This Easy Salsa Verde Chicken can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker! Serve with rice for a flavourful and healthy dinner idea.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – use any neutral oil as a substitute for olive oil.
- Chicken breasts – chicken thighs are a great alternative to chicken breasts and may offer a juicier cut of meat.
- Yellow onion – sweet onions, shallots or white onions are a great alternative to yellow onion.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic or garlic powder in a pinch.
- Chili powder – cayenne pepper, chili flakes or paprika can be used as a substitution.
- Cumin – ground coriander, taco seasoning or garam masala can be used in this recipe.
- Salt – to taste.
- Green chilies – you can use green bell peppers for a milder option.
- Corn – use fresh, canned or frozen corn in this recipe.
- Salsa verde – use store-bought jarred salsa verde or make your own homemade salsa verde.
To serve
- Brown rice – use any variety of rice of your choice like white rice or even quinoa.
- Avocado – garnish with guacamole instead or leave this off altogether.
- Jalapeno – use pickled jalapenos for less of a kick.
- Cilantro – leave this off if you're not a fan of cilantro.
How to make salsa verde chicken
Step 1: Add everything to the pot.
Add the olive oil, chicken, onion, garlic, spices, green chilies, corn and salsa to the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Cook in the Instant Pot on high pressure for 5 minutes, or in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Step 2: Make the rice.
While the chicken is cooking, cook the rice in a slow cooker or in a pot on the stovetop until the liquid has absorbed.
Step 3: Shred the chicken.
When the chicken is done cooking, shred the chicken right in the pot.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Serve the chicken over rice, and garnish with avocado, green onions, jalapeno and cilantro.
Variations of this recipe
There are a few different ways you can customize this salsa verde chicken recipe:
- Swap out the store-bought salsa verde for homemade salsa verde.
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for a juicier cut of meat.
- Serve over cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
- Use the chicken to make chicken enchiladas verdes.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like serving this salsa verde chicken over rice with some avocado, jalapeno and cilantro on top, but you can add on whatever toppings you’re craving. You could also serve it over cauliflower rice for a low-carb option, or use the chicken to make wraps or enchiladas verdes.
You can make this chicken verde in the Instant Pot or the crockpot! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for step-by-step instructions on each method.
To ensure the rice is fully cooked through, you'll need to cook it separately from the chicken. You can cook it in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stovetop until the water has absorbed.
Yes! As long as you don't go over the maximum line in your Instant Pot or crockpot, you should be able to double up on this recipe. The cooking time remains the same.
This recipe definitely has a bit of a kick to it, but it's not overly spicy. If you're sensitive to spice, I'd recommend cutting down on the amount of green chilies and jalapenos you use, or even swapping out the green chilies for green bell peppers (although it will alter the flavour).
Storing and reheating
Once your salsa verde chicken has cooled to room temperature, store the leftovers in individual servings in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’s a great recipe for meal prep! Just make sure to keep the toppings separate so everything stays as fresh as possible.
When you’re ready to enjoy, sprinkle some water over top of the chicken and rice so it doesn’t dry out and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Add on your chosen toppings and dig in!
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze this salsa verde chicken without the toppings in glass bowls for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing individual serving sizes for easy reheating – it’s the perfect option for those nights where you need something quick and delicious!
To reheat, sprinkle some water over top then reheat in the microwave from frozen for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through. If you have a bit more time, you can also let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal.
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More Instant Pot chicken recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this salsa verde up for lunch!
- I usually use this brand of salsa verde or the no-name brand from my local grocery store (in my case, President's Choice).
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Easy Salsa Verde Chicken {Instant Pot or Crockpot}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 (4oz) can green chilies
- 1 cup corn
- 2 cups salsa verde
Rice
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup brown rice
To serve
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, onion, garlic, spices, green chilies, corn and salsa to the Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure, then the 5 minutes to cook.
- Meanwhile, cook rice in a rice cooker or pot on the stove until liquid has absorbed.
- When safe to do so, remove lid and shred chicken right in the pot. Divide among four bowls and top with avocado, green onions, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
- Divide among four bowls and top with avocado, green onions, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Crockpot instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, onion, garlic, spices, green chilies, corn and salsa to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Meanwhile, cook rice in a rice cooker or pot on the stove until liquid has absorbed.
- When chicken is done cooking, shred it right in the pot. Divide among four bowls and top with avocado, green onions, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Adam says
This looks great, will be making it for my kids. In glass containers in the fridge, any guess as to how many days this would be good for? Trying to organize things to cook a bunch Sun & Wed so ideally cooking things that will last 2-3 days in the fridge and still be ok to eat.
Thanks in advance!
Adam
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Adam! This will last up to 5 days in the fridge 🙂
Adam says
Thanks for the quick reply! I have a slow cooker but looking at the instant pot cook time, I might pick one up. Amy recommendation on a particular make/model instant pot?
Taylor Stinson says
I have the 6 quart Instant Pot DUO Plus 🙂
Adam says
Thanks for the info…Amazon here I come.
Adriana says
I am very disappointed with the instructions for preparing this recipe using a slow cooker. I doubled the recipe and opted for 6 hours on high. After 5 hours, I lifted the lid and not only were the edges slightly burned, but everything was over cooked. For anybody wanting to try this recipe, i would recommend using an Instant Pot or cooking everything but the rice for three hours on high, then cooking the rice with the leftover juice.
Danielle Campos says
Recipe looks delish ! If I wanted to use regular white rice instead of the jasmine, how much and how long of cook time ? Also would it change up the calories a lot ?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Danielle! White rice should be fine but I would add an extra minute of cook time in case. Unfortunately I can’t advise on the calories but I assume it would be around the same.
Kayla says
Great recipe, but what is the serving size in grams? Trying to log macros 🤷♀️
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I can’t provide that info – sorry about that!
Shannon says
I just made this last night. It was delicious!! After it was dished out, we added a squeeze of lime juice. Doing that added the right amount of something that just pushed it over the top!! My entire family liked it. This was also the first thing I made in my new instant pot. Thank you for making it so easy!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you liked it Shannon – love the squeeze of lime overtop, great idea 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing with me!!!
Kylee says
What if I were to use quinoa? Would the taste be similar? Cooking time similar (I’ll be using a crockpot). I just feel quinoa is a bit healthier than jasmine rice. Maybe I’m wrong.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m not sure that the liquid to grain ratios would be the same for quinoa but you could try! I imagine cooking time would stay the same.
Kimi says
Do you drain the liquid from the beans or is part of the cooking liquid?
Taylor Stinson says
You rinse and drain them!
Tracy says
If I double this in my instant pot and use boneless skinless chicken thighs will cooking times stay the same?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Tracy – I’m honestly not sure because I haven’t tried it myself. If I were to guess, maybe up the cooking time by 2 minutes?
Danae says
Is it regular jasmine rice or “minute” jasmine rice?
Taylor Stinson says
Regular 🙂
Michelle says
Hi This looks great. Is the nutritional information for one serving? Is it 4oz.? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Michelle! I couldn’t tell you the weight of the serving size but the nutritional info is for one serving, which is 1/4 of the recipe. Hope that helps!