Salsa Verde Chicken – Instant Pot Recipe
Salsa Verde Chicken made with homemade roasted tomatillo salsa. Don’t have homemade salsa? Combine chicken breasts and a jar of your favorite salsa verde for an easy Instant Pot meal that cooks in 10 minutes.
Shredded chicken is one of the easiest things to make in the pressure cooker, aside from hard boiled eggs and sticky rice. Toss in a couple of chicken breasts with a small amount of liquid, set it to high pressure for a few minutes, and you’re in business.
Sometimes we just sprinkle in some simple seasonings, but our favorite way is to mix it with this Roasted Tomatillo Salsa.
Salsa Verde Salsa
If you don’t want to make your own (please do, it’s SO easy), you can use a jar of your favorite salsa verde instead. Before we started making our own, I was using the Herdez brand originally, but I found I prefer the Sam’s Club variety (I buy it at Walmart).
You really can’t beat homemade, though!
Salsa Verde Chicken
To make this salsa verde chicken you will need:
- Chicken Breasts
- Salsa Verde (green salsa)
You want the chicken breasts to be similar in size and not too thick. I decided to take these out and cut them into smaller more symmetrical chunks prior to cooking to ensure they both cooked evenly, but I don’t always have to do that.
How to Make Salsa Verde Chicken
I typically use a pound of chicken to 16oz (two cups) of salsa. I don’t add any other seasonings, broth, or liquid. It’s okay if the salsa is a little chunky (sometimes it sets up more in the refrigerator) because it will thin out while cooking.
Make sure to add a thin layer of salsa to the bottom of the Instant Pot to prevent sticking. I’ve never had a burn notice when making this. Pour the rest of the salsa directly on top of the chicken.
I cook my salsa verde chicken on high pressure for 10 minutes and then do a quick manual release. After that, I double check with a thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached the appropriate temperature and then add to a stand mixer for easy shredding.
How to Serve Salsa Verde Chicken
We usually make chicken tacos from this recipe and serve with Spanish rice and beans. I’ve also used this shredded salsa verde chicken to make enchiladas as well!
More Instant Pot Dinner Ideas
Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast
- 16 oz 2 cups salsa verde
Instructions
- Add a thin layer of salsa verde to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add the chicken breasts (cut into pieces similar in size if necessary).
- Pour the rest of the salsa over the chicken.
- Close the lid and set the valve to seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Manual release and check the temperature of the chicken to ensure fully cooked.
- Add to a stand mixer (or use a fork) to shred. (I use tongs to only add the chicken to the mixer to shred and then scoop up as much leftover salsa as desired after shredding.)
Notes
Find More Recipes
This recipe is part of my Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners series. Check it out!
Great recipe, thank you!