Meal Prep Diced Chicken in the Instant Pot

This is the best way to make a big batch of diced chicken for meal prepping lunches and dinners. It takes just a few minutes to cook the main protein for three very different meals. 

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This is the only recipe you need to make a big-batch of diced chicken in your Instant Pot. You can cook white rice at the same time, or skip the rice and just make chicken to turn into multiple different meals.

At my house, we love recipes that let us make multiple meals from the same protein, with minimal cooking on the later days.

I call them 3-for-1 meals, but you might be more familiar with them as two-for-one meals, cook-once-eat-twice meals, double-duty meals.

You can use this as a template where you can turn it into dozens of different meals by changing up the seasonings and toppings, so you’ll always be just a few minutes from an easy lunch or dinner. 

We’ve sized this Instant Pot diced chicken recipe to make three easy smaller recipes: delicious teriyaki chicken bowls, cheesy stacked enchiladas, and a tasty classic chicken salad.

About Make-Ahead 3-for-1 Meals

I first started using make-ahead meals when I was testing recipes for my Instant Pot Baby Food and Toddler Food Cookbook. I was pregnant, low on energy, and desperately needing easy meals.

Even though a few years have passed since I last needed to make baby food, I still use our 3-in-1 recipes to meal prep for weeknight dinners and lunches. 

I use these recipes to make three very different types of meals, with only needing to have one major cook day.

Having the protein already cooked makes each of the three meals come together much more quickly without the effort of cooking three meals from start to finish.

NOTE: I like to do all of the prep for the three different recipes on the same day I cook the chicken. So I’ll cut the veggies for the Teriyaki Bowls and the grapes for the Chicken Salad all on the same day. Then place each in a tightly covered tupperware in the fridge until needed. But if you want to split up the chopping, that works great as well!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Here is the short and sweet ingredient list for Instant Pot diced chicken and rice:

• Chicken breasts. Dice the boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-size pieces for even, quick cooking. 
• Vegetable oil. You can also use olive oil if you prefer. 
• Garlic. To infuse your chicken with a little extra flavor that is still versatile enough to pair with other sauces and dishes. 
• Chicken broth. Use low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth. 
• White rice, optional. We like to cook the white rice for the Teriyaki Chicken Bowls or the Stacked Enchiladas at the same time we make the chicken. If you plan to use this recipe, we recommend making short-grain white rice, which has the same cook time as the diced chicken. 

How to Make Diced Chicken in an Instant Pot

✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

Start by cooking the chicken and rice using the pot-in-pot method. 

First, dice the chicken and season it all over with salt and pepper. Select Sauté on the Instant Pot to heat it. Add the oil and chicken and cook the chicken for three minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until it’s fragrant. Finally, stir in the chicken broth. 

Next, place a trivet or steaming rack into the pressure cooking pot over the chicken. In a 7-inch cake or springform pan, combine the rice and water. Use a foil or reusable sling to carefully lower the pot of rice and water onto the trivet in the pot. Lock the lid in place and cook at high pressure for four minutes. 

Let the pressure release naturally for seven minutes, then release the remaining pressure with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, remove the lid and use your sling to carefully remove the pan of rice. 

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate. Discard the liquid in the pressure cooking pot. Now your chicken is ready to use. You can cool it completely and store for later or serve it immediately. 

Important Tips for Making Instant Pot Chicken for Meal Prep

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making this recipe:

• Cutting the chicken into equal-sized, bite-sized pieces will ensure that they cook evenly and that they’re done at the same time as the rice. 
• It’s important to add the chicken broth to the pressure cooking pot to avoid a burn warning and keep the chicken from drying out. 
• Likewise, be sure to stir the ingredients well when you add the chicken broth to the pressure cooking pot. 
• To help separate the rice grains after cooking, use a fork to carefully fluff the rice in the pot. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Making Big-Batch of Diced Chicken in the Instant Pot

Check out the individual 3-for-1 recipes

Usually when I make these meals together, I’ll cook the diced chicken and serve the Chicken Teriyaki bowls on the first day. Then I’ll mix together the ingredients for the classic chicken salad and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld.

Easy Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Classic Chicken Salad

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Instant Pot Diced Chicken for 3-in-1 Meals

Yield: 6 to 8 cups chicken

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Additional Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 14 minutes

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Ingredients

• 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-size pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

**OPTIONAL, IF YOU CHOOSE TO PREPARE RICE**

• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups white rice
• 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions

1. Select Sauté to preheat the pressure cooking pot. Season the diced chicken with salt and pepper. When the pot is hot, add the oil and chicken and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the chicken broth and stir.*
2. IF USING RICE: Place a trivet in the bottom of the cooking pot. In a 7-inch cake pan, stir together the rice and water. Use a sling to lower the pan carefully onto the trivet.
3. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Let the pressure release naturally for 7 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
4. If you made rice, use the sling to remove the pan from the cooking pot and set the rice aside to use in the teriyaki chicken recipe that follows. Remove the trivet.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool and discard the cooking liquid. Divide the chicken into three equal portions.
6. Proceed with the next recipe immediately OR cool and store in an airtight container for up to four days.

Notes

* We use this sauté step to flavor the chicken. However, if you're in a hurry you can skip that step.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 20g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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