Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook in Instant Pot vs crockpot? ›

Generally, if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe calls for 8 hours on the low setting or about 4 hours on the high setting, it should be fully cooked in about 25 to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. For chicken or turkey, use the 15-minute poultry button. While volume doesn't matter, density does.

The final verdict

So can a Crock-Pot cook better chicken than an Instant Pot? Well, it really depends on what you're making. The Instant Pot cooks chicken much faster than its non-pressure counterparts, but the resulting texture isn't going to be the same as what you'd get with a slow cooker or Dutch oven.

Touted as the do-it-all appliance for good reason, an Instant Pot is a multi-function pressure cooker that easily doubles as a slow cooker. The difference between pressure cooking and slow cooking is substantial, so we love that one appliance can do both, along with a slew of other cooking methods.

Again, a tempered glass lid will work best for this purpose, but you can use the standard lid if that's all you have available. Press the Slow Cook button. It'll be on the left side of the panel for the Duo, and on the right side for the Rio and Pro models. Set the temperature.

The pot of the slow cooker usually sits on a base that houses the heating element on the bottom, while Crockpots have their pots inside of a container (or crock) and get heating from all sides. Therefore, slow cookers heat up slower than crockpots, with the heat level higher on the bottom of the pot.

Anything that takes eight hours to cook in a slow cooker can be cooked in about 45 minutes in a pressure cooker, and most things cook much, much faster even than that. Think: Vietnamese pho, start to finish, in half an hour.

Can I overcook chicken in a slow cooker? Yes, but the solution is extremely simple. Follow the recipe and manufacturer cooking time guidelines to ensure your chicken comes out juicy and tender every time.

Why is my Instant Pot shredded chicken rubbery? Chicken can get a rubbery texture in the instant pot when over cooked. To avoid this, try not to over cook your chicken.

I would start on high and switch to low after 1/2 hours. Long and slow produces a more tender finished product. You want to bring your crockpot up to temp quickly even when you are going to cook at low.

Yes, the Instant Pot is widely considered an effective and versatile pressure cooker. Many users find it worth the price due to its convenience, time-saving features, and ability to perform various cooking functions in one appliance.

Does chicken get tough in Instant Pot? ›

Oddly enough, it can be really challenging to get the right texture when cooking boneless chicken breasts. They cook quickly in the Instant Pot, but if you don't cook them long enough they get a weird, rubber-like texture that's nearly impossible to chew, and if you cook them too long, their texture gets dry.

This completely depends on the type of meat you are planning on cooking. Because slow cookers take longer to cook, they are better suited to breaking down fat in meat while adding moisture. So if you are planning on cooking a whole rump beef, then a slow cooker is a better choice.

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big. Each of our meals comes with a recommended slow cooker size.

Slow cookers utilize long cooking times to develop these richer flavors, while pressure cookers use high heat and pressure to impart as much flavor as possible in a shorter time.