3 ingredient Super creamy Instant Pot or Crockpot salsa chicken that is shredded and ready to go in tacos, quesadillas, or sliders! It’s one of the easiest things that you can make in the Instant Pot, and ready in under half an hour from start to finish!
I love 3 ingredient recipes! So simple, so easy, and cheap! And this creamy salsa chicken is all of that, plus it’s SO flavorful! Make it once, and you’ll keep making it over and over again.
Quick and easy dinner SORTED.
Throw chicken and salsa in the Instant Pot, cook, then shred and mix in some cream cheese. so good!
Table of Contents
Tools you will need
- An Instant Pot or a Crockpot. I have this Instant Pot, it’s my favorite!
- Kitchen tongs or a wooden spoon.
- 2 forks.
Creamy Instant Pot salsa chicken ingredients
You will need 3 very simple ingredients!
- Chicken breasts – boneless and skinless.
- Your favorite salsa – I use homemade mild salsa.
- Cream cheese – or soft cheese (UK).
How to make creamy salsa chicken in the Instant Pot?
Start by dumping the chicken in the Instant Pot along with the salsa. Depending on the salsa that you’re using, you might need to add water (I recommend adding a ¼-½ cup of water) to avoid getting a BURN message.
I also heard that the newer Instant Pot models show the burn message more often, so keep that in mind and decide whether you need to add water or not (to be safe, you can just add at least ¼ of a cup of water).
Give everything a mix so that the salsa goes underneath the chicken, then cover with the lid.
Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to release naturally for 5 minutes then quickly release the rest of the steam.
Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place it on a cutting board or on a plate and shred using two forks.
Of if that’s easier, you can shred the chicken in the Instant Pot (because who likes washing dishes?!).
Next, add the softened cream cheese and mix it in so it melts into the sauce and you get a creamy and nice sauce.
If the cream cheese doesn’t melt easily, then press on the SAUTE setting to warm up the ingredients and help the cream cheese melt.
And there you have it! Super creamy and delicious Instant Pot creamy salsa chicken that is shredded and ready to go into sliders or tacos!
How to shred cooked chicken?
- Using 2 forks – great when you don’t want to wash a mixer or an extra bowl. Works for smaller amounts.
- With your hands! Probably the easiest way to do it.
- Using a hand or stand mixer – a timesaver when you’re working with large amounts of chicken and works really well. Use low-medium speed to do this.
How to make creamy salsa chicken in the slow cooker or Crockpot?
It’s also possible to make this creamy salsa chicken in the slow cooker which also works great.
Dump all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Once the cooking is finished, shred the chicken and mix it very well.
How to use shredded salsa chicken?
This Instant Pot creamy salsa chicken is great in:
- Tacos, nachos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas
- Sliders and salads!
Shredded chicken sliders
Sliders made with this creamy Instant Pot salsa chicken are sooo delicious! I top with grated cheddar, and sliced green onions. You can also add crispy bacon bits!
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
- Instant Pot shredded chicken
- Instant Pot sesame chicken
- Instant Pot hibachi chicken
- Instant Pot Marsala chicken
- Instant Pot Tuscan chicken
- Instant Pot chicken mac and cheese
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Creamy Salsa Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 – 2 pounds in total)
- 10 ounces (300g) salsa
- ¼ cup water only if you're using chunky salsa or have a newer IP model
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
In the Instant Pot:
- In the Instant Pot dump chicken and a jar of salsa (plus water if using) and give everything a mix to make sure that the sauce goes underneath the chicken.
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to release naturally for 5 minutes then quickly release the rest of the steam.
- Carefully remove the lid, and using 2 forks shred the chicken inside the pot or on a cutting board. Then add cream cheese, and stir it in as it melts. If it doesn't melt right away then press on SAUTE and it will melt. Season with salt if desired.
In the slow cooker:
- Put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- Once the cooking is finished, shred the chicken and mix it very well.
Notes:
- While this recipe calls for chicken breasts, you can use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Frozen chicken can also be used, but you’ll have to add 5 minutes to the cooking time. Set the timer at 15 minutes, and cook on high pressure then naturally release the steam for 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Shayla says
I love this chicken! Such a great low carb option that feels like a splurge! I am curious on what exactly you considered to be a serving size for these nutritional facts? The recipe says it’s serves 8 but depending on what size the chicken breasts are, I know that can vary.
April says
Super easy and delish. I guess I will serve this as a sandwich but could also be a dip! Delish, Easy, quick and only 3 stars ingredients!!! Win, win!!!
Diana says
Glad that you loved it, April! Thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome review!