Instant Pot Mexican Chicken
Creamy shredded chicken with beans and corn make for a delicious, healthy, and EASY meal served over brown rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth (Note: Use 1 1/2 - 2 cups for an 8-quart Instant Pot.)
- 1 (1-ounce) package all-natural taco seasoning (or 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning recipe)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts ( About 2-3 breasts.)
- 16 ounces of your favorite salsa (1 1/2 - 2 cups)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained and rinsed
- 6 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 3 cups cooked brown rice or Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
- Optional topping ideas: shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, diced avocado, pickled red onions, minced jalapeños, chopped black olives
Instructions
- Note: We tested this in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If using an 8-quart, use 1 1/2 - 2 cups of broth instead of just 1 cup.
- In Instant Pot, add broth and taco seasoning. Stir until well combined. Place the chicken in the pot and spoon some of the liquid on top of each piece. Dump the salsa, drained black beans, and corn on top. (Note: It's important that the broth is on the bottom to avoid a potential "burn notice".)
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Then, turn the knob to do a quick release of the pressure. Make sure the chicken is done (165°F internally or no longer pink inside).
- Remove chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks.
- Add the chicken back to Instant Pot. Stir in the cubed cream cheese until it melts and blends into the mixture.
- Serve over brown rice and top with your favorite Mexican toppings, like diced avocado, lime wedges, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onion, diced red onion, etc.
Freezer Instructions
Prepare From Frozen:
- Method 1 (Uncooked): Place the frozen meal in the Instant Pot. Turn on the "Saute" function and cook for 5-10 minutes until some liquid is released. Press "Cancel". Lock and seal the lid and pressure cook for 15-20 minutes. Use a quick release of the pressure. Check to make sure the chicken is done. Then follow Steps 3-5 of the recipe, shredding the chicken and stirring all the ingredients together to serve.
- Method 2 (Fully Cooked): To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours and warm on low on the stove or in the microwave. For a quick thaw, use the defrost setting on the microwave. Follow Step 5 for serving instructions.
Notes/Tips
- Sneaky Nutrition Tip: If you'd like to add some (tasteless) extra nutrition, stir in a 1/2 - 1 cup of canned pumpkin, butternut squash puree, chopped spinach, or frozen cauliflower rice. (Check out more ways to sneak extra fruits and vegetables into meals.)
- Cream Cheese - I've only tested it with full-fat cream cheese. (If you try using low-fat cream cheese, let me know in the comments how it works for you.) I think that Kitehill's Dairy Free Cream Cheese would work well, too.
- Salsa - Use your favorite all-natural salsa from the store. I LOVE Mateo's Gourmet Salsa and have seen it at Walmart, Hy-Vee, and Publix so far.
- Taco seasoning - Either make your own using our easy Homemade Taco Seasoning or buy some at the store. I use McCormick's brand or Siete's gluten-free taco seasoning.
- Dairy-Free Version: Simply leave out the cream cheese or use Kitehill's Dairy Free Cream Cheese instead, and omit any dairy toppings (like cheese or sour cream). This recipe is still yummy without those!
- Gluten-Free Tip: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. However, if using store-bought taco seasoning. make sure it is gluten-free. I like Siete brand.
- Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving without toppings (chicken mixture & rice only) | Calories: 503 kcal (25%) | Carbohydrates: 59 g (20%) | Protein: 36 g (72%) | Fat: 15 g (23%) | Cholesterol: 102 mg (34%) | Sodium: 1517 mg (66%) | Fiber: 11 g (46%) | Sugar: 8 g (9%)
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