Instant Pot Key West Chicken is an easy dump and go Instant Pot or Crockpot recipe of chicken with garlic, lime juice and soy sauce. This chicken shredded up tastes great over rice or rolled up in a flour tortilla with taco toppings.

Instant Pot Key West Chicken
With lime juice and lime zest this chicken has lots of flavor! It’s super fast and easy because it’s a dump and go recipe and it only has 7 ingredients. I recommend eating this chicken served over rice or rolled up in a tortilla with all your favorite taco fixings like cheese, sour cream, tomato and lettuce. You can make this recipe in the Instant Pot or the Crockpot.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts–frozen is okay. Bone-in chicken breasts are also a good option for this recipe. After the chicken has cooked remove the bones and skin and shred the meat.
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Fresh lime juice–I like to buy a big bag of limes and juice them into ice cube tray. It makes it easy to have fresh lime juice in tablespoon increments for recipes like this one.
- Zest from one lime–brings the lime flavor to a new level
- Minced garlic–or 1 tsp garlic powder
- Honey–for a little sweetness
- Vegetable oil–or canola oil
- Cornstarch–this is optional if you want to thicken the juices into a sauce
Steps
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Dump ingredients into pot: Add chicken, soy sauce, lime juice, zest, garlic, honey and oil into the Instant Pot.
- Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for fresh chicken or 15 minutes for frozen chicken. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Shred and thicken: Shred the chicken and stir it into the juices in the pot. If you’d like you can thicken the sauce by making a cornstarch slurry. Stir 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1-2 Tbsp of water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the pot and turn pot to sauté setting. Once the sauce thickens turn off the pot.
- Serve: Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or in a tortilla with taco toppings like sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Dump ingredients into slow cooker: Add chicken, soy sauce, lime juice, zest, garlic, honey and oil into the slow cooker.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Shred and thicken: Shred the chicken and stir it into the juices in the crockpot. If you’d like you can thicken the sauce by making a cornstarch slurry. Stir 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1-2 Tbsp of water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker and turn to high. Once the sauce thickens turn slow cooker to warm.
- Serve: Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or in a tortilla with taco toppings like sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with rice, beans and pico de gallo or rolled up in flour tortillas with all the taco fixings.
- If you’d like you can make pot-in-pot rice at the same time. After ingredients are added into the pot position a tall trivet* into the pot. In a pot-in-pot dish* add 2 cups white rice and 3 cups water. Place the rice dish on top of the trivet. You can cover the dish or keep it uncovered. The rice will cook perfectly as the chicken pressure cooks.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- This recipe can be gluten-free if you use a gluten free soy sauce. This recipe is dairy free.
- Other recipes you can make with low sodium soy sauce are Instant Pot Fried Rice and Straight From Heaven Sandwich.

More Easy Dump and Go Chicken Recipes…
- Instant Pot Old School Casserole
- Instant Pot Pizza Chicken Bake
- Tight Budget Casserole (Instant Pot)
- Marie Osmond’s Chicken (Instant Pot or Crockpot Recipe)
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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Instant Pot Key West Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 3 minute
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy dump and go Instant Pot or Crockpot recipe of chicken with garlic, lime juice and soy sauce. This chicken shredded up tastes great over rice or rolled up in a flour tortilla with taco toppings.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts (frozen is okay)
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- Zest from one lime
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil or canola oil
- Cornstarch (optional)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add chicken, soy sauce, lime juice, zest, garlic, honey and oil into the Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for fresh chicken or 15 minutes for frozen chicken. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Shred the chicken and stir it into the juices in the pot. If you’d like you can thicken the sauce by making a cornstarch slurry. Stir 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1-2 Tbsp of water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the pot and turn pot to sauté setting. Once the sauce thickens turn off the pot.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or in a tortilla with taco toppings like sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add chicken, soy sauce, lime juice, zest, garlic, honey and oil into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Shred the chicken and stir it into the juices in the crockpot. If you’d like you can thicken the sauce by making a cornstarch slurry. Stir 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with 1-2 Tbsp of water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker and turn to high. Once the sauce thickens turn slow cooker to warm.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice or in a tortilla with taco toppings like sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Notes
Bone-in chicken breasts are also a good option for this recipe. After the chicken has cooked remove the bones and skin and shred the meat.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
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How long would you cook frozen chicken tenders for this recipe? Could you still do the pot in pot rice that Sharon mentioned? Thanks.
I would do a 3 minute pressure cook time with a 5 minute natural pressure release. You can try the rice. It should be good…You may have to cover it after you open the pot so it continues to steam for a few minutes.
Having a problem with chicken. I am usually no my IP more, but chicken is a bear! I followed the recipe, but the chicken was charred on the bottom (but still tasty!).
Do I need to put it on the trivet? Add more liquid? I added what the recipe listed. Help!
I would try a trivet! That should solve the problem!
I made this tonight it was so good I had it over riced cauliflower w/broccoli and air fryed carrots yummy ty Karen
★★★★★
mmmm! Sounds good. Thanks for the 5 stars Brenda!
Wow! Super fast and easy. Great flavors. I had it over rice, but next time thinking about a tortilla, sour cream, lettuce and cheese.
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I love that idea!
Can you make pot-in-pot rice with this?
★★★★★
If you’d like you can make pot-in-pot rice at the same time. After ingredients are added into the pot position a tall trivet into the pot. In a pot-in-pot dish add 2 cups white rice and 3 cups water. Place the rice dish on top of the trivet. You can cover the dish or keep it uncovered. The rice will cook perfectly as the chicken pressure cooks.
Thanks Karen for your reply [not that I’m lazy or anything 😉 ]
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