Easy Chicken Cheesesteak | Instant Pot Recipe
Satisfy your cravings with this quick and easy Chicken Cheesesteak recipe! Made in the pressure cooker with tender chicken, melted cheese, and savory vegetables, plus a flavorful homemade cheesesteak sauce, this sandwich makes a delicious and filling meal.
We have a local restaurant that serves the best Philly Cheesesteaks. Even though it’s not traditional, I really love their Chicken Cheesesteak. However it’s quite a drive to get to, so I wanted to recreate it at home.
After a lot of testing, I think we’ve really nailed it. I am so excited to share this recipe with you. The red bell pepper spread really sets it apart.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
What is a Philly chicken cheesesteak?
This chicken sandwich simply swaps chicken for the beef in the traditional Philly Cheesesteak. It’s a simple sandwich that gets so much flavor from the quality ingredients. This recipe is the easiest way to make a chicken cheesesteak at home.
Question: These sandwiches are served on a 6-inch long roll. Where you’re from, what do you call this kind of bread—sub rolls, hoagie buns, torpedo rolls, or something else? Leave us a comment and let us know where you’re from and what you call them!
What do you put on a chicken cheese steak?
The traditional toppings for a Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich include grilled onions, fresh mushrooms, bell peppers, and melty cheese. (Exactly what you’d find on a Philadelphia cheese steak.)
Some restaurants use white American cheese, others prefer provolone, Cheddar, mozzarella or even Cheez Whiz.
We couldn’t decide which we liked better, so we went with half and half. Use your favorite (or just what you have on hand)!
How do I make a chicken cheesesteak that isn’t dry?
Since you pressure cook the chicken, it turns out nice and juicy. The key is to adjust the cook time to the thickness of your chicken breasts.
The chicken breasts we used were 1.5- to 2-inches thick at the thickest part of the breast, and 5 minutes with a 5 minute release got the chicken to exactly 165°F. If you’re using thicker chicken breasts, you may need to increase the cook time by a minute or two. If you’re using much thinner breasts, you may need to reduce the cook time by a minute.
And then you add our secret sauce—the red pepper spread—to take this sandwich to the next level.
You can eat the cheesesteak without the spread, but it’s a must-have for me. For best results, make it the night before or at least a few hours ahead so the flavors have time to meld.
How to Store Leftovers
When I know that I’m likely to have leftovers, I like to keep the chicken and veggies separate and only combine what I think I’ll need that night.
Allow everything to cool and store the chicken and veggies, covered, in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can freeze the leftovers; however, the texture of the onion, peppers, and mushrooms mixture will change when they thaw. My family doesn’t care for this texture, so we’ll generally only freeze the leftover chicken and cook the veggies fresh. But if the texture change doesn’t bother you, you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Serving suggestions: We love to serve these Cheesesteak Sandwiches with traditional sandwich sides like sliced veggies,
Product Notes
Jarred Red Bell Peppers: At my store, this ingredient is tucked away near the jarred pickles and jalapeños. You can use any jarred pepper packed in water for this recipe. We used Marzetti jarred bell peppers in our testing. You can find a similar one online here.
Thermapen One: You’ll want to check your chicken is cooked through after pressure cooking. The Thermapen One is my favorite Instant Read thermometer—I’ve had mine for 5 years and counting. It’s reliable, super quick, and easy to clean.
MORE Sandwich Recipes
You can use your pressure cooker to make a variety of delicious Sandwich Recipes, including:
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Philly Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total and about 1.5-inch thick at the thickest part)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chicken broth we use reduced-sodium broth
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
- 1 yellow onion halved and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced cremini mushrooms optional
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 4 to 6 sub rolls split and toasted (ours were about 6-inches long)
- 4 to 6 slices provolone cheese cut in half
- 4 to 6 slices American cheese cut in half
OPTIONAL SPREAD
- 3/4 cup jarred red bell pepper drained, plus, 1 teaspoon brine
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper we used white ground pepper, but black pepper works too
Instructions
Make the Spread:
- Optional: Use a mini food processor or immersion blender to combine the mayo, jarred red peppers, brine, and ground pepper. Pulse several times until well blended. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.*
Make the Chicken:
- Generously season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the chicken broth to the pressure cooking pot. Add the chicken in an even layer. Sprinkle garlic powder over the top, about ½ teaspoon per chicken breast. Place the steamer basket on top of the chicken, and add the sliced onions and peppers. If using, add the mushrooms. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the cook time for 5 minutes.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the steamer basket and transfer the steamed veggies to a large bowl. Add red wine vinegar and stir until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice into thin slices. Add the sliced chicken to the large bowl with the vegetable mixture and gently stir until evenly mixed.
Assemble the Sandwiches:
- We like to toast our sub rolls prior to assembling to help them hold their structure better once assembled. Then, preheat your broiler or air fryer. Place the toasted bottoms of the rolls on a cooking sheet lined with foil. If using, spread the aioli on one or both sides of the rolls. Layer the chicken and veggie mixture on as thick as desired. Top with the meat with provolone and American cheeses. Broil until the cheese is melted and starts to bubble and brown, about 3-4 minutes. (Watch closely because the cheese browns quickly.)
Notes
Nutrition
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When we lived in Connecticut they were called grinders. In Colorado they are just called subs.
We’re in Utah and call them subs as well. I love Grinders! From the emails I’ve gotten, it sounds like Grinders is an east coast term while hoagies are centered around Philadelphia. Thanks so much for the response!
You asked about the type of bread and or what we call it. We don’t eat bread that’s not gluten free often but when we did we would get the long roll called a sweet French roll. As opposed to a sourdough French roll which tends to be harder and larger.
Oh so interesting! I’ve never heard “sweet French roll” before! It’s so fun to see all the different names, thank you for letting us know! ❤️