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    Ingredients » Recipes » Chicken

    Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Mar 23, 2021 by Dee

    Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken is an easy 3 ingredient recipe for seasoned shredded chicken in the pressure cooker. Perfect for tacos! via @meamel

    Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken is an easy 3 ingredient recipe for seasoned shredded chicken in the pressure cooker. Perfect for tacos!

    Jump to Recipe -
    instant pot salsa verde chicken with cilantro in a bowl

    Salsa chicken is one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes you can make! Seriously, you guys, there's almost no way to mess this up, so it's the perfect Instant Pot beginner recipe.

    I've been making shredded chicken in the Crock-Pot forever, but making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot is 10 times faster. You can use plain broth or water if you want unflavored chicken, but if you add a jar of green salsa, you can make chicken enchiladas, tacos, air fryer chicken chimichangas, burrito bowls and much, much more. And if you like to do make ahead meals, this easy chicken recipe will make meal prep a breeze!

    We make this salsa verde chicken at least once a week, so I may just be slightly addicted here. If you're not a fan of salsa verde, you can make red salsa chicken, instead.

    3 Ingredient Chicken

    You only need 3 basic ingredients for salsa verde chicken:

    • Chicken breasts
    • Salsa verde -- Make sure it's thin (I use Herdez)
    • Taco seasoning -- homemade or a packet

    This could easily be a 2 ingredient recipe, since all you really need is uncooked chicken and salsa. But I like extra flavor from the seasoning. If your salsa is thick, you can add a splash or chicken broth or water to avoid the burn notice.

    How to make Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

    First, place the chicken breasts on the bottom of the inner pot. I sometimes add a little bit of olive oil, but it's not required. Then, you sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken.

    Pour the salsa over the chicken, but don't stir everything together. If you need to thin the salsa, add water or broth now.

    Salsa verde chicken with taco seasoning and green salsa in instant pot

    How Long to Pressure Cook

    I always pressure cook the chicken for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes are up, do a natural release for 10 minutes and a quick release after that. Note -- If you're at a higher altitude or your chicken usually comes out tough, cook the chicken for 15 minutes.

    How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts

    Forgot to thaw the chicken out? No problem! Place the frozen chicken breasts into the Instant Pot flat or slightly standing up if they're stuck together.

    Add the salsa and taco seasoning, and pressure cook for 20 minutes. The chicken should be cooked at this point, but you can test with a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

    Shred salsa verde chicken with electric mixer in pressure cooker

    Use a Mixer to Shred the Chicken

    Next, comes the fun part! You can use your electric hand-held mixer to easily shred the chicken! It's super easy this way, and the chicken will absorb the liquid as you shred it.

    You can also use your stand mixer for this part. Serve with Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or Brown Rice, and that's it, friends. You are ready to eat!

    shredded salsa verde chicken in a white dish
    instant pot salsa verde chicken shredded in white bowl

    Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

    Published by Dee
    Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken is an easy 3 ingredient recipe for seasoned shredded chicken breasts in the pressure cooker. Perfect for tacos!
    5 from 10 votes
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    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Pressure time 10 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course Main
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 10
    Calories 67 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil optional
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
    • 1 packet taco seasoning See note
    • 1 16-ounce jar salsa verde Thin -- I use Herdez

    Instructions
     

    • Add the olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot, and add the chicken
    • Season the chicken with taco seasoning
    • Pour the salsa verde over chicken, and mix slightly to make sure chicken is evenly covered
    • Place lid on Instant Pot, set sealing valve to SEALING position, and hit PRESSURE COOK, or manual,  for 10 minutes. (Pot will say ON as it comes to pressure, then begin counting down at 10 minutes) 
    • After 10 minutes of cooking, do a natural release for 10 minutes, then hit CANCEL and do a quick release until pin drops
    • Open pot, allow to cool slightly, then use an electric mixer to shred the chicken

    Video

    Notes

    Total time is about 30 minutes. About 10 minutes to come to pressure, 10 minutes to cook and 10 minutes natural release.
    For frozen chicken, cook for 20 minutes with 10 minute release.
    You can also shred chicken, using two forks if you don't want to use a hand mixer
    I use Herdez brand salsa verde, which is thin. If you're using a thick salsa, you may want to add 1 tablespoon of water to thin it out.
    I now use homemade taco seasoning. Original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon pepper.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 67kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 10gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 286mgPotassium: 179mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    More Recipes with Salsa Verde

    • Crock-Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Sliders
    • Salsa Verde Chicken Bake
    • One Pot Salsa Verde Chicken Pasta
    • Homemade Salsa Verde White Queso Dip
    • Salsa Verde Breakfast Burritos
    • Salsa Verde Dip

    Recipe first published in 2018 and last updated in 2021

    shredded instant pot salsa verde chicken in serving bowl
    pin image for salsa chicken
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    More Chicken

    • No Peek Chicken and Rice Recipe
    • Crack Chicken Casserole Recipe
    • Teriyaki Chicken Wings Recipe
    • Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Robin Grant says

      August 16, 2022 at 3:51 pm

      OMG! Love this! It was sooo easy. And using a hand mixer to shred- fantastic! For a keto version, I spooned it into a bowl, topped with freshly shredded cheddar, chopped green onions and sour cream. Delicious. Thank you for a great recipe and tips!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        August 16, 2022 at 7:49 pm

        Hi Robin. Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your keto version!

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

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