Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

A flavor packed, cheesy and creamy Instant Pot chicken chili verde with chunks of fresh jalapenos, pasilla peppers, garlic, onion, salsa verde, and roasted diced tomatoes.

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

We have a recipe for Instant Pot salsa cilantro shredded chicken thighs which is very similar to most chicken chili Verde recipes you find. This recipe is not your normal chicken chili Verde. Take your traditional chicken chili verde and make the flavor and texture POP!

Why Use the Instant Pot?

Using an Instant Pot to cook creamy chicken chili verde will deliver an incredible, cooked all day chili flavor, in less than 45 minutes. Pressure cooking chicken thighs leaves the dark meat juicy and super tender. I highly recommend using an Instant Pot for all soups and chilies.

Creamy Chicken Chili Verde Ingredients

You can find most of the ingredients in your kitchen. The rest you can find at your local grocery store.

Two and a half pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs seasoned with salt, pepper, and granulated onion browned in olive oil.

Fresh garlic, onion, jalapenos, passilla or anaheim pepper, and cilantro.

Hearty pinto and black beans mixed with white corn.

28 ounces of your favorite salsa verde and 15 ounces of roasted diced tomatoes.

Flavored with chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper and fresh squeezed lime juice.

Made creamy with 4 ounces of cream cheese, a cup and a half of shredded medium cheddar cheese and a cup of cream.

Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the incredible chili verde sauce.

How to Make Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

Brown the Chicken Thighs

Take the boneless skinless chicken thighs and lightly to medium season all sides with salt, pepper and granulated onion (or onion powder).

Press Sauté on your Instant Pot. After the pot is “HOT”, add 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil. I pull the pot out and swish the olive oil around to make sure the whole pot bottom is covered. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Use long kitchen tongs to place each chicken thigh into the hot instant pot. Let the chicken brown for 3 minutes. I use a kitchen timer so I do not go over or under 3 minutes.

Use a flat wooden spatula to separate the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot and use long kitchen tongs to flip each chicken thigh over. Brown the other side of the chicken thighs for another 3 minutes. After 3 minutes of browning, move the chicken thighs to a plate to sit. Press the Cancel Button to cancel the Sauté function.

Create the Chili Broth

The bottom of your instant pot will have plenty of browning stuck to the bottom of it. That is all amazing flavor we will pull into our chili.

Add 1/4 cup of the 2 cups of water needed for the recipe to the Instant Pot.

Use a flat wooden spatula to scrape the pot bottom clean mixing the browning into the water. It is pretty easy once you add that little bit of water.

Add the rest of the 2 cups of water to the instant pot.

Follow the water with all of the seasoning: 2.5 tsp chicken bouillon, 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp oregano, 1 Tbsp cumin, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix the seasoning into the water well.

Chop the Vegetables

When slicing, dicing, and chopping, I highly recommend using a sharp knife and a nice end grain wood cutting board. The job is much easier. Slice or dice 6 large cloves of garlic. Use more garlic cloves if they are not large. Chop 1 yellow onion into chunks.

Cut the leaves and small branches off the large cilantro branches. Chop the cilantro leaves into small pieces.

Slice off the stem side off of 2 jalapenos, cut the jalapenos lengthwise and then chop the jalapenos into chunks including the seeds for a spicy chili.

Cut the pasilla pepper in half lengthwise from the tip toward the stem.

Remove the seeds and stem. Cut into slices and then chop into bite size pieces. If you like your chili with mild spice/skip the pasilla pepper and deseed the jalapenos before chopping.

Add the chopped garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapenos, and pasilla peppers to the instant pot. Stir the vegetables into the chili broth well. This is your burn proof layer.

Chop the Browned Chicken Thighs

Use a plastic cutting board and a sharp knife and cut the browned chicken thighs into bite size pieces. I grab the thighs with long tongs while I cut the chicken.

Add the chicken pieces and the juice left behind on the plate to the instant pot. I like to use my flat wooden spatula to spread the chicken pieces into an even layer over the broth and chopped vegetables.

Salsa Verde and Tomatoes

To make our chicken chili green, we need to add plenty of green salsa or salsa verde. Salsa verde’s key ingredient is tomatillos. There are also other ingredients like in Mexican and American salsas that go in salsa verde as well. For instant, serrano or other peppers, cilantro, onions, garlic, and spices.

I like to get a salsa verde that has all natural ingredients, like this salsa verde. Often times when I go to a local grocery store in what ever town we’re in, they will have a 28 ounce jar of salsa verde that has everything I’m looking for. If they do not have 28 oz jars, I grab a couple 16 ounce jars and cut my water down to 1 3/4 cups instead of 2 cups.

Add the 28 ounces of salsa verde along with a 15 ounce can of roasted diced tomatoes on top of the layer of chicken. Use a flat wooden spatula to spread the salsa verde and roasted diced tomatoes into an even layer over the chicken.

Beans and Corn

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde is a whole different monster after beans and corn are added to the mix. I like to use pinto beans because they are so easy going in the bean flavor with a good amount of protein. Black beans have a great bean flavor and together with the pinto beans, provide the chicken chili verde with that beautiful chili texture we all love.

I love the crisp pop of corn in a creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde. If you want fresh corn, remove corn from 2-3 ears of corn and milk the cob with the back of your knife. If it is not corn season or you are looking for an easy chili dinner, use a 15 ounce can of white or yellow corn.

Rinse the pinto beans, black beans, and corn well. Bean juice acts as a thickener and will burn the bottom of the instant pot. If you are using a crock pot, you can just drain the beans instead of rinsing them well.

Add the rinsed beans and corn to the instant pot and spread them out into an even layer. Feel free to add more beans if you’d like. I add Kidney beans often times as well.

Pressure Cook the Chicken Chili Verde

Now that you have an Instant Pot full of Chicken Chili Verde, let us put the instant pot lid on, and seal the pressure release valve. Press Pressure Cook and adjust the time to 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes of pressure cooking are finished, release the pressure. When the pin drops, remove the lid and stir the chicken chili verde.

Lets Make Our Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde Creamy

This recipe for Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde is pretty liquid right after the pressure cook. Unlike traditional methods of cooking chili, in a big pot on the stove top, the instant pot seals the water inside not allowing any water to evaporate as it cooks. We need that water to keep the instant pot bottom from burning.

This also gives us an opportunity to make a delicious creamy sauce for our chicken chili verde. While the Instant Pot is pressure cooking, shred 1 ^1/2 cups of medium cheddar cheese and chop 4 oz of cream cheese. Let the cheese sit on the counter while the chicken chili verde pressure cooks.

Juice 1 lime to get about 2 Tbsp of fresh lime juice.

Pour 1 cup of cream into a measuring cup.

Once the Instant pot lid comes off, stir in the lime juice, cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and cream cheese.

Stir the lime juice, cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese into the creamy instant pot chicken chili verde well. These ingredients cool the chicken chili verde temperature down quite a bit.

Cornstarch Slurry

Press cancel to stop the keep warm function and press Sauté. Mix 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with 4-5 Tbsp of cold water well in a measuring cup. This is your cornstarch slurry. Use a flat wooden spatula to scrape the instant pot bottom clean and stirring the Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde often until a boil begins.

Once a nice boil begins, use the flat wooden spatula to stir in the well mixed cornstarch slurry into the chicken chili verde. Stir often while scraping the Instant Pot bottom clean as you stir. The cheese will burn on the pot bottom if you do not scrape the bottom as you go. After five minutes of boiling and stirring, cancel the sauté function by pressing cancel on your Instant Pot.

Dish Up your Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde!

Use a large ladle to fill your family’s bowls with a flavorful creamy Instant Pot chicken chili verde. Top with your favorite chili toppings.

I like to top with plenty of diced white or sweet onion, sprinkle a little shredded pepper jack cheese, slice or chop perfectly ripe avocados, and crumble salty tortilla chips over the top. Some times I eat half of my chicken chili verde by scooping a bite of chicken chili verde with each chip. You might also like to top with a handful of Cheese Its or Gold Fish.

Kitchen Tools, Toys, and Appliances We Use in our 32 Foot 5th Wheel Kitchen

Instant Pot 8 Quart Duo Plus

Slow cooker lid for 8qt Instant Pot

Kitchen Torch

Air Fryer 5.7 Quart

EVO Olive Oil Sprayer

Steamer Basket for the Instant Pot

The Mac Chef’s knife I use

Cookie Spatula that works the Best in the Air Fryer

Wooden Spatula I use for Scraping and Stirring

End Grain Wood Cutting Board

Boo’s Mystery Oil for the Wood Cutting Board

Boo’s Board Cream for Wood Cutting Boards

Plastic Cutting Board

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Pyrex Measuring Cups

Long Kitchen Tongs

Gravy Whisk

Hard Boiled Egg Holder for the Instant Pot

Egg Bite Mold for the Instant Pot

Minion Steam Diverter

Lemon Zester

Glass Mixing Bowls

Basket Replacement for Cosori 5.7 quart Air Fryer

Salt and Pepper Grinders

Professional Cheese Grater

Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle

Whisk

Glass Mixing Bowls

GoPro Hero9 Black

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Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde Recipe