Sassy Chicken–an easy dump-and-go Instant Pot or slow cooker chicken recipe with lots of bold flavor.

Instant Pot Sassy Chicken
This chicken is a little sassy with a bit of a kick! You’re going to love how easy it is to make. It’s a dump everything into the pot and walk away type of recipe. It’s pretty versatile on options of how to serve it.
For example, you can make rice at the same time and serve it over rice. Another option is to serve the chicken in tortillas or on a salad. Try it wrapped up in a burrito too. All are good options.
If you have leftover chicken it freezes nicely and can be used for another meal in the future. You can also add all the ingredients into a freezer bag (except the water and lime juice) and freeze until you’re ready to cook for an easy freezer meal. When you want to cook it add the water and lime juice into an Instant Pot and then dump the contents of the ziplock bag into the pot and pressure cook for 12 minutes. Easy peasy!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs—frozen or fresh
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Smoked paprika
- Coriander
- Garlic powder
- Dried minced onion
- Water
- Fresh lime juice
- Rotel–I used mild. You can also use one cup of salsa.
Steps
Add chicken into Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, coriander, garlic powder and onion.

Pour in the water and lime juice. Dump Rotel on top of chicken.

If you’d like to cook rice at the same time then add in a tall trivet*.

Place an oven safe dish* on top of the trivet and add in white rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice or converted rice and water. Use a 1 cup rice to 1.25 cup water ratio.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.

Break up chicken with a spoon. Stir together with juices. Serve chicken over rice or tortillas.

Notes/Tips
- Serve chicken over rice or rolled up in tortillas. I like to top mine with cheese and sour cream. Serve with some shredded lettuce and black beans on the side.
- This recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
- You can make this recipe with frozen or fresh chicken thighs. For both you’ll use a 12 minute pressure cooking time.
- You can also use chicken breasts for this recipe. Use a 10 minute pressure cooking time for fresh or 12 minute pressure cooking time for frozen.
- 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.
- Other recipes you can make with lime juice are Instant Pot Key West Chicken and Instant Pot Fish Tacos.

More Instant Pot Chicken Dump and Go Recipes…
It Ain’t Happening Casserole
An easy chicken, bacon, ranch, potato and cheddar casserole made fast in your Instant Pot.
Queen Elizabeth Chicken
Instant Pot or Crockpot chicken salad with apricots and pecans and a curry cream sauce. It’s sweet, crunchy and savory.
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.


Sassy Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy dump-and-go Instant Pot or slow cooker chicken recipe with lots of bold flavor.
Ingredients
- 4–6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (frozen or fresh)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dried onion
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 (10 oz) can Rotel (I used mild)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add chicken into Instant Pot. Sprinkle the chicken with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, coriander, garlic powder and onion. Pour in the water and lime juice. Dump Rotel on top of chicken. (If you’d like to cook rice at the same time then add in a tall trivet*. Place an oven safe dish* on top of the trivet and add in white rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice or converted rice and water. Use a 1 cup rice to 1.25 cup water ratio.)
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Break up chicken with a spoon. Stir together with juices. Serve chicken over rice or tortillas.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add chicken into slow cooker. Sprinkle the chicken with chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, coriander, garlic powder and onion. Pour in the water and lime juice. Dump Rotel on top of chicken.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Break up chicken with a spoon. Stir together with juices. Serve chicken over rice or tortillas.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
What is Rotel and is it hot what can w sub for it thank you
Rotel is a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Sometimes it is spicy. I like to use the mild version of it. you can use a can of tomatoes and a can of green chiles instead if you’d like.
I made the Sassy Chicken recipe in my Ninja pressure cooker. I used the ingredients for the 1/2 recipe.
I was very suspicious when it called for 1/8 cup of water and 1/8 cup of lime juice. The pressure cooker
displayed a message saying “no pressure”. Added another cup of water and then it was OK. Pressure
cookers normally require at least a half cup of liquid to create enough steam to build up pressure.
And my pressure cooker is even a 6 qt.
You must have halved the recipe? It is 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup lime in the original recipe…so that’s probably what went wrong.
So what would be the instructions for this recipe if it were done in a slow cooker? I don’t own a pressure cooker. Please and thanks.
The slow cooker instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Delicious! I am gonna make this again! Love the broth.thank you!!!
Thanks Jen!
Can I use cooked thighs? i want to make this tonight snd am out of ràw chicken! Sounds delicious. will have to cut back so.e on spices ( ulcers!
sure you could do that. Only pressure cook for 2 minutes.