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 just 20 minutes 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!
Tools you will need
- An Instant Pot or a Crockpot. I have this Instant Pot, it’s my favorite!
- Tongs or a wooden spoon.
- 2 forks.
Creamy Instant Pot salsa chicken ingredients
You will need 3 very simple ingredients!
- Chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless and you can use raw or frozen chicken breasts.
- Your favorite salsa – I use homemade mild salsa.
- Cream cheese – or soft cheese (in the 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 1/4-1/2 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 1/4 of cup of water).
Give everything a mix so that the salsa goes underneath the chicken, then cover with the lid.
Make sure that the vent is in sealing position, and press on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK (this depends on which IP model you’re using), choose high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, then cook the chicken. This will take around 7-8 minutes.
Once it’s done, quickly release the steam and carefully open the lid.
Shred the chicken using 2 forks. You can either do this in the pot, or take the chicken out and shred it on a board and then put it back in the sauce. I find it easier to do this in the sauce, the chicken is very tender anyway and easy to shred.
Next, add the cream cheese. I usually take it out of the fridge before I start cooking so it’s not very cold.
Mix in the cream cheese and it should melt. If it doesn’t, then press on SAUTE and let the whole thing heat up so the cream cheese melts perfectly into the salsa chicken.
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.
- 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.
Put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on high for 8 hours or on low for 4 hours.
Once the cooking is finished, shred the chicken and mix it very well.
Can I use frozen chicken?
You sure can! It works fine in the Instant Pot or Crockpot but avoid adding any water as the frozen chicken will produce lots of water as it cooks.
In the Instant Pot cook frozen chicken for 6 minutes on high instead of 5.
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
If you make this recipe, please don’t forget to rate it and share a picture on social media. Tag #LittleSunnyKitchen in your posts as I would really love to see what you make!
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Creamy Salsa Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts about 2 lbs
- ½ lbs salsa
- ¼ cup water only if you're using chunky salsa or have a newer IP model
- 7 oz cream cheese
- ½ tsp 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.
- Cover with the lid, and make sure that the vent is in sealing position. Press on MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK on high heat and set at 20 minutes.
- When the cooking is finished, quickly release the steam. Carefully open the lid, and using 2 forks shred the chicken inside the pot. 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 high for 8 hours or on low for 4 hours.
- Once the cooking is finished, shred the chicken and mix it very well.
Diana’s Tips
- If you’re using frozen chicken in the Instant Pot then don’t add any water, and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes instead of 5. If using a slow cooker, then keep everything the same when using frozen chicken.
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