Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

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?

Instant Pot Pressure Cooking Creamy Chicken Chili Verde

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

Creamy Instant Pot 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

Browning chicken thighs for creamy instant pot chicken chili verde

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

Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and granulated onion or garlic

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.

Pick up the pot and swish around the olive oil to cover the bottom well.

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 long tongs to place chicken thighs into the HOT Instant Pot to brown

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.

Move the browned chicken thighs to a plate

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 water to help deglaze the instant pot bottom

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

Using a flat wooden spatula to deglaze the instant pot bottom

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 for the creamy instant pot chicken chili verde

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

Add all of the seasoning to the water in the instant pot for the creamy chicken chili verde

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.

Stir seasoning into the water well

Chop the Vegetables

Dice 6 large cloves of garlic.  Use a sharp knife and end grain wood cutting board.

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.

Chop 2 Jalapenos leaving seeds in for SPICY chicken chili verde.

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 Pasilla pepper in half starting at the end.  Pull the two halves apart and remove the seeds and stem.

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

Chop the pasilla pepper into large chunks for chicken chili verde

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.

Mix Vegetables into the chili broth.

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

Chop browned chicken thighs for the creamy instant pot chicken chili verde

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 chopped chicken to the instant pot spreading the pieces out in an even layer over the chopped vegetable and broth layer.

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

Add 28 - 32 ounces of your favorite salsa verde on top of the chicken pieces in the instant pot

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 fire roasted tomatoes to the Instant Pot

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

Add well rinsed pinto and black beans along with white or yellow corn to the chicken chili verde

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.

Spread the beans and corn into an even layer over the top of the chicken pieces.

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

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.

Release the pressure after the 15 minutes of pressure cooking.  The Instant pot will beep 10 times when finished.

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

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde after pressure cooking and before getting 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.

Add 1 lime's juice (~2 Tbsp) to the instant pot creamy chicken chili verde

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

Add 1 Cup cream to the creamy chicken chili verde

Pour 1 cup of cream into a measuring cup.

Add 4 oz cream cheese to the creamy chicken chili verde in the instant pot.

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

Add 1.5 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese to the creamy chicken chili verde in the instant pot.

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.

Stir the lime juice, cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese into the creamy instant pot chicken chili verde well.

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.

Stir cornstarch slurry (3 Tbsp cornstarch + 4 Tbsp cold water) into the creamy instant pot chicken chili verde.

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!

Dish up a big bowl of 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.

Top your bowl of Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde with avocado, chopped onion, and crumbled salty tortilla chips.

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

Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

A flavor packed, cheesy and creamy Instant Pot chicken chili verde with chunks of flavorful chicken, fresh jalapenos, pasilla peppers, garlic, and onion cooked in salsa verde, roasted diced tomatoes, and Mexican seasoning.
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chicken, chili, Instant Pot
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Bring to boil to melt cheese and thicken: 10 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes
Calories: 446kcal
Author: David Wayne
Cost: $25

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs

  • 2 ½ lbs Chicken Thighs Boneless and Skinless
  • 1 tsp Granulated Onion or onion powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper I use Rainbow Pepper (Red, Green, White, and Black Pepper Corns)
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil or peanut oil

Veggies and Beans

  • 6 Large Garlic Cloves diced
  • 1 Yellow Onion chopped
  • 2 Optional Heat Jalapenos chopped, seeds in for Heat or deseeded for no Heat
  • 1 Optional Heat Passilla or Anaheim Pepper deseeded and chopped (Leave out for no heat)
  • 15 oz Can Pinto Beans Rinsed Well
  • 15 oz Can Black Beans Rinsed Well
  • 15 oz Can White or Yellow Corn drained and rinsed or use 2-3 ears of fresh corn cut off the cob
  • 15 oz Can Diced Tomatoes Fire Roasted

Liquids

  • 28-32 oz Salsa Verde Use salsa verde with all natural ingredients
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 cup Cream
  • 1-2 Tbsp Lime Juice 1 Lime Juiced

Cornstarch Slurry

  • 3 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 4 Tbsp Water

Cheese

  • 4 oz Cream Cheese
  • 1 ½ cups Medium Cheddar Cheese Shredded

Seasoning

  • 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Cumin
  • 2 ½ tsp Chicken Bouillon
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper Optional
  • 1/2 tsp black Pepper

Toppings

  • Tortilla Chips crumbled
  • Avocado chopped
  • White Onion diced
  • Cilantro chopped
  • Cheese its
  • Shredded Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

Brown the Chicken Thighs

  • Press Sauté on the Instant Pot
  • Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and granulated or powdered onion or garlic
  • Add 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil to the HOT Instant Pot and use long kitchen tongs to place the seasoned chicken thighs into the instant pot
  • Brown for three minutes, use a flat wooden spatula to help release the chicken thighs from the pot and flip the chicken thighs over to brown for another three minutes
  • Use a flat wooden spatula to release the chicken thighs from the instant pot and then use long kitchen tongs to move the browned chicken thighs to a plate
  • Do in batches if you cannot fit all the chicken thighs in the pot without over crowding
  • Cancel Sauté

Make the Chili Broth

  • Add 1/4 cup of the 2 cups of water to the instant pot and use a flat wooden spatula so scrape the browning stuck to the pot bottom and stir into the water
  • Add all of the seasoning: chili powder, chicken bouillon, oregano, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
  • Add the rest of the 2 cups of water and stir the ingredients together to make the chili broth

Build Your Chicken Chili Verde Layers

  • Dice 6 large cloves of garlic, chop 1 onion, chop 2 jalapenos (deseed for no heat and leave seeds in for HOT), deseed and chop 1 pasilla pepper, and cut the leafy part of one bunch of cilantro off the stems and chop into small pieces
  • Add the garlic, onion, jalapenos, pasilla pepper, and cilantro to the instant pot and stir into the chili broth (Burn Proof Layer)
  • Chop the browned chicken thighs into bite size pieces with a sharp knife and add to the instant pot pushing the chicken around with a flat wooden spatula to make an even layer of chicken
  • Empty pinto beans, black beans, and corn into a strainer and rinse very well with cool water
  • Add the beans and corn to the instant pot and arrange into an even layer with a flat wooden spatula
  • Add 28-32 oz of salsa verde in a layer on top of the beans and corn
  • Add 15 oz of diced tomatoes in an even layer over the salsa verde

Pressure Cook

  • Put the Instant Pot lid on, seal the pressure release valve, press the pressure cook button, and adjust the pressure cook time to 15 minutes
  • Make sure the pressure cook is set to high pressure
  • The Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure before beginning the 15 minutes of pressure cooking

Prepare the Creamy Ingredients

  • Shred 1 and 1/2 cups of medium cheddar cheese and cut 4 oz of cream cheese into chunks
  • Leave cheese on the counter to warm
  • Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of cream

Make the Chicken Chili Verde Creamy

  • Once the 15 minutes of pressure cooking are finished, the Instant Pot will beep 10 times, open the pressure release valve to release the steam
  • When the pin drops, remove the instant pot lid
  • Press cancel on the Instant Pot to cancel the keep warm function and then press Sauté
  • Add the shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cream cheese, and cream to the Instant Pot and stir well
  • Squeeze 1 Lime into the Instant Pot
  • Mix 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with 4 Tbsp of water
  • Once the chicken chili verde begins to boil, use a flat wooden spatula to scrape the bottom clean and stir in the cornstarch slurry
  • Stir often while scraping the bottom clean often for 5 minutes
  • Cancel Sauté and ladle creamy Instant Pot chicken chili verde into a bowl
  • Top with your favorite chili toppings: chopped onion, chopped avocado, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, etc…
  • Enjoy your delicious creamy Instant Pot chicken chili verde!

Video

Notes

If you do not want spicy Chicken Chili Verde, leave out the pasilla pepper and remove the seeds from the jalapenos. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 446kcal

3 Comments on “Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Chili Verde

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