How to Make Chicken Salad using the Instant Pot

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How to Make Chicken Salad with the Instant Pot for a chicken salad that is creamy, filling, and savory. A classic sandwich with a hint of sweetness from green grapes and a little crunch from fresh celery and onions.

An easy lunch or dinner, perfect for any baby or bridal shower, or graduation party, and especially nice for Mother’s Day.  The traditional Chicken Salad is super simple when you cook the chicken breasts on the Instant Pot. (However, a Costco Rotisserie Chicken works just as well).

Whether you turn a 1960s chicken salad into a fancy croissant sandwich or eat it on the side of a veggie-loaded salad, chicken salad is a delicious way to get a high pack of protein. When I think of chicken salad sandwiches I think of church potlucks summer picnics and beautiful salads with the colors of the rainbows.

You may also be interested in trying this recipe: Easy Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken Quick Family Dinner

How to Make Chicken Salad with your Instant Pot

• Spray the bottom of the inner pot to your Instant pot with spray oil, for easy cleanup.
• Place in the bottom of the inner pot the handled trivet or rack. 
• Add 1/2 cup of water to the inner pot. 
• Season your fresh or frozen chicken breast season as you like.
• Set the lid to seal and set high pressure for 15 minutes, with a 10 minutes natural release.
• When the 10 minutes is up open the lid and remove the chicken.
• You can now let it cool and cut into the size pieces you like for your chicken salad. 

Here is just one chicken breast. I did use some seasoned salt, salt, and pepper. After the natural release, you have the perfect roasted chicken breast that you can use for any recipe that calls for cold chicken. You can slice the breast and put on a salad for a low carb lunch.

Let the chicken cool a bit and then with two forks lightly shred the chicken to the size you want.  You can also take a knife and cut it into small chunks. The chicken can be cooked the day before and keep refrigerated. Using the Instant Pot makes cooking so convenient. You can have chicken cooking and you are hands-free to get other ingredients ready or just have some free time. When making a cold chicken salad I like to have the chicken made the day before and refrigerated so all I have to do is mix and serve.

A classic recipe is simple with onion, celery, parsley, and salt and pepper mixed with mayonnaise. However, you can make your chicken salad any way that you like. They are so many good flavors and you can pick from your family’s favorite. 

For a quick lunch, I use our regular bread and for special occasions and guests, I always make sandwiches on fresh croissants we get in a large package at Costco.

Variations on the Traditional Chicken Salad Recipe

• You can bake, grill, or boil your chicken for this recipe.
• You can also get a rotisserie chicken from the store.
• You can even use canned chicken in a pinch.
• Adding nuts to your recipe, almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
• Adding red, white, or dark red grapes.
• Substituting 1/2 of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
• Add small chunks of apple or pineapple.
• add dill pickle relish & red onion.
• Serving on your favorite sandwich bread, bagels, crackers, lettuce wrap, or as a round scoop on the side of a salad.
• For a low carb option, serve on apple slices.

The ideas are endless, just use your favorite flavors and your imagination.  If you have little ones at home just a plan simple recipe will work best if they are not too adventurous.

What to Serve with a Traditional Chicken Salad Sandwich

One of our family’s favorite side dishes when having chicken salad sandwiches is a Super Simple Salsa with chips. You can make your salsa spicy with extra jalapeno and serve it with any specialty blue taco chip.

In the summer you will love to have fresh farm-grown corn on the cob that is so easy to make Corn on the Cob in the Instant Pot.

A simple and easy Corn Bread Recipe is perfect in the fall.

Check Out These Budget Friendly Instant Pots

How to Make Chicken Salad Using the Instant Pot

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How to make chicken salad sandwiches using your Instant Pot to have the most delicious most chicken with no fuss.

• Author: Susan @Craftingafamily
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: main dish
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 large frozen chicken breasts (Costo)
• 1 & 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Garlic Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Onion Salt
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion chopped in small chunks
• 1 cup of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 & 1/4 cups of green grapes cut in quarters
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Whole Celery Seed
• 1 & 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Hellmann’s Light Mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper
• croissants or bread

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Instructions

1. With the inner pot in the Instant pot, place the handled rack in the inner pot so the chicken is not sitting on the bottom of the inner pot.
2. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water to the inner pot.
3. Sprinkle garlic and onion salt on top of the frozen chicken breast and place the chicken breasts on the rack in the inner pot.
4. While the chicken is cooking, chop the onion, celery parsley and grapes in small bite size pieces. Set aside.
5. Place the lid on top and secure. Set the Instant Pot for 15 minutes on high pressure and a 10 minutes natural release.
6. When the time is up release any pressure and remove the chicken to a cutting board.
7. Cut the chicken into 1/2 strips and then shredded with 2 forks to make a lightly shredded chicken.
8. When the chicken is cool, mix together the chicken, onion, celery, parsley, grapes, celery ceed, salt & pepper.
9. Gently mix in the mayonnaise.
10. Chill and serve in a croissant or bread.

Keywords: Instant Pot Chicken Salad

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