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Here’s an Easy Instant Pot Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner recipe that only takes 35 minutes. It’s a delicious meal perfect for busy weeknights.
Instant Pot Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner Ingredients
This recipe was created at the end of a long week when I hardly had any food left in the house. Please tell me I’m not the only one who runs out of food sometimes?
I was so happy that even though the ingredients are just so simple, they tasted great cooked together this way. Here are the main ingredients for this Instant Pot chicken recipe:
- sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
- chopped onion
- dried thyme (you can use whatever dried herbs you like)
- chicken cutlets or thighs, cut into 1″ pieces
- chopped canned tomatoes
- broth or water
- dried garlic
How to Cook Chicken in the Instant Pot
I am so in love with cooking chicken in the Instant Pot. I have yet to have a chicken dish that wasn’t juicy and full of flavor. I think it’s one of those foods that is ideal for pressure cooking, since the moisture is trapped inside the pot.
For Instant Pot chicken, the general cooking times are:
- Whole, bonelesss chicken breasts – 10-12 minutes
- Cubed chicken breasts or chicken tenders – 8-10 minutes
- Boneless or bone-in chicken thighs – 8-10 minutes
- Whole chicken – 23-25 minutes (or six minutes per pound)
Since this recipe uses chicken pieces, you only need to cook it at pressure for 8 minutes.
How to Make this Easy Chicken Dinner
You’ll never believe how easy this recipe is.
- The first step is to sauté the chicken and onion in the pot with a little olive or avocado oil. You can skip this step if you are in a real hurry, but it will add extra flavor to the dish.
- Next, add the dried thyme, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Cancel the sauté function and add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and water.
- Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When you’re ready to serve, stir in the chopped cilantro and fresh lemon or lime juice.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, this recipe is paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free!
FAQS
How do you cook poultry in Instant Pot?
You can cook whole chickens, chicken cutlets, chicken tenders, or any other cut of chicken in the Instant Pot. The time needed at high pressure will vary depending on what type of cut you’re cooking. See my handy guide above for cooking different types of chicken.
Can you use frozen chicken in the Instant Pot?
Yes, you can cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot. Just add 10 minutes to the time you would cook chicken if it was not frozen. Or, see my recipe for cooking Instant Pot Frozen Chicken.
How long does it take to cook chicken in a pressure cooker?
Chicken pieces usually needs at least 8 minutes at high pressure to cook in a pressure cooker. If you are using a whole chicken, you will need to cook it longer.
Other Healthy & Easy Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like:
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken & Potato Stew
- Instant Pot Beef Chili with Sweet Potato
- Instant Pot Salmon with Vegetables
- Instant Pot Shrimp Scampi
Also, don’t miss my epic round-up of nearly 50 Instant Pot chicken recipes, all gluten-free and dairy-free. You might also want to check out my entire index of healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Here’s my printable recipe:
Print
Instant Pot Chicken and Sweet Potato Dinner
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Whole30, paleo, gluten free
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Here’s a super simple and easy Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner recipe that only takes 35 minutes. It’s a delicious Instant Pot chicken recipe perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1 14.5-ounce canned chopped tomatoes, with the juices
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional, for topping)
- 1 medium lemon or lime, juiced
Instructions
- Drizzle your cooking oil into the Instant Pot bowl and press the Sauté button. Let the oil heat up for about two minutes.
- Place the onion and chicken in the pot and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move it around. Add the thyme, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Cancel the sauté function and add the water, chopped sweet potatoes, and tomatoes, and stir to combine.
- Lock on the lid and set the cooking time to 8 minutes on high pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and stir in the cilantro and lemon or lime juice.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed container for up to 4 days.
Notes
This dish will keep up to several months in the freezer.
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Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
I couldn’t believe how delicious this turned out! So easy and yum!
★★★★★
Annette says
Yum! This looks incredible (adding the ingredients to my shopping list). I have been using a pressure cooker (without instructions) for over 30 years. It’s a hand-me-down from my mom and is much older than me. But now that I have an InstantPot, I’m too overwhelmed to use it. All those buttons and stuff. LOL One of my resolutions is to master this thing and to get to the place where I use it at least once a week. Right now it’s just sitting atop the fridge, collecting dust. So far I’ve used it 3 times in 6 months. This recipe will be my next one to make. I’m so excited and will let you know how it turns out. Thank you for it. 🙂
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
That’s a great story, Annette, about how you’re been using the older model of pressure cooker. Most people are terrified of those older models, LOL! I have a few tips to get started using the Instant Pot. You really only need three buttons, the pressure cooker button, and the up and down arrows to set the time. Let me know how it goes!!! XO.
Annette says
Oh yeah I’ve heard about the horrors of the old ones, but I started using it before the internet (yeah I’m that old!), so I was spared the fear. LOL I feel really secure with it, because of how well it locks in place. There’s no pressure that will blow off that lid..
Ana says
This is so yummy. I couldn’t believe how easy and delicious this is.
Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
You’re so welcome! Thanks for letting me know you liked it, Ana! XO.
Rachel says
YUMMM!! My fiancé and I made this for dinner and it was delish!! 😋😋 so easy to make too!
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Yay!!! Thanks for letting me know, Rachel! XOXO.
Cliona says
This looks sensational! Such a bonus that it only takes 30 minutes AND it’s healthy!
★★★★★
Valentina says
Yes! I’m always out of almost everything at the end of the week. Your lucky to have been left with these few delicious and healthy ingredients. And the result of combining them looks amazing! Love!
★★★★★
Elaine says
I’m a big fan of stew and your IP chicken stew looks so perfect. Once again, another great recipe to use in my much loved instant pot! Delicious!
★★★★★
Lisa says
Not only is this easy, it sound VERY healthy. After the holiday binge, I need more healthy in my life.
★★★★★
Leslie says
You seriously can’t go wrong with this combination of ingredients. I love the herb/spice combo.
★★★★★
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
The recipe turned out great! The sweet potato made the dish naturally sweet and tasty. Yep, it was a lot healthier, too than using an ordinary potato. Thanks for this!
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Woo-hoo! That makes me so happy, Matt!!!
Kristen Frolich says
I’m always trying to incorporate more protein and vegetables into my meals for my family. This sounds delicious so I’ll definitely have to put it on the menu!
kumamonjeng says
I love how sweet potato is added as this is the super healthy ingredient, better than the usual potatoes. It super simple an I am going to try this out one day after I get the cinnamon. We don’t usually have cinnamon at home.
★★★★★
Georgina says
This looks amazing, and I love how quickly one can make it. Looking forward to trying the recipe one of these nights
Pam says
Hi Carrie! I was actually testing this easy meal out for our granddaughter who received an Instant Pot from us for Christmas. 🙂 The ingredients sounded simple and delicious (and it WAS easy to make). However, I did not experience the same results that I’m reading in other posts. The final meal was more like a soup with a thin broth. Admittedly, the broth (after adding the Ghee and lemon juice) was pretty tasty. But, overall the chicken was pretty blan. Everyone else’s comments were so positive. Did I do something wrong? Was I suppose to mash up the sweet potatoes into the dish to make more of a “stew”?
★★★
Pam says
Hi again Carrie! Pam here… I just realized what may have happened to my failed attempt at this recipe. I went all the way back to the beginning of this article (before the actual recipe). In one area of your blog you listed that you used “chopped canned tomatoes” (which I really didn’t spend much time reading before). However, in the recipe itself you listed “1 cup chopped tomatoes” as one of the ingredients. So, as I would in any other recipe that called for 1 cup of chopped tomatoes, I took a whole tomato, chopped it and added it to the pot. Maybe THAT’S why it turned out to be a little blan? There was no tomato “broth” to add some flavor? I want to make sure I get this right before passing it on to our granddaughter. Thanks!
★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Hi Pam, yes the recipe should be one cup of chopped canned tomatoes. This isn’t a super fancy recipe, though, so it doesn’t surprise me that you might think of it as a little blah. But, using canned tomatoes with some of that broth might indeed be the difference.
Princess Quinn says
I can’t say NO to this dish. I’d love to try this recipe, I am sure it’s so delicious!
★★★★★
Pam says
Thank you Carrie! I’m going to give this recipe a try again – this time using canned tomatoes! 😄
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Great, let me know! I updated the recipe card to specify canned tomatoes, I apologize for that oversight.
Pam says
LOL! No problem, Carrie! You have a lot of recipes to keep up with. But, thank you for updating the recipe card. 🙂 I had the leftovers from last night’s meal and it was actually tastier. There’s something about allowing flavors to meld for a day or so that seems to really make a difference in flavor. I may wait a week or so before making this again. But, promise to update you on the next batch!! Thanks again and be well!
Becca Wilson says
This looks like it would be so very delicious. I have yet to use my IP but this would definitely be one I would want to try.
V ishal says
I am a vegetarian and my wife has made the same dish except for Tofu instead of Chicken and it was really delicious. The only thing we did differently was we added turmeric and some green chilies.
Vishal says
Your recipe is awesome. I am from a vegetarian family. So what we did was added tofu instead of chicken and added turmeric and green chilies for the taste. And it was truly an amazing taste.
Elisha @UseHealthTips says
I tried it for my guests and wow, it turned out to be super delicious, and really, it was like finger licking good, they literally tasted the plates as well, thanks Carrie for making it superb 🙂
★★★★★
Emily Robers says
If I want to double the ingredients for this recipe would I double the cooking time?
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Nope! Same cooking time, just don’t go over the “max” line on the Instant Pot, Emily.
Becky Tesch says
Echoing the other comments, this was simple and delish!! My partner is not a fan of sweet potatoes and I though he’d possibly not like it because he also doesn’t like to mix sweet flavors and chicken, so I wasn’t sure with the cinnamon ad the sweet potatoes both being out of his range, and also we have a 3.5 year old, and they are just totally unpredictable in the food liking department, but we all loved it! Miracles!
★★★★★
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Ohhhh, this makes me so happy, Becky! Thrilled that everyone liked this easy, simple dish. Yay!
Leanne says
I love cilantro but I’ve never used it frozen. Do you freeze fresh and just break off what you need? Why frozen in this dish?
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Great question, Leanne! You can use fresh chopped cilantro at the end of this dish. I buy the frozen cilantro cubes at Trader Joe’s so that’s what I had on hand. But, fresh would be fine, just add it at the end. 🙂
Veronica says
Can i substitute lime for lemon, would it still taste good?
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Yes, absolutely!
Brian says
Just got home at the end of a long week at work, and was trying to figure out what to do with the little food I have left. So no, you are not the only one! Thanks this is perfect.
Debra Wilson says
Loved, loved, loved this! I used 2 lbs skinless thighs, doubled the spice and canned diced tomatoes (with the liquid), 1 large cubed sweet potatoe & used 1 cup chicken broth. Didn’t have time to make the ghee, so used butter & lemon juice then thickened with a bit of the broth and corn starch. It was amazing. Served it with a roasted head of cauliflower seasoned with spice & Dijon mustard & tossed salad – amazing!
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition says
Awww, you’re so welcome, Debra! Thanks for sharing your modifications. I’m glad it worked for you!
Helen says
This was really good! It came out somewhere between soup and stew. It would be good over rice. I added some chard greens at the end. Tasty and pretty!