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–+ servings
close up shot of chipotle lime chicken breasts sliced with lime wedges
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5 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Chicken Breasts

Instant Pot chipotle lime chicken is sweet, smoky and spicy, and ready in under 30 minutes! Perfect for tacos, wraps, or just served on their own.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4
Calories: 266kcal
Author: Denise Bustard

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts roughly 2 large chicken breasts; see note 1
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup chicken stock or water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
  • 1 chipotle pepper left whole; see note 2

After cooking

  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients- In the stainless steel insert of your Instant Pot, stir together the honey, stock, salt, garlic, lime juice, adobo sauce and chipotle pepper. Add your chicken breasts, and turn to coat in the sauce.
  • Cook- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release handle to the 'sealing' position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When the Instant Pot completes its cooking cycle, perform a quick pressure release: carefully turn the steam release handle to the 'venting' position.
  • Thicken- Remove the lid from your Instant Pot, and transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest (check it has reached 165°F before removing). Select the 'sauté' function of the pot, and stir together a slurry of cornstarch with water. Add the slurry to the pot, and stir with a spatula.
    Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, until bubbly and thickened. Use oven mitts to remove the stainless steel insert from the Instant Pot so the sauce doesn't over-reduce. Remove chipotle pepper before serving.
  • Toss chicken with sauce- Once the chicken has rested for 5 minutes, slice it against the grain into strips or cubes. Return it to the pot and toss in the sauce. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

1- Adjusting the recipe:
  • To increase the serving size- drag the number beside 'serving size' above on the recipe card. Keep the cook time the same.
  • To swap for boneless chicken thighs- adjust the cook time to 10 minutes high pressure with quick pressure release
  • To swap for frozen chicken breasts- for frozen separately (not in a block)- 12 minutes high pressure with quick pressure release; check they have reached 165°F
    • frozen in a block- cook for 5 minutes, then do a quick pressure release. Pry chicken breasts apart. Cook for another 7-10 minutes with quick pressure release, and check they have reached 165°F.
2- The chipotle pepper makes this recipe slightly spicy; to make it milder, omit the pepper (but keep the adobo sauce). You can increase the spice level by adding more chipotle peppers in.
Storage
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating
Heat in a frying pan, or in the microwave until steaming hot, and sauce has loosened up a bit.
Freezer Instant Pot Meals
Make sure to label your container with cooking directions.
  1. In a freezer bag, silicone bag or meal prep container, combine the honey, stock, salt, garlic, lime juice, adobo sauce and chipotle pepper, and mix to combine.
  2. Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat in the sauce, then squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible.
  3. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  4. Thaw completely before cooking as directed above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of batch | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 2685mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg