This creamy Instant Pot salsa chicken is officially my kids’ new favorite keto dinner. 5 simple ingredients and it’s so easy to make, it will quickly become your favorite low carb dinner recipe too! It can easily be adjusted for a crockpot version. This post is sponsored by California Avocados.
The warm weather is finally here, give or take a few rainy, chilly days, and I feel like the world is coming alive again. Well, it truly is coming alive again, with birds singing and trees and flowers bursting into bloom. And all the people coming out of winter hibernation, walking the streets and hitting the biking and hiking trails. My neighbours and I like to joke about how we live right next door to one another but we don’t see each other in the colder months. Now they are out in their yard and we are out in ours, calling greetings over the fence and chit chatting on the front stoop. It’s getting me in the mood for warm weather parties and get togethers.
I’ve got the perfect recipe for those summer parties. This creamy low carb salsa chicken is so quick and easy, and can be scaled up or down depending on the size of your party. It’s the perfect shareable meal. Just whip it up in your Instant Pot in less than 40 minutes, put it all in a big serving dish, and let the gang have at it. Serve it with lettuce wraps and all the usual toppings. But don’t you forget that avocado. A meal like this must be served with avocado! Especially California Avocados, which are in season right now and are so utterly perfect. Just chop them up and let your guests sprinkle them over their salsa chicken lettuce wraps. Or mash them up into guacamole. Your choice!
How To Make Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
This is what I like to call a dump-and-run recipe. It really is one of those insanely easy Instant Pot recipes where you can dump everything in, turn the machine on, and walk away. The prep time is so minimal as to be non-existent. But a few notes to make it truly low carb and healthy.
- Make sure your taco seasoning doesn’t contain any sugar or starches
- Choose a salsa brand that only has 2 g of carbs per serving at most
- Use chicken thighs over chicken breasts as they are more flavourful and have a higher fat content
- If you are doubling the recipe, you may want to add 5 minutes to the cook time
And oh my, the kiddos loved this. It was an instant hit. Or an Instant Pot hit…get it? Get it? They’ve already been begging me to make it again and it’s so easy, I won’t hesitate to do so.
Crockpot Salsa Chicken Variation
I know not everyone has an Instant Pot, so here are some tips on making this recipe in your slow cooker instead.
- Use the same ingredients, no need to adjust
- Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through
- If you are doubling the recipe, you may need to cook a little longer
- If you are halving the recipe, it should still be good for 3 hours
- Once the chicken is cooked through, proceed as directed
Got some fun summer parties coming up? Trust me, you won’t regret making a big pot of this easy keto salsa chicken. And all the kids will thank you!
Looking for more easy chicken recipes?
Check out my easy pizza chicken, sheet pan chicken and veggies, or my brown butter chicken
And check out these other great Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs from Gluten Free Palate
Instant Pot Carnitas from A Spicy Perspective
Instant Pot Paprika Pork Chops from Kalyn’s Kitchen
This creamy Instant Pot salsa chicken is officially my kids' new favorite keto dinner. 5 simple ingredients and it's so easy to make, it will quickly become your favorite low carb dinner recipe too!
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into chunks
- 1 cup salsa mild or hot, your preference
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
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Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and a little additional salt and pepper.
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Add the cream cheese, salsa, and broth and lock the lid into place. Use the manual setting and set the Instant Pot on high for 20 minutes. Once it's finished cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
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Use the vent to release any remaining pressure and then remove the lid. Remove the chicken to a plate and use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the sauce to a regular blender and puree.
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Shred the chicken with two forks and add back into the pot. Toss to coat in the creamy sauce. Serve with lettuce wraps and top with chopped avocados and shredded cheddar cheese.
You can make this easily in a crockpot too. 3 to 4 hours on low will do, unless you are doubling the recipe.
Many thanks to California Avocados for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
Carol says
Howdy from Texas Caroline! I received a Instant Pot for Mother’s Day, so I am excited to see more recipes using this new (to me) appliance. I wish I had a neighborhood where the neighbors actually saw each other. Everyone here has yard services and come and go using back entry driveways. I miss the old days where people actually knew their neighbors. 🙁 Thanks for all that you do bringing us these yummy recipes. Happy Spring!! (although in Texas it’s beginning to feel more like summer).
Carol says
Sorry, just noticed that I misspelled your name!! Sorry Carolyn.
Kristin says
Hi. I was wondering what the serving size is
Carolyn says
It serves 6 so you need to just divide it up.
Maria V Villanueva says
Hi there, I have just discovered that dairy is hurting my auto-immune condition. This recipe looks amazing, though, as do all your other recipes! Any suggestions for how to turn this one into a dairy free one? Thanks so much for all you do! it really encourages us to keep it up 🙂
Carolyn says
Sure! Have you tried Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese? It’s the only one I know of that actually tastes good. It doesn’t melt quite the same so may take a little more effort to blend in.
Jeannie says
I haven’t tried this yet. I ordered the seasoning and the salsa recommended at the bottom of your post. Can’t wait to get them and try this. Thank you!
Karen says
Oh YASSSS. This looks ridiculously good and easy. WIN.
Courtney says
I tried this recipe for dinner this week and it was a winner! It’s super quick, and that made it perfect for a mid-week dinner.
Lisa says
I made this last week – it was a winner in our family. We did have it as nachos, my 8 year old son is a newly diagnosed diabetic he needs carbs. It was so easy and tasty. I am so grateful for finding your blog over here in Australia 😀 after the diagnosis so we can not go overboard on the carbs. Thank you.
Yo says
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I make my own taco seasoning so I know it is low carb. This sounds so delicious!!! I love easy recipes in the instant pot. I got mine for Christmas and I love it.
Filmibuff says
Just tried this today and it was a hit. So easy to make yet so full of flavour. Thank you again for another amazing recipe!
KalynsKitchen says
That looks delicious! I love that you’re getting into the Instant Pot!
Sandy says
I made this in the skillet with meat from a rotisserie chicken and it was amazing! Thank you!
Sheila says
This is such a quick & easy dinner! The whole family loves it! Thanks for all you do Carolyn!
Rachel says
Wow! This is a fantastic and super delicious recipe. I didn’t have chicken thighs, so I used the same weight in chicken breasts. Holy cow. It is scrumptious!
CandyC says
Made this tonight, excellent! Thank you for an easy, yummy recipe!
Michael says
The recipe didn’t specify, but the illustrations seem to show that a tomato based salsa was used. Has anyone used a salsa verde to make this recipe?
Carolyn says
No but I think it would be good!
Keith says
Could frozen chicken thighs be used if there’s no time to thaw them? How much time should be added to cook?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
I think it could but I am not sure of the time. Google frozen chicken instant pot and I bet you will come across some great info.
Heather says
Made this tonight as written and it was amazing. It reminds of chicken tortilla soup just a tad thicker. Thank you for another great dinner option!
Heather Gallant says
I made this tonight and it was very good. We both loved it. I served it over broccoli/ cauliflower rice and topped it with diced avocado. This is so easy, quick and delicious. I will definitely be making this often.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Elizabeth says
Delicious! Thank you for the fabulous recipe!!!
Gerard says
I’m relatively new to using the instant pot; this recipe sounded delicious but 5 minutes into the cooking process my Instant Pot displayed the “Burn” message. The food did burn onto the bottom of the pot, I cleaned it and tried again but the same thing happened. What could I have done wrong?
Carolyn says
What IP do you have? There are some different ones with higher settings that may be an issue. But as long as your salsa has plenty of liquid in it, it really shouldn’t be doing this and may be a problem with your actual Instant Pot.
Gerard Lundrigan says
IP-Du060
It is 6qt. I used an already open bottle of salsa, perhaps I didn’t have enough liquid, it was pretty chunky.
Did it matter if I mixed the ingredients? It didn’t say to do it but I did.
Carolyn says
I don’t think the mixing matters. But if the salsa was mostly chunks and no real liquid to speak of, I think you need to add some additional liquid.
One other thought. I burned stuff in the IP once when I didn’t have the lid on properly and there wasn’t a proper seal. That meant that most of the liquid evaporated. Make sure you are putting the lid on properly. That’s actually harder than it sounds. Make sure you are lining it up to where the notches are on the pot, and then sliding it over properly.
Jessica says
I don’t have an instant pot yet so I am using a crock pot. I don’t think I should add the cream cheese until after the chicken is cooked right?
Carolyn says
Actually, you can put it in at the beginning. If you check out my Slow Cooker Pepper Jack Cauliflower, you will see that’s exactly what I do.
Benjamin Barkley says
I’ve tried a plain version of this recipe which was quite delicious, so I figured I’d give this one a round today, doing it in my crockpot. Double recipe, double everything and adding cayenne pepper and a little chili powder to it.
Michelle Lombarski says
How does the recipe change if I’m doubling the recipe and using a crock pot?
Carolyn says
Well obviously the crockpot takes longer but I don’t think you have to do any changes besides double it, cook it on low, probably 3 – 4 hours?