Instant Pot Chicken Salad (Classic Recipe)

Step 1

Cut the chicken breasts into two pieces (cut the thickest part of the breasts to make them a little thinner and more even). Season with a little salt and pepper.

Step 2

Add a cup of chicken stock, sliced garlic and dried thyme to the Instant Pot. Nestle the chicken breasts in the broth.

Step 3

Secure the lid. Select the Pressure Cook button and adjust the time to 10 minutes on HIGH. The Instant Pot will take 6-7 minutes to come to pressure. Once the timer has finished, release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes and then manually let off the remaining steam.

Step 4

Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cool down for 5-10 minutes. Dice or slice into small pieces and transfer to a bowl. Tip: save the broth to make a soup or stew with, you can freeze it.

Step 5

While the chicken is cooking, dice other ingredients and prepare the dressing condiments.

Step 6

In a medium or small frying pan, pan-fry (toast, no oil!) the chopped almonds or other nuts over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Stir frequently, especially as the nuts start to brown and smell toasted. Remove when they turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them as they are easy to burn. Set aside.

Step 7

Add all ingredients to the diced chicken (hold back salt and pepper) and mix well. You can stir the almonds through or save them to sprinkle on top.

Step 8

Taste and season with extra salt and pepper to taste. We find adding a good pinch of each was perfect. If you like a little more tang, you can mix in a tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar.