Chile verde with chicken and white beans

Sauté onions and half of a poblano pepper; add 1 cup dry white beans and water to cover the beans a bit. Manual, high pressure, 15 minutes. Quick release. Add 1 pound chicken thighs, the other half of the poblano, any vegetable extras, and half of a jar of salsa if you want. Manual, high pressure, 20 minutes more. Quick release if you’re hungry, natural if you forget about it. —Tim Barribeau

Soy sauce chicken

Optional: Brown whole chicken in oil on Sauté. 

Add:

• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 inches of ginger sliced
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 cups water

Manual, high pressure, 25 minutes. Quick release pressure. 

—Ganda Suthivarakom

American-style chicken and vegetables

Sauté (or simply add to the pot if you’re short on time) about 4 cups’ worth of veggies cut to roughly equal-size chunks with a drizzle of oil and salt and pepper. Potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, and garlic are all good options. Layer about 4 pounds of chicken leg quarters on top (thighs and breasts also work well, with or without bones), along with more salt and pepper and an optional bay leaf or other herbs if you’d like. Manual, high pressure, 20 minutes (15 minutes if using boneless chicken). Natural release until it opens on its own (about 20 minutes). Optional: Garnish with chopped parsley.

Variation 1, chicken and rice: Add 2 cups of rice and about 2 cups of chicken stock or other liquid (make 1 cup of it cream if you like it creamy).
Variation 2, Instant Pot coq au vin: Make the main recipe but add about 4 slices of bacon, chopped, to your sauté mix. Add a few glugs of red wine (up to half the bottle). Follow the same pressure instructions. —Jacqui Cheng

Tomato soup

Sauté about 6 cloves of smashed garlic with a roughly chopped onion. Add 2 cans of whole tomatoes and their liquid and seasonings (oregano, thyme, salt). Manual, high pressure, 10 minutes. Quick or natural release. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add fresh herbs, salt, and pepper to taste. —Courtney Schley