Salsa Verde Chicken (Instant Pot!)

Salsa Verde Chicken is super easy! Just toss everything into a pressure cooker and let it cook. You’ll get tender chicken in a tasty salsa verde with black beans, corn, and melty Cheddar. Serve over rice with your favorite toppings like sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and fresh lime.

Salsa Verde Chicken

This Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Soup is a favorite at my home and the prep is ridiculously simple. Inspired by the ease of that recipe and the love for the flavors, this Salsa Verde Chicken was created. Although I love that soup, it’s not always the most appealing on a scorching hot summer day, so this chicken has been the perfect way to quell the cravings without all the heat!

Let’s Chat Salsa Verde

The salsa verde is arguably the most important ingredient in this Salsa Verde Chicken recipe — it’s responsible for the majority of the flavor and the spice in the dish.

• Use a salsa verde you enjoy. You can make this meal very mild or quite spicy, depending on the salsa verde used.
• Spice levels: For mild chicken, use a mild salsa verde sauce (one you know is mild, or taste it first to ensure mildness). I use Herdez® Mild Salsa Verde and the kids love this chicken! This particular brand of salsa verde does have a little heat, but with the creamy cool toppings, I think it’s perfect.
  • For a spicier Salsa Verde Chicken, use medium or hot salsa verde, and/or add in 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeños or a can of fire-roasted diced green chiles.

What To Serve With Salsa Verde Chicken

To keep things as simple as possible, I serve this chicken atop a bed of microwaveable rice and keep the toppings to a minimum. Here are the details:

• As the base, I use Ready Rice® or any brand of microwaveable packaged rice. Ready rice is already cooked and just needs to be heated to warm it through — so easy, quick, and convenient! This type of packaged rice is typically found among other packets of rice and grains in the grocery store and is a trade-marked product of Uncle Ben’s Rice/Mars Foods. This Cilantro Lime flavored rice pairs especially well with all the other flavors going on.

Serving Suggestions, Cont.

• For toppings, I like to keep things simple. Some kind of creamy element is a must — whether it’s sour cream (fat-free or light is great!), a ripe diced avocado, or a scoop of guacamole. Beyond that, I like to serve a few lime wedges on the side for a burst of citrusy freshness. Cilantro is another vibrant addition.
• While this Salsa Verde Chicken really has it all in one bowl, if you’d like to serve a side dish, here are my suggestions: Cucumber Salad, Garden Salad, Fruit Salad Recipe, or this Chipotle Chicken Salad. (I’d leave out the chicken in the Chipotle Chicken Salad since there is plenty of meat in the main course.)

How To Make Salsa Verde Chicken

This dish is as simple as tossing it all in the pressure cooker and letting it do its job! Here are our top tips for ensuring the best possible outcome:

• Use chicken thighs: For this recipe, I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They’re tender, easy to shred, and don’t dry out. The fat adds a nice richness to the dish. I tried chicken breasts, but they didn’t work as well.
• Grate your own cheese: While this recipe is simple, I strongly recommend grating your own cheese. It melts better because pre-grated cheese has preservatives that prevent smooth melting. Use your favorite cheese or a mix. I love sharp Cheddar, but pepper Jack and Monterey Jack are also great choices.

Repurposing Leftovers

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how much it makes and how great it repurposes into different meals. It’s a great meal-prep recipe. Here are some of the ways to repurpose leftovers:

• Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos: Scoop leftovers into charred tortillas. Add a scoop of sour cream, a squeeze of lime, and enjoy!
• Chicken Enchiladas In Salsa Verde: Repurpose leftovers into enchiladas. Scoop leftovers in tortillas with some extra cheese, roll them up tightly and add to a casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas in more salsa verde, bake, and enjoy with your favorite enchilada toppings.
• Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas: Grab some tostada shells (or make your own following the direction in this Bean Tostadas recipe) and then layer on the chicken and your favorite toppings.
• Serve leftovers with chips: Either layer chips and leftover chicken nacho-style or simply dip the chips in the warmed leftovers and enjoy — so good!
• Salsa Verde Chicken Salad: Layer a bed of greens, a few scoops of leftovers, a diced avocado, and drizzle this delicious Cafe Rio Dressing on top.

More Instant Pot Recipes

• Taco Chili with a delicious seasoning blend
• Pinto Beans with bacon and veggies
• Instant Pot Beef Stew with carrots and potatoes
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with black beans and corn
• Sweet Potato Stew with beef, carrots, and sweet corn

SaveSaved Pin Print

5 from 6 votes

Salsa Verde Chicken

By Chelsea Lords

Salsa Verde Chicken is a breeze! Just throw it all in the pressure cooker—chicken, salsa verde, black beans, corn, and Cheddar. Serve over rice with toppings like sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 (16-ounce) jar Salsa Verde 2 cups, see note 1
• ▢ 1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs see note 2
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups frozen corn
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 5 ounces, see note 3
• ▢ Serving suggestions see note 4

Instructions 

• Pour salsa verde into the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Nestle the chicken thighs on top of the salsa verde in an even layer. Sprinkle seasonings evenly on top of the chicken and salsa. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, but add to taste). Cover pressure cooker and seal. Place venting valve to “sealed.”
• Select the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” function and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. (Keep in mind that pressure needs to build inside the pot, so the timer won’t start counting down for a few minutes.) Once cook time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (don’t do anything or release the valve). Once 5 minutes is up, carefully hit the release button to let out the remaining pressure and steam. (Keep your hands and face away from the venting steam—don’t let it burn you!)
• Use tongs to remove the chicken. Before shredding the chicken, add the frozen corn and drained black beans to the pot. Give everything a good stir and cover to keep it all warm and thaw the corn. Use 2 forks to shred chicken and discard any pieces of fat or gristle. Return fully shredded chicken to the pot and gently stir it through. Turn the control to “Sauté” to warm things through again for 1 minute. Turn it off and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let melt for a few minutes before gently stirring through. Don’t stir too much or it will make the chicken stringy!
• Use tongs to remove chicken onto prepared rice. Top bowls with lots of sour cream, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a diced ripe avocado as desired. Enjoy promptly!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Use a salsa verde you know you enjoy. I use Herdez® Mild Salsa Verde in this recipe.

Note 2: No need to trim the fat off the chicken thighs—you want the fat for cooking and it comes off easily after it is cooked! I tested this recipe with chicken breasts and didn’t enjoy it as much.

Note 3: I highly recommend is grating your own cheese. Pre-grated cheese contains preservatives that keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag, but they also keep the cheese from melting smoothly in this recipe. Use your favorite cheese or a blend of a few. I love sharp Cheddar cheese best, but some other favorites are pepper Jack or Monterey Jack.

Note 4: Serving suggestions: Ready Rice with sour cream (light/fat-free is great), fresh lime, fresh cilantro, and/or ripe avocado. For a quick rice base, use Cilantro-Lime Ready Rice, which is already cooked and just needs to be heated to warm it through.

Storage: Transfer the cooled chicken mixture to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.3g | Protein: 36.1g | Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 139.2mg | Sodium: 1053.6mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!