Need a quick, easy and delicious kid-friendly meal to serve on a busy weeknight? These Thai-inspired instant pot chicken breasts will soon make it onto your regular meal rotation. Simply add everything to the instant pot, cook and shred the chicken and you are good to go. Great for meal prepping for lunches or dinners throughout the week and so versatile given all of the possibilities for serving.
Thai Inspired Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
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This is a great quick and easy dish to add to your weekly meal rotation.
Disclaimer: This is in no way, shape, or form a traditional Thai dish. I do not claim that it is. It is a simple shredded chicken recipe with Thai inspired flavours that my kids love and is a great option when you need dinner on the table fast.
Even better is that the chicken breasts can be cooked from frozen, so it won't matter if you get home from a busy day and realise that the chicken is still in the freezer (we have all been there right?!?)
To make these Thai pulled chicken breasts in the instant pot you are going to need:
- full-fat coconut milk (the kind found in cans, not in the cold section or in cartons as a milk substitute)
- diced tomatoes
- red onion,
- low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- thai red curry paste
- garlic cloves
- lime juice
- chicken breasts (fresh or frozen will work)
- optional extras for serving: more diced red onion, cilantro/coriander, chopped fresh tomatoes, lime wedges, chopped fresh Thai chilies for a bit of spice.
If you would like to make it a bit more heavy on the Thai flavors you could try adding some fresh chopped lemongrass, kaffir lime, and a sprinkle of coconut sugar to the mix.
Can Frozen Chicken Be Cooked In The Instant Pot?
There is nothing worse than getting to dinner time and realising you have forgotten to pull the chicken out of the freezer.
Luckily for you it is super easy to cook frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot, especially with this recipe.
Simply add the frozen chicken breasts to the instant pot along with the rest of the ingredients and they will cook through in 11 minutes at high pressure with a natural release of 5 minutes.
It could not be easier.
Have fresh or thawed chicken breasts?
No problem, simply adjust the cooking time to 8 minutes at high pressure and allow a natural release of 10 minutes.
A Note On Ingredients
Not all ingredients are created equally, and you may need to make adjustments depending on what kind of diet/lifestyle you follow.
Coconut Milk
This recipe calls for full-fat canned coconut milk.
This will not work with cartons of thin coconut milk used as a dairy replacement as the sauce will be too thin and lacking in flavor.
Diced Tomatoes
Check the ingredients as sometimes a lot of salt can be added to tinned diced tomatoes which is undesirable.
If you are in the U.S and can find fire-roasted tomatoes these add some great flavor to the dish.
Soy Sauce/ Tamari
Soy sauce and tamari can vary so much from brand to brand.
Look for a low-sodium version, otherwise, the entire meal can end up too salty.
If you already have a bottle of soy sauce that is not low sodium, you can always dilute it with some water before using in this recipe.
Red Curry Paste
As with everything else, not all curry pastes are created equally.
This will be found in the Asian section of most well-stocked grocery stores.
Check the ingredients on the back of the jar to make sure the curry paste you plan to use isn't full of preservatives or too much sugar.
Alternatively, you can make your own easy homemade red curry paste using a recipe like this one from Kevin Is Cooking.
How To Serve Shredded Thai Chicken
The best thing about these Thai-inspired chicken breasts is that they are so versatile.
You can make them each week and serve them in a completely different way so that the family does not get bored having the same meal over and over.
Try serving the shredded chicken in one of these ways:
- in lettuce leaves, if you want to serve as chicken lettuce cups (baby gems, romaine, or iceberg lettuce will work best for this);
- on top of cooked brown rice or quinoa if you prefer something a bit more substantial;
- on top of cauliflower rice or broccoli rice if you prefer a low carb option;
- stuffed inside potatoes or sweet potatoes with all of the toppings;
- served on top of a simple salad;
- in a wrap with some salad leaves for a thai-inspired lunch wrap
- on top of some zucchini noodles for a twist.
Load up the toppings and you are good to go.
I like to add some finely chopped red onion, diced fresh tomatoes, cilantro/coriander, a squeeze of lime and some freshly chopped Thai chilies to my shredded chicken stuffed lettuce wraps.
Need More Flavourful Weeknight Meals?
Weeknight meals packing a tonne of flavour are always a hit with the whole family (simply adjust the level of spice you include to take into account who you are serving it up to).
Try some of these favourites:
- Thai Fusion Ahi Tuna Burgers
- Pork and Veggie San Choy Bow
- Self Saucing Honey Ginger and Garlic Pork Meatballs
- 15 Minute Spicy Pork and Miso Noodle Soup
- Chicken Korma from Food Life and Money
Happy Eating
xx
Recipe
Thai Inspired Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut milk (canned, full fat)
- ½ cup diced tomatoes (try fire roasted if you can find them)
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- ½ tablespoon red curry paste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 chicken breasts (fresh, thawed or frozen - see instructions)
- chopped cilantro/corriander, lime wedges, red onion, chili flakes or chopped Thai Chilis to serve for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the chicken breasts to the instant pot and stir well to combine.
- Add the chicken breasts.
Frozen Chicken Breasts
- Close the lid and seal the valve. Set to high pressure and cook for 11 minutes. When done, do a natural release for 5 minutes.
Fresh/Thawed Chicken Breasts
- Close the lid and seal the valve. Set to high pressure and cook for 8 minutes. When done, do a natural release for 10 minutes.
Following Natural Release
- Once the presssure has been released, remove the chicken from the rest of the sauce and shred on a chopping board. Place the shredded chicken back into the instant pot and stir to combine the sauce and shredded chicken.
- Serve as desired: over rice, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce wraps, or broccoli/cauliflower rice. With optional extras such as chopped cilantro/corriander, lime wedges, red onion, chili flake,s or chopped Thai Chilis.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Renata Z says
Wow, this is my new favorite chicken breast recipe!! This was so easy to make and turned out so moist and flavorful. I added some fresh kefir lime leaves and fresh ginger to up the aroma but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Thank you!