I love Instant Pot chicken. It’s one of the first things I learned to make in my Instant Pot and it continues to be the one thing I make more often than any other.
The reason is simple. I use the Instant Pot to make chicken ahead of time which can then be used in a huge variety of meals over the next few days if refrigerated, or weeks if frozen. Today I’m sharing my Instant Pot Chicken Recipe and all of our favorite ways to use it.
Chicken Enchiladas Using this Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
I use shredded Instant Pot Chicken and this Frontera Enchilada Sauce from Thrive Market (which is 60% cheaper than my grocery store price for the same sauce) to make quick and easy chicken enchiladas my whole family loves. I layer the chicken and cheese inside tortillas, roll each tortilla into the baking dish, pour sauce and more shredded cheese on top and bake for 20-30 minutes on 400º until the cheese and sauce are bubbly. Easy-peasy.
Chicken Soup Using this Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
I use chopped or shredded Instant Pot Chicken and the broth (each recipe makes about four cups of broth) to make a delicious chicken soup. I start by sautéing an onion with any other uncooked vegetables I want to use. This totally depends on what I have on hand and might include celery, carrots, parsnips, turnips, zucchini, or yellow squash. Once the onions are translucent, I add the broth, chicken, any frozen vegetables I want to use (corn, peas, or mixed vegetables work well) and a little salt and pepper.
If I don’t have enough broth for the amount of soup I need, I might add store bought broth or frozen broth or even water at this point as well. If I want to make Chicken and Rice soup I add a cup of rice. If I want to make Chicken and Noodle soup, I wait till the soup is boiling and add noodles. Once the rice (20 minutes for Jasmine rice) or noodles (about five minutes) are cooked, I may or may not turn it into a cream soup by removing the soup from the heat and adding 1-2 cups of heavy cream. My kids will ask for this soup!
Chicken Salad from my Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
I love to use our Instant Pot Chicken to make our favorite chicken salad. This salad is a big hit with my kids and is most loved when served on croissants from the grocery bakery. Chicken salad can also be served on a bed of greens or any bread you like.
Chicken Quesadillas using the Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
Chicken quesadillas are super easy using shredded Instant Pot Chicken. Just place a pat of butter in the skillet. Add one tortilla, open. Sprinkle on shredded chicken on one half and top with Mexican cheese. Fold the tortilla in half. Now you can add another tortilla to the other half of the skillet and cook two at once. My eldest often makes this quick and easy dish when my husband and I enjoy date night.
You can also add this chicken taco sauce to the cooked chicken, heat it through, and use it for tacos.
Chicken Sandwiches from Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
Shredded chicken makes a great barbecue sandwich when mixed with barbecue sauce and served on a bun. Chop the chicken to use it in Philly-style chicken sandwiches instead. Just sauté some green or red peppers and onions and even mushrooms if you want with salt, pepper, and garlic first and set aside. Then heat up the chicken in a skillet and melt provolone on top. Layer chicken and veggies on a sub bun with mayonnaise and serve hot! This is an all-time family favorite.
Chicken Casserole Dishes made with Instant Pot Chicken
One of my daughter’s favorite ways to use Instant Pot Chicken is in any variety of chicken casseroles (comfort food). You can simply mix the pre-cooked chicken with pre-cooked rice, sour cream, a can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup, frozen veggies, sautéed or canned mushrooms, canned pimentos, or whatever you like in a casserole and bake. If you don’t like rice – use noodles! Equally yummy and delicious meals result either way.
This list just scratches the surface of the things that you can make with this simple Instant Pot chicken recipe. Anything you could make with pre-cooked chicken you can make with this recipe.
Here it is: The Instant Pot Chicken Recipe I Use for all this Magic
Place the trivet (a small metal tray that comes with your IP) in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Add 4-5 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs. Sprinkle with coarse Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper. Add 1-2 tablespoons of minced garlic from a jar or a few cloves of minced fresh garlic. Pour two cups of water over the chicken. Seal the Instant Pot and use the manual setting to pressure cook this chicken for 30 minutes. Release the pressure immediately. Remove the chicken to a large mixing bowl to shred with a hand mixer or pull the chicken out carefully to a cutting board to chop. Save the broth and either freeze or refrigerate it right away if you aren’t using it.
Hint: Make a richer broth by adding an onion and a couple stalks of celery to the Instant Pot before you add the chicken.
Would love to try an instant pot