Instant Pot Chicken Salad (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free)
Instant Pot Chicken Salad (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free)
The Instant Pot makes life so much harder! – Said no one, EVER. The Instant Pot is amazing, and I’ll tell you why. It has about a million settings on it, for everything you could possibly need, from stew and chili to yogurt. It boils eggs perfectly, making them a breeze to peel, cooks beef to the perfect level of tenderness, and produces perfectly steamed veggies in a matter of minutes. When we switched from slow-cookers to the Instant Pot, I admit I was a little reluctant. My slow-cooker was my prized possession, giving us warm and wonderful meals week after week, delighting our house with the smell of something yummy cooking. But then Japheth started going on and on about the benefits of pressure cooking, and then he said “it acts as a slow-cooker too”, and I was intrigued. “I’ll give it a try” I said. So I did. And I faced my pressure cooking fears too. Come to find out, pressure cooking with the Instant Pot does not result in fires that destroy the kitchen and home, as I had pictured. I now own 4 Instant Pots, and rave about them so much that I’ve convinced numerous clients and friends to get them too (and they LOVE it).
3 Striking Benefits of Pressure Cooking
If you’re like me, you may be a little averse, or even ignorant to pressure cooking because of preconceived notions based on your mom or grandmom’s pressure cooking fiascos. The truth is that many modern pressure cookers are actually very safe due to built-in safety mechanisms. Here are some benefits of pressure cooking, and why you may want to give it a try!
- It’s More Healthy Than Many Other Cooking Methods. Research shows that pressure cooking can actually preserve more nutrients in foods that most other cooking methods. This is because the amount of time to cook food through pressure cooking is much less, and because they actually cook food at relatively low temperatures compared to most methods.
- It’s Fast. Pressure cooking can cut down cooking time by as much as 70%. While this is great for us and our busy lives, it also helps preserve the rich flavors of the food.
- Saves Energy. Cooking with a pressure cooker means less time using appliances, and the convenience of one-pot meals cuts down on the number of appliances or boiling pots that are needed.
Instant Pot Chicken Salad
So now that you’re sold on the Instant Pot, lets talk food. As I said, my Instant Pot(s) is my go-to for almost everything (except ice cream). This recipe uses the Instant Pot to cook the chicken to absolute perfection, but if you’re still not ready to try this magical vessel, then I’m sure you could use another method to cook he chicken. Just don’t come complaining to me if it’s less than amazing. Anyhoo, the Instant Pot makes cooking the chicken super-easy, and then after that you simple shred and mix and voila! I like to eat this chicken salad with my Spinach-Avocado-Herb Dip, sometimes in a wrap, and sometimes over greens.
Chicken
- 2lb organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2c chicken or beef broth (homemade is best, or buy something like this)
Dressing
- 1/4c + 1T olive oil
- 2T apple cider vinegar
- 1T organic dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2tsp dried parsley
- 1/2tsp dried basil
- 1/4tsp Himalayan sea salt
- 1/8tsp red pepper flakes
- black pepper, to taste
Put your chicken breasts and broth in the Instant Pot and place pressure cook lid on tightly. Make sure valve is set to “sealing”. Press the “Poultry” button, which defaults to 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, you can make the dressing by combining all dressing ingredients in a bowl.
Once chicken is done, simply turn valve to “venting” and open lid (you can let the pot release naturally if you like, it will just take a little longer). Remove the chicken breasts and place in a large bowl. Shred using two forks. It should look like this:
Once shredded to desired consistency, toss with the dressing to make sure all the chicken is coated. It’s delicious warm, if you need to eat it right away (like me), or cold after you refrigerate it. Enjoy!