This Instant Pot Salsa Verde Shredded Chicken is delicious, flavorful, and totally versatile! The homemade salsa verde from roasted tomatillos adds an incredible smoky and fresh kick, or use jarred salsa verde for an extra easy dinner. I love using this salsa verde in tacos, salads, or on a bed of rice!
Reasons to love Shredded Salsa Verde Chicken!
In my kitchen, there is always room for more healthy Instant Pot Recipes. During my busy season, we live by a simple, hands off meal that everyone is happy with, and this Salsa Verde Chicken is no exception! So whether you are team chicken breast or team chicken thighs, either of these options will make for the most delicious, versatile dinner.
This shredded salsa verde chicken made in the Instant Pot is a trusty, standby, dinner that is always there to please! Here are all the versatile ways to make this chicken:
- In a tortilla as a burrito or taco
- On top of a bed of rice or Cauliflower rice for a bowl style meal
- In a bowl of greens for a delicious salad like my Mexican Slaw
- With some tortilla chips for nachos!
As a nutritionist, I love salsa verde chicken for meal prep. It’s healthy, easy to make on the weekend, stores beautifully, and allows me to have several options during the week for for lunch or dinners!
What is salsa verde?
It wasn’t until I was an adult did I realize how salsa verde was actually made: tomatillos. So what are tomatillos exactly? They are not tomatoes, but another fruit from the same nightshade family, and have a different taste than tomatoes and even green tomatoes. You can tell the difference because they contain a paper-like husk, and they make the most delicious peppery salsa!
This version of salsa verde roasts tomatillos, jalapeños, and poblano peppers in the oven to give this salsa verde a smoky taste you are going to love! Let’s get right to it.
How to make Salsa Verde Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot:
- First we need to make our salsa verde. Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare the tomatillos by slicing in half. De-seed the jalapeños and slice in half, and slice the poblano pepper in half. Brush with a little avocado or olive oil. Place on a sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes or until blistered.
- Remove from oven. In a blender, mix the vegetables, cilantro, lime, onion, and garlic.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of the IP. Pour the salsa verde on tp and add in some chicken broth, and cumin.
- Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Use a quick release.
- Serve!
Variations to Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken:
Store bought tomatillo sauce: As delicious as it is, nothing compares to a homemade salsa verde sauce. It has this smoky, fresh, acidic, and tangy flavor that I LOVE!!! BUT, sometimes we need to hit the easy button. You can definitely used jarred salsa verde sauce, just blend in 1/3 cup cilantro as most jarred salsa verde doesn’t have any.
Slow cooker: This easy dinner can also be made in the Slow Cooker, cooking on low for 4 hours.
Serving Salsa Verde Chicken:
I love to layer mine with Cauliflower Rice (my Cilantro Lime or Spanish Cauliflower Rice are perfect) or over a bed of greens. I then top with avocado or guacamole, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and even jalapeños. Load it up to make it the best!!
Other Instant Pot Chicken Recipes you will love!
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Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
This instant pot salsa verde shredded chicken is delicious, flavorful and totally versatile! The homemade salsa verde from roasted tomatillos adds an incredible smoky and fresh kick, or use jarred salsa verde for an extra easy dinner. I love using this salsa verde chicken in tacos, salads, or on a bed of rice!
Ingredients
Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- 1.5 lbs tomatillos husks removed
- 1 large poblano pepper de-seeded and sliced in half
- 2 jalapeno peppers de-seeded and sliced in half
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 2/3 cup diced white onion
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 lime juice of
- 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste
For the Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken thighs* or breast
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
Instructions
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Begin by making your tomatillo salsa verde. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Slice the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on your baking sheet. Place the peppers cut side down on the same sheet. Lightly brush with oil, and place in the oven. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops of the veggies are blistered (see photo in post). Remove from the oven.
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Place roasted veggies, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime and sea salt in a blender. Pulse and blend for until smooth (don’t over pulse).
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Now place the chicken in the bottom of your Instant Pot. Pour the salsa verde on top. Add chicken broth, and cumin. Secure the lid on your Instant Pot, ensuring the valve is turned to the sealed position. Select manual (or pressure for different models), and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
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Use a quick release and release all steam before opening the lid of your IP. Shred the chicken with a fork and serve, adding additional salt to taste.
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For the slow cooker, place chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker and top with salsa verde. You do not need the chicken broth. Add in some cumin. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is fork tender.
Recipe Notes
Ensure any visible fat is removed from the chicken thighs.
How do you typically serve this?
Lots of different ways: in a lettuce wrap, over greens in a salad with toppings, or over rice or cauliflower rice.
All the chicken Verde recipes I’ve found for the instant pot use canned Verde sauce. I’m so excited to try this one out! How long would you add for frozen chicken? Thank you
Hi Vanni,
with frozen chicken, it will be the same cook time, but it will just take longer to come to pressure. Hope you love it!
I have a whole 30 compliant salsa Verde. If I use this, how much would I need?
Hi Casey, I would use approximately 2 cups.
Can you do this with frozen chicken?
Sure, it will just take longer to come to pressure.
Really? Only 10 minutes? Oh yum!
Okay, this was delicious! My first recipe in the Instant Pot, and I was thrilled!
I left the seeds of the jalapeños intact, lightly coated avocado oil on the tomatillos and peppers, utilized a generous amount of whole cumin seeds, and swapped out the white onion for red. I then paired this recipe with cauliflower Spanish “rice.”
Note 1: The chicken breasts were defrosted beforehand, and it took a total of 13 minutes at high pressure for the meat to be cooked through (it was still juicy). I used organic chicken and organic broth.
Note 2: While I fiddled with the recipe (slightly), I am an avid cook (and baker). It was just my first time with the Instant Pot, so having a recipe catered to the pressure-cooking method was of great help!
Note 3: My cats were very pleased while I was shredding the chicken … until I covered the plate.
Thank you, Amy ???? This will be on rotation for sure!
Glad you loved it Cassandra!
I got a burn message. So I took it out, after pressure down and chicken was slightly brown, used breasts. So took it out sauteed 1/2 onion delazed put it chicken and salsa back in. Burn notice again??? First time with Instant Pot, I must have done something wrong.???
Oh no!! So sorry to hear. Unfortunately, unless i’m in the kitchen with you it’s hard to tell what happened. Deglazing the Pot was the right thing to do. If I ever get a burn message, I also add in another 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup more liquid.
The recipe was great!!! I want to have a stronger flavor of the peppers. Any advice? More peppers? More Salt. Also mine came out a little watery and not as thick as I would like. Any recs on how to solve that problem.
Thanks so much for this yummy yummy recipe!
I would use an extra jalapeño. And it will need to be a bit watery in order to come to pressure. But depending on the peppers, they can be omitting more water than normal.
Wonderful