pan. I was just wondering how much added pressure cooking time (if any) you need to add to do 8 chicken breasts at once or do you recommend doing 4 breasts in 2 separate batches in the IP? We take leftovers for lunch or have them for dinner the next night with different sides, etc.
That is not 8 chicken breasts, it’s four breasts cut in half. I wish I knew the answer about cooking 8 breasts at once, but I’ve never done that and I’m not enough of an Instant Pot expert to tell you without trying it. If I had to guess I’d say you’d probably need a little more liquid and a little more time if you increase the amount of chicken, but that is ONLY a guess! You might google “Instant Pot 8 chicken breasts” and see what you find.
This looks great and will definitely try it for my family.
Any suggestions as to what to serve with it?
It’s hard for me to know what different people will like but I’d love this Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese with this for a side dish. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This is by far, the best recipe I’ve gotten my hands into! The chicken was so tender and juicy and the mozarella made everything superb! I added sour cream since it has always been my fave, and it also blended well with the whole dish. Thank you so much for sharing this, Kalyn!
So glad you enjoyed it! I like the idea of sour cream!
Do you have a conversion time/temperature for baking this in the oven?
I haven’t made it in the oven. The problem with just baking the chicken in the salsa mixture and then putting it under the broiler at the end is that most chicken will release some liquid, so I’m guessing the sauce will still need to be reduced. But if you wanted to try it, I’d probably start with a temperature of about 400F/200C. Let us know how it works if you try making it entirely in the oven.
This is totally a recipe my family would love. And I both love the flavors AND Instant Pot!!
Thanks Toni! Hope you enjoy it!
This is by far the best recipe for pot-salsa chicken that I have came across and made! All the ingredients mix perfectly and make your mouth water by just the sight of it. Thank You for this recipe!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!