Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and Rice is one of my favorite Instant Pot meals. I like it because it’s basically dump and go. You can even use frozen chicken breasts! It doesn’t get any easier than this.

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Ingredients for Easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and Rice:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 16-oz jar of salsa
1 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
I cup white rice

Directions:

In this order, put the ingredients into the Instant Pot: water, rice, chicken, ranch packet, salsa. Layer the chicken in a single layer on top of the rice, or if you’ve got a high trivet, this is a great time to use it.

NOTE: Depending on how much liquid is in your salsa, you may have to use more/less water in this recipe. There needs to be a 1:1 ratio of water to rice, plus extra liquid for cooking the chicken. Otherwise, you’ll end up with burned up rice in the bottom of the pot. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)

Set the Instant Pot for 6 minutes on high pressure.

Natural pressure release.

Serve the chicken on top of the rice with any extra salsa still in the pot.

Seriously. It’s that easy.

What do I serve Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and rice with?

Because the chicken and rice already has protein, carbs, and vegetables, we usually just eat it like it is. However, you can serve the chicken and rice with a nice salad or a side of beans. You can also garnish with some sour cream and guacamole for a more Mexican flare.

How do I store the chicken?

Store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Can I freeze Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and Rice?

I don’t recommend freezing the chicken and rice because the salsa will become watery when it thaws.

Can I use frozen chicken breasts?

You can use frozen chicken breasts – however, the cook time needs to be adjusted to about 15 minutes and you’ll have to make the rice separately. Instant pot rice only takes about 5 minutes.

Can I use homemade salsa?

Of course you can! I’m sure that would be absolutely delicious. Because you are using fresh, you may want to use a little less liquid to accommodate for the water that is in fresh vegetables.

How to choose fresh chicken breasts:

A good, fresh chicken breast is easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. First, you want to choose chicken that is pink. Yellow or grey looking chicken is not fresh.

Chicken should also bounce back when you touch it. If your finger makes an indentation that stays or the chicken feels stiff, it’s not fresh.

You also want to check for an odor. This obviously doesn’t work if the chicken is in the package still, but if you’ve had it sitting in your refrigerator for a few days, check to make sure that it doesn’t have a bad smell before cooking it.

Know where your meat comes from. Meat sourced locally is usually fresher than meat that comes from big chain grocery stores, but that isn’t always the case.

Here are more Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love:

Instant Pot Apple Pie Rice Pudding
Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Corn Chowder
Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Instant Pot Lemon Blueberry French Toast

Easy Instant Pot Salsa Chicken and Rice