Name: Instant Pot Chicken Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 43 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (four 8-oz breasts); ½ cup mayonnaise; ½ cup Greek yogurt; ½ cup celery, small dice (about 2 large stalks); ½ a red bell pepper, small dice; ¼ cup green onion, sliced (white and light green parts only, about 6 stalks); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill); 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste); Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instant Pot Chicken Salad is an easy, classic recipe made with simple ingredients like chicken breast, celery, bell pepper, green onion, mayo and Greek yogurt. It’s ideal for meal prep and easily customized with different mix-ins.

If you’re looking for more creamy salad ideas, check out my Spicy Tuna Pasta Salad!

Chicken salad in a beige speckled bowl with a gold spoon tucked in, viewed from overhead.

I’m sharing a classic today: chicken salad. The Instant Pot is the best way to make juicy chicken with the perfect texture for salad. It’s such a hands off process and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen, which is a big benefit on hot summer days! You will love the simple yet flavourful creamy dressing.

Instant Pot Chicken Salad can be served many different ways: as a main dish (on toast, a bun, or lettuce wraps), as an appetizer or snack with crackers, or scoop it onto a green salad for a protein boost. Make it on the weekend to have it in the fridge for easy lunches all week!

Ingredients

Below is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make pressure cooker chicken salad. See the recipe card below for full details!

Chicken breast – two pounds (I used four 8-ounce boneless, skinless breasts)
Mayonnaise – your favourite kind. I use Hellmann’s.
Greek yogurt – I use full fat (2.9%) for the creamier texture. It adds nice tanginess and more volume to the dressing.
Celery – for crunch!
Bell pepper – for even more crunch and some colour
Green onion – I use the white and light green part only, for flavour
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice – freshly squeezed is best; you can also sub apple cider vinegar
Dill – I like to use fresh when it’s on hand, but dried also works!

Ingredients needed to make Instant Pot Chicken Salad, viewed from overhead.

How to make it

First, pressure cook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in an even layer at the bottom of the insert. Add the water on top (1 cup for a 6-quart, 1.5 cups for an 8-quart) and pressure cook on High for 8 minutes, with a 10-minute natural pressure release. Quick release any remaining pressure.

You may need to adjust the cook time for the size of your chicken breast (see the tip section below). Be sure to check that the thickest part of the breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 °F.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vegetables and gather the dressing ingredients.

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board. When it’s cool enough to handle, chop the breasts into small pieces (about half-inch in size) and then place in a large mixing bowl.

Mixing ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Salad in a large white bowl.

To the chicken, add the mayo, Greek yogurt, celery, bell pepper, green onion, lemon juice, dill, Dijon, salt and pepper. Gently mix until well combined. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then place covered in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat.

Chicken salad in a beige speckled bowl, in front of a plate of lettuce and an Instant Pot.

Tips for Success

Adjust pressure cooking time based on the size of your largest chicken breast. For each ounce, cook for 1 minute at High pressure, plus a 10 minute natural release. My breasts were about 8 ounces each, so I used an 8-minute cook time, with a 10 minute natural release. If yours are 10 ounces, you’ll want to cook for 10 minutes at High pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release.

When in doubt about the size, round up the cook time slightly (nothing is more annoying than having to wait for it to pressure cook again if it was under cooked!). This recipe is very forgiving, if the chicken is slightly overcooked.

Save time and prep the mix-ins while the chicken is cooking. No need to have everything ready to go before you start cooking. You’ll have plenty of time to chop while the Instant Pot does its thing.

Let the salad chill after assembling. I find the flavour is best after the salad is chilled, so I recommend giving yourself enough time to let it chill for at least 30 minutes. This also lets the flavours blend even more.

Chicken salad served open face on a brioche bun with lettuce, on a white plate.

Variations

Don’t feel limited by my choice of mix-ins! I like the the simple combination of celery and bell pepper because my kids love it and it’s school safe (no nuts). Here are some more options, if you’re feeling adventurous:

sliced almonds
sliced grapes
crumbled or small-dice cooked bacon
red onion, instead of green onion
dried cranberries
chopped water chestnuts, instead of celery
apple, diced small
grated carrot
diced avocado (if you’ll be eating it right away, as it will turn brown)

How to serve chicken salad

There are so many ways to serve chicken salad, but here are my favourites:

Chicken salad sandwiches – I highly recommend toasting your bread so it’s sturdier. It’s also amazing on brioche buns, as shown in the photo above.
In lettuce wraps
On a bed of lettuce
On top of crackers, for a protein-rich snack.
Plain! Sometimes I’ll make a bento-style lunch with fruit, vegetables and cheese and eat the chicken salad with a fork.

More easy Instant Pot chicken recipes

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