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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 like Instant Pot Greek chicken, Instant Pot chicken cacciatore, or Instant Pot chicken and wild rice soup. 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.
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!
Ways to enjoy Shredded Salsa Verde 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!
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!!
Healthy and Easy Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
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
- 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.
- Place roasted veggies, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime and sea salt in a blender. Pulse and blend for until smooth (don’t over pulse).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fabulous recipe. It’s now my go-to every year when tomatillos come out.
It would be helpful to specify if you mean bone-in or boneless chicken thighs/breasts, but otherwise, this recipe is a keeper!
This was delicious! Everyone raved. I also got a burn message on my Instant Pot and the chicken was bit crisp/stuck on the bottom. Should I have put a little sauce down first and then added the thighs? I may also try to add some white beans for extra protein.