Learn how to make delicious, creamy, tangy and savory Instant Pot chicken salad. This recipe will show you how to make the tastiest chicken meat that can be shredded or diced to make that American-style, classic chicken salad. Serve it in a bowl, in a sandwich or in a wrap.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Salad Recipes
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 489kcal
Ingredients
For cooking chicken
1poundchicken breasts2 large breasts, boneless, skinless
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonpepper
1cupchicken stock
2clovesgarlicdiced
1teaspoondried thyme
For the salad
1cupcelery1 large celery stalk, diced
1cupred grapesdiced
½cupgreen onionsabout 2-3 onions, chopped
⅓cupalmondschopped or crushed
½cupmayonnaise
⅓cupsour cream or Greek yoghurt
1tablespoonDijon mustard
1teaspoononion powder
¼teaspoonsalt & pepperor to taste
Instructions
PRESSURE COOKING THE CHICKEN
Cut the chicken breasts into two pieces (cut the thickest part of the breasts to make them a little thinner and more even). Season with a little salt and pepper.
Add a cup of chicken stock, sliced garlic and dried thyme to the Instant Pot. Nestle the chicken breasts in the broth.
Secure the lid. Select the Pressure Cook button and adjust the time to 10 minutes on HIGH. The Instant Pot will take 6-7 minutes to come to pressure. Once the timer has finished, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes and then manually let off the remaining steam.
Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cool down for 5-10 minutes. Dice or slice into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Tip: save the broth to make a soup or stew with, you can freeze it.
MIXING THE SALAD
While the chicken is cooking, dice other ingredients and prepare the dressing condiments.
In a medium or small frying pan, pan-fry (toast, no oil!) the chopped almonds or other nuts over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Stir frequently, especially as the nuts start to brown and smell toasted. Remove when they turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they are easy to burn. Set aside.
Add all ingredients to the diced chicken (hold back salt and pepper) and mix well. You can stir the almonds through or save them to sprinkle on top.
Taste and season with extra salt and pepper to taste. We find adding a good pinch of each was perfect. If you like a little more tang, you can mix in a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
Notes
See the section on Ingredients above for tips and swaps/alternatives.
How much chicken salad per person? This recipe makes 4-6 servings depending on how you serve the salad (e.g. in a sandwich or as a salad). In general, about 6 oz. worth of chicken with other salad bits and pieces should be enough per person. It may be less or more depending on what else is served. We usually calculate 1 large chicken breast for 2 decent servings.
How long can chicken salad sit out? Once the chicken salad is made, it is best chilled in the fridge. This way, it can keep for up to 4 days. Once served out of the fridge, chicken salad can sit out for up to 4 hours. If you don't chill the salad straight after making it, it can sit out for up to 4 hours. Once you refrigerate it after 4 hours, don't keep it for longer than 24 hours.