If I did nothing else with my Instant Pot besides this smoky Instant Pot honey cilantro chicken and my healthy slow cooker carnitas, it would be just fine and totally worth every dollar. It’s one of my favorite easy, macro-friendly proteins to have lying around for quick meals… that don’t taste quick! That’s the key.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken in 12 minutes
- Serves: 11
- Calories: 115 cal
- Protein: 20.7g
- Fat: 1.4g
- Carbs: 5.7g
- Why You'll Love It: One of my favorite instant pot recipes yet. Adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe. So easy and delicious, ready to build a number of meals in just twelve minutes!
We probably do something Mexican 2 or 3 times a week in our house. It’s so customizable for even my pickiest eaters, AND I can pile everything high with cilantro. From the very beginning of macros, it always seemed like the one fool-proof meal that was normal for my family but could always work for me too.
I learned quickly that when the protein is high in fat, it kind of controls the rest of the meal and even the day for me. As much as I loved pork butt and beef and other fatty meats, they knocked out any room for yummy toppings or a third or fourth taco. And being stuck with a bunch of protein and no fat left at the end of the night is never that exciting. #eggwhites. Can we hashtag over here in blogging land? You get it.
Can You Put Raw Chicken in the Instant Pot?
YES. This recipe uses raw chicken breasts or tenderloins, thawed or fresh. It goes right in with the sauce, cooks at pressure for 12 minutes, and shreds easily once it’s done. I always prefer tenderloins.
Why Is My Instant Pot Chicken Rubbery?
Usually that means it cooked too long or the pressure was released too fast. For this one, stick to the 12 minutes and let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes. Then shred it and toss it in all those juices so it stays tender.
Can You Make Honey Cilantro Chicken in the Slow Cooker?
Yep! Mix the sauce, add the chicken, and cook on low until tender, about 6 to 7 hours. Then shred it, toss it in the juices, and stir in the cilantro.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Salsa verde: One cup is the base of the sauce, so use one you love.
- Liquid smoke: This is where the smoky flavor comes from. You’ll find it at grocery stores near the barbecue sauce.
- Honey: Just 2 tablespoons balances the salsa verde and smoke.
- Chicken tenderloins: I always prefer tenderloins, but chicken breasts work too. You’ll need 2.5 pounds.
- Fresh cilantro: It gets stirred in at the very end. Don’t skip it!
Before You Start Cooking
- Thaw your chicken. The recipe calls for thawed or fresh chicken, so plan ahead if yours is frozen.
- Use frozen garlic cubes. I always use the frozen Dorot cubes. They save so much mincing.
- Plan for the natural release. The chicken cooks for 12 minutes, then I let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes or so. If the lid doesn’t open easily, wait a few more minutes.
- Grab your Instant Pot. I use this one.
- Weigh the shredded chicken if you track macros. One serving is 113g, or 4 oz. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal.
How to Make Instant Pot Honey Cilantro Chicken
- Mix the sauce. Stir together everything but the chicken.
- Pressure cook. Combine the sauce and chicken in the Instant Pot. Close it and set to manual for 12 minutes.
- Release. Let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes, then open it.
- Shred. Shred the chicken, toss it in the juices, and stir in the chopped fresh cilantro.
What to Serve with Honey Cilantro Chicken
This is the PERFECT meat for pretty much anything Mexican. The other night we did the obvious and piled it in tacos. It’s great on tostadas like these in place of the carnitas, and especially good on these SHOCKINGLY macro-friendly lavash wrap nachos.
Top it with mango salsa, pineapple radish salsa, or my two ingredient skinny chipotle creme. On the side, I love corn avocado salad, cilantro lime slaw, or Mexican chopped kale salad.
I even keep it on hand when I make carne asada or tri tip for my family… or regular lean ground turkey, which has more fat than chicken. I can fill in with this if I’m running low on fats and still eat with my family. It’s my secret weapon. But it’s not a secret anymore… EnJOY!
How to Freeze Honey Cilantro Chicken
This shredded chicken is on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals, and it’s one of the easiest proteins to keep in the freezer.
- Freeze the shredded chicken with some of its juices so it stays tender when you reheat it.
- Portion into freezer bags and label with the date and grams (one serving is 113g, or 4 oz).
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm it in a skillet or the microwave.
- Stir in a little fresh cilantro after reheating to brighten it back up.
- Keeps up to 3 months.
More easy proteins for the freezer: my healthy taco meat, Instant Pot buffalo chicken, chicken enchilada casserole, creamy green chili chicken bake, and lighter Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup.
If you want a plan for the whole week, my macro-friendly meal plans send you a new menu and a categorized grocery list every Thursday, and they adjust to your household size.
Honey Cilantro Chicken Calories and Macros
One 113g (4 oz) serving of this Instant Pot honey cilantro chicken has 115 calories, 20.7g protein, 1.4g fat, and 5.7g carbs. The recipe makes 11 servings.
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Instant Pot Smoky Honey Cilantro Chicken in 12 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salsa verde
- ½ a large white onion diced (I used 170 g)
- 2 tbs honey
- 1 tbs liquid smoke sold at grocery stores near barbecue sauce.
- 5 cloves garlic I always use the frozen dorot cubes.
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2.5 pounds thawed or fresh chicken breasts or tenderloins I always prefer tenderloins.
Instructions
- Mix together everything but the chicken.
- Combine sauce and chicken in instant pot. Close and set to manual for 12 minutes. I let the steam release naturally for ten minutes or so and then open it (if it doesn’t open easily, wait a few more minutes).
- Shred, toss in juices, and stir in ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro.
- OR cook in slow cooker on low ’till tender about 6-7 hours.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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What type of salsa Verde do you use?
OMG! So delicious. Made this for bulk protein last week and absolutely loved it. I did get frustrated because I kept getting the awful “burn” error on my instant pot. After the second time, I finished it on slow cook mode. Thank goodness I had time, and it still turned out amazing. I just don’t know why that happened. It appeared to have plenty of liquid.
However, next time I’ll just plan for the slow cooker. Because I definitely will be making it again!