Here’s a super simple and easy Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner recipe that only takes 30 minutes. It’s a delicious, Whole30 Instant Pot chicken recipe 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’s what I used for this Instant Pot chicken recipe:
- chopped sweet potato
- dried thyme (you can use whatever dried herbs you like)
- chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
- chopped canned tomatoes
- chicken broth
- dried garlic
- cinnamon
- sea salt
- frozen cilantro (optional)
- lemon juice (optional, for a little added boost of flavor)
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.
For Instant Pot chicken, the general cooking times include:
- 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)
How to Make this Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner
You’ll never believe how easy this recipe is.
I literally just combined all the ingredients except the lemon juice and set the Instant Pot to cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. The cinnamon worked well with both the sweet potato and the chicken.
I added some ghee at the end for a little creaminess. All the flavors come together so nicely and this recipe is really one of my favorites. It freezes and re-heats well too, so it’s perfect for meal prepping.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, this recipe is paleo, Whole30, and gluten-free diet friendly!
Questions About Instant Pot Chicken
How do you cook poultry in Instant Pot?
You can cook whole chicken, chicken breasts, 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.
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.
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 Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Here’s my printable recipe for this Instant Pot Easy Chicken with Sweet Potato Dinner:
Print
Instant Pot Easy Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner (Whole30)
Prep Time: 20 minutes- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Main dish
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: Whole30, paleo, gluten free
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Here’s a super simple and easy Chicken & Sweet Potato Dinner recipe that only takes 30 minutes. It’s a delicious, Whole30 Instant Pot chicken recipe perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
- 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons frozen chopped cilantro (optional)
- ½ medium lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons ghee
Instructions
- Drizzle your cooking oil into the Instant Pot bowl and press the Sauté Let the oil heat up for about two minutes.
- Place the chicken in the pot and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move it around. Add the thyme, garlic powder, cinnamon, and salt. Let the chicken cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so it cooks on all sides.
- Add the broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any pieces of chicken that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and frozen cilantro (optional), and stir to combine.
- Cancel the Sauté button and lock on the lid. Set the cooking time to 10 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 fresh lemon juice and ghee.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed container for up to 4 days. This dish will keep up to several months in the freezer.
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READ NEXT: CLEAN EATING WITH YOUR INSTANT POT (FREE E-BOOK)
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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.