• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Instant Pot owners, what's your favorite recipie?

Page 18 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Kaido said:
On sale for $59 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure/dp/B00FLYWNYQ

Dang. I paid $129. Oh well, it's paid for itself already 😀
Click to expand...
I saw it on sale at Target for $69 so I checked Amazon and saw it for $59. Then I saw the 8qt was only $10 more so I opted to get the 8qt for $69. It will be nice to make my shredded chicken in like 25 minutes compared to 6.5 hours that I do with the slow cooker. That's really the only reason I bought it lol.
 
Well, I looked at the instapot 6qt that was on sale for $60 and now $70 and saw the 'you bought this item before' thing, I've never opened it yet in a couple years, and clicked the 'see your receipt' button - bought for the low price of $120 on sale then, ugh.
 
purbeast0 said:
I saw it on sale at Target for $69 so I checked Amazon and saw it for $59. Then I saw the 8qt was only $10 more so I opted to get the 8qt for $69. It will be nice to make my shredded chicken in like 25 minutes compared to 6.5 hours that I do with the slow cooker. That's really the only reason I bought it lol.
Click to expand...

Yup, I use it for shredded chicken pretty much on a weekly basis. Pro-tip, get an electric hand mixer to make shredding a quick job!


I do shredded chicken, pork, beef, etc. in the IP. You can do it plain, or replicate virtually any recipe from Chipotle, Cafe Rio, etc.
 
So mine came today and I am just wondering for those of you who make shredded chicken, what is the exact timing you use? I'm going to put a tub of salsa in mine and then put about 3.5lbs of chicken breasts in it. It's the same thing I've been doing with a slow cooker for years.

I'm just wondering exactly how long you all cook it and how to use this thing to make the perfect shredded chicken. The breasts are not frozen either.
 
purbeast0 said:
So mine came today and I am just wondering for those of you who make shredded chicken, what is the exact timing you use? I'm going to put a tub of salsa in mine and then put about 3.5lbs of chicken breasts in it. It's the same thing I've been doing with a slow cooker for years.

I'm just wondering exactly how long you all cook it and how to use this thing to make the perfect shredded chicken. The breasts are not frozen either.
Click to expand...

I'd suggest starting out with 25 minutes. You'll need to adjust the recipe for your location & preferences. 3 results after releasing the pressure & checking one of the chicken breasts:

1. Comes out perfect, so stick with the timing
2. Still pink inside, so add a couple more minutes
3. Over-done, so reduce the time in the future to 20 minutes

Once you figure out the optimal pressure settings, if you use the same quantity of meat in your next cook, then the settings will be exactly the same every time. Aside from faster cooking & automating the cooking process, that's one of the best parts of the Instant Pot...repeatability!
 
Kaido said:
I'd suggest starting out with 25 minutes. You'll need to adjust the recipe for your location & preferences. 3 results after releasing the pressure & checking one of the chicken breasts:

1. Comes out perfect, so stick with the timing
2. Still pink inside, so add a couple more minutes
3. Over-done, so reduce the time in the future to 20 minutes

Once you figure out the optimal pressure settings, if you use the same quantity of meat in your next cook, then the settings will be exactly the same every time. Aside from faster cooking & automating the cooking process, that's one of the best parts of the Instant Pot...repeatability!
Click to expand...
Thanks.

So say I undercook it - can I just keep it in there and then set it for like 5 more minutes? Or at that point is it kinda jacked up? I'd prefer to not mess this up so that I can use it for lunch this week lol. I just want it to be easy to shred.

I was thinking about doing it for 17 minutes based on some recipes I saw online and their amount of chicken. However none of the recipes I saw had the chicken basically drowned in liquid it usually only had a little liquid inside with it and then the chicken was seasoned.

EDIT: This was the recipe I'm referring to.

https://therealfoodrds.com/instant-pot-shredded-chicken/
 
purbeast0 said:
Thanks.

So say I undercook it - can I just keep it in there and then set it for like 5 more minutes? Or at that point is it kinda jacked up? I'd prefer to not mess this up so that I can use it for lunch this week lol. I just want it to be easy to shred.

I was thinking about doing it for 17 minutes based on some recipes I saw online and their amount of chicken. However none of the recipes I saw had the chicken basically drowned in liquid it usually only had a little liquid inside with it and then the chicken was seasoned.

EDIT: This was the recipe I'm referring to.

https://therealfoodrds.com/instant-pot-shredded-chicken/
Click to expand...

Nope, just add a few more minutes, no worries! I've seen some recipes with as low as 10 minutes, although my chicken has always been pink. You can always check the internal temp with a thermometer, just to be on the safe side. I do 25 minutes for a regular batch or 27 minutes for a large batch & it comes out perfect. You can use salsa right in the IP no problem:

https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-pressure-cooker-easy-salsa/

That recipe calls for 20 minutes, btw. Post your results!
 
Kaido said:
Nope, just add a few more minutes, no worries! I've seen some recipes with as low as 10 minutes, although my chicken has always been pink. You can always check the internal temp with a thermometer, just to be on the safe side. I do 25 minutes for a regular batch or 27 minutes for a large batch & it comes out perfect. You can use salsa right in the IP no problem:

https://www.skinnytaste.com/instant-pot-pressure-cooker-easy-salsa/

That recipe calls for 20 minutes, btw. Post your results!
Click to expand...
Okay thanks. I am definitely using more than 2 chicken breasts and using more salsa too, so maybe a little bit more than 20 minutes does make sense.
 
purbeast0 said:
Okay thanks. I am definitely using more than 2 chicken breasts and using more salsa too, so maybe a little bit more than 20 minutes does make sense.
Click to expand...

tbh I'd go with 25 minutes. That's my default.

Have you done the water test yet?
 
Kaido said:
tbh I'd go with 25 minutes. That's my default.

Have you done the water test yet?
Click to expand...
I did do a water test like it said in the manual, however I'm not really sure what that was meant to do lol, or like how I was supposed to know it worked properly. It definitely did heat up and released the pressure and all that though, so I figured it worked.
 
purbeast0 said:
I did do a water test like it said in the manual, however I'm not really sure what that was meant to do lol, or like how I was supposed to know it worked properly. It definitely did heat up and released the pressure and all that though, so I figured it worked.
Click to expand...

Mostly just to get the hang of it & make sure everything is all sealed up properly & works. Like doing your first load of laundry, y'know?

btw, I always do a quick pressure release at the end of the run.
 
ImpulsE69 said:
What is generally the time difference for thawed chicken breasts vs frozen?
Click to expand...

Mostly nothing, oddly enough. It usually just takes the IP to take longer to come up to pressure from frozen, then the cook time is the same. Factors vary though. I'd imagine if you're doing a full 6 quarts amount of frozen chicken, you'd probably want to add 4 or 5 minutes to the cook time.
 
So far this thing is a piece of shit.

I clicked on poultry and set it to 25 minutes. And it never got to the correct temp or anything. It stayed at "on" while it preheated for like 10-15 minutes then it beeped 5 times and said 'burn' on the LCD. Then it happened again.

According to the manual, that means something is clogged or some shit. WTF? I may try taking out some of the salsa once it's done but I'm nowhere near the MAX mark on the insideof the thing.
 
purbeast0 said:
I clicked on poultry and set it to 25 minutes. And it never got to the correct temp or anything. It stayed at "on" while it preheated for like 10-15 minutes then it beeped 5 times and said 'burn' on the LCD. Then it happened again.

According to the manual, that means something is clogged or some shit. WTF? I may try taking out some of the salsa once it's done but I'm nowhere near the MAX mark on the insideof the thing.
Click to expand...

First, nobody uses the Poultry button. Manual mode or bust!

Second, troubleshooting time:

1. Did you run the IP before cooking the chicken?
2. Did you put the chicken directly on the bowl & then pour the salsa on top?

Third, remember - learning curve. Don't give up from a single setback. I have 4 IP's & have been using the Instant Pot nearly daily for like 4 years now. I promise, they are good!!
 
Kaido said:
First, nobody uses the Poultry button. Manual mode or bust!

Second, troubleshooting time:

1. Did you run the IP before cooking the chicken?
2. Did you put the chicken directly on the bowl & then pour the salsa on top?

Third, remember - learning curve. Don't give up from a single setback. I have 4 IP's & have been using the Instant Pot nearly daily for like 4 years now. I promise, they are good!!
Click to expand...
I put the salsa in first then the chicken breasts. When I opened it after the the 2nd burn I noticed there was stuff stuck to the bottom. A google search said that can be a problem if the stuff is too thick. So I stirred it up and tried again and got the burn thing yet another time.

I just added some water in there to thin it out a bit and now I have set it to manual mode. The chicken is already cooked through though so this is probably going to overcook the shit out of it. It's not tender at all really though to the point it can be shredded. It was a bit stringy.

EDIT:

Well this time it didn't get the error. It took about 20 minutes for the timer to start counting down. I only put it on 10 minutes though since it was already basically cooked through. So we'll see how it turns out. I wonder if it worked this time because I diluted it a bit or because I used the manual mode instead of poultry. Although, poultry seemed to set it at the same exact settings so I don't know. I wonder if it has a different internal temperature that it makes it do the burn notice at.
 
Last edited:
It actually turned out decent. The chicken was pretty easy to shred with my bear claw things but the salsa was definitely diluted. I always take like 2 cups of the salsa afterwards and dump it into the shredded chicken and mix it up, and when I did it this time it just didn't have quite as much flavor. I did try to get the chunks mainly though. I mean it still tastes good but I'm not done making my chicken salad yet though. After I put the onions, salt, and mayo in it, I'm sure it'll taste fine. It was nice being able to get this done so quickly though, regardless of the issues.

When I emptied the pot there was definitely something that was stuck to the bottom that burnt. There was some black stuff stuck. I'm guessing it was a chicken breast as I saw a charred part of a piece but it still shredded fine. So hopefully next time I can make that not happen.
 
purbeast0 said:
It actually turned out decent. The chicken was pretty easy to shred with my bear claw things but the salsa was definitely diluted. I always take like 2 cups of the salsa afterwards and dump it into the shredded chicken and mix it up, and when I did it this time it just didn't have quite as much flavor. I did try to get the chunks mainly though. I mean it still tastes good but I'm not done making my chicken salad yet though. After I put the onions, salt, and mayo in it, I'm sure it'll taste fine. It was nice being able to get this done so quickly though, regardless of the issues.

When I emptied the pot there was definitely something that was stuck to the bottom that burnt. There was some black stuff stuck. I'm guessing it was a chicken breast as I saw a charred part of a piece but it still shredded fine. So hopefully next time I can make that not happen.
Click to expand...

So some tips:

1. The Instant Pot tends to dilute flavor (I supposed due to the super-heated or "saturated" steam, I dunno), so you either need to over-season before cooking, or just add the sauce/salsa/rub after cooking. If I'm doing crack chicken, I just add the Ranch powder straight in the pot before cooking, because it's pretty strong, but for pretty much everything else, I just add it after.

2. Next time, try cooking with a cup of water & putting the chicken on the trivet rack. No issue with the induction cooker sensing a burn that way. Or if you're lazy like me, just get a steamer basket that you can lift out & then chuck in the dishwasher, along with the IP bowl:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074CPVFN8/

3. I use Manual mode 99.999% of the time. I hardly ever use any of the other functions, and most recipes you'll find online only use manual mode.

Remember, it's a learning process. Once you get your procedure down for how you like it, then it's pretty much the same every time: drop it in, press button, take it out when it beeps. Amazing! So good job sticking with it, despite the difficulties! The Instant Pot lets me keep my "structured laziness" approach of not really having to put in much effort to cook, yet being able to get really nice results, haha.
 
purbeast0 said:
It actually turned out decent. The chicken was pretty easy to shred with my bear claw things but the salsa was definitely diluted. I always take like 2 cups of the salsa afterwards and dump it into the shredded chicken and mix it up, and when I did it this time it just didn't have quite as much flavor. I did try to get the chunks mainly though. I mean it still tastes good but I'm not done making my chicken salad yet though. After I put the onions, salt, and mayo in it, I'm sure it'll taste fine. It was nice being able to get this done so quickly though, regardless of the issues.

When I emptied the pot there was definitely something that was stuck to the bottom that burnt. There was some black stuff stuck. I'm guessing it was a chicken breast as I saw a charred part of a piece but it still shredded fine. So hopefully next time I can make that not happen.
Click to expand...
I always add any sauce at the end of cooking chicken.

Also, bone-in chicken takes longer to cook than boneless.

You can also cook some mean pork ribs in the pot too. That requires a bit more care.

Happy cooking!

🙂
 
Well cool thanks for all of the information. I just had my lunch and it all turned out pretty tasty in the end. I didn't even think about using that rack to keep the food up, I could try that next time too. I could try putting the salsa in after but I dunno I like how it makes it moist and then just taking some of the hot sauces after it's shredded and mixing it all up. I'll just have to experiment. But damn, saving like 5+ hours was really nice. Usually when I do it after work I start it at like 4pm and I'm not done with everything until around 11pm.
 
purbeast0 said:
Well cool thanks for all of the information. I just had my lunch and it all turned out pretty tasty in the end. I didn't even think about using that rack to keep the food up, I could try that next time too. I could try putting the salsa in after but I dunno I like how it makes it moist and then just taking some of the hot sauces after it's shredded and mixing it all up. I'll just have to experiment. But, saving like 5+ hours was really nice. Usually when I do it after work I start it at like 4pm and I'm not done with everything until around 11pm.
Click to expand...

Yeah, unlike a crockpot, the steam doesn't escape, since it's trapped in the pressurized pot, so you end up with moist, juicy chicken using nothing but water & BSCB. And as mentioned, the pressurization method kind of mellows flavors out, so I typically just add stuff like salsa in after. I rotate through chicken/pork/beef for shredded meats, then add spices/sauces, then throw it into whatever I'm using it to cook - loaded baked potato, sandwich, quesadilla, etc. The speed + automation makes having an IP worth it just for that alone!
 
purbeast0 said:
Well cool thanks for all of the information. I just had my lunch and it all turned out pretty tasty in the end. I didn't even think about using that rack to keep the food up, I could try that next time too. I could try putting the salsa in after but I dunno I like how it makes it moist and then just taking some of the hot sauces after it's shredded and mixing it all up. I'll just have to experiment. But damn, saving like 5+ hours was really nice. Usually when I do it after work I start it at like 4pm and I'm not done with everything until around 11pm.
Click to expand...
taking into account pressurizing and de-pressurizing, it takes me about an hour to make beef stew.

contrast that with 8 - 9 hours in my crockpot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top