This Instant Pot Chicken Chili is a delicious green chili that’s simple to make and only requires a few ingredients. It’s made without beans or tomatoes for a tasty, flavorful chili that’s lower in carbs!
When you just want something easy and satisfying that’s still good for you, this Instant Pot chicken chili is the perfect weeknight meal! It’s packed with flavor and comes together in just a few simple steps. You can’t beat that!
This is not a beans-and-tomato-based chili, but instead a green chili (chile verde) that uses a 16 oz. can of salsa verde as the base. If you’ve never had chile verde before, you’re in for a real treat with this recipe!
As an added bonus, this type of chili is much lower in carbs than traditional chili.
And everything comes together quickly thanks to the Instant Pot.
You’ve probably heard about this magical kitchen appliance. It’s becoming increasingly popular because it’s convenient, easy to use, and produces tasty meals. What’s not to love?
If you haven’t heard of the Instant Pot, let me introduce you to it. The Instant Pot is an electric, programmable pressure cooker with a bunch of settings that allow you to easily make a variety of dishes. You can make your fair share of not-so-healthy food in it (I hear it makes a killer cheesecake!), but it also makes cooking healthy dishes a breeze.
This chicken chili recipe is no exception! All you have to do is sauté the garlic and onions (you can do that in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting), dump in the rest of your ingredients, set the timer for 10 minutes, and then let the Instant Pot work its magic.
How to make Instant Pot chicken chili
The only thing you’ll have to do for this recipe is dice the onion and mince the garlic. The Instant Pot takes care of everything else!
Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting on medium.
Step 2: Add the vegetable oil.
Step 3: Add the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until the onion begins to soften.
Step 4: Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute.
Step 5: Add the cumin and oregano and stir for another minute.
Step 6: Pour ½ of the salsa verde into the pot. Top with the chicken breasts and pour the remaining salsa verde over the chicken.
Step 7: Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to “sealing,” and select “manual”. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
Step 8: Once the timer is up, let the pressure release naturally (will take 8-10 minutes).
Step 9: After the pressure has come down, open the lid, transfer the chicken to a medium bowl, and shred with a fork.
Step 10: Return the chicken to the pot and stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
Your delicious chili is ready to serve! Enjoy it in a bowl, or use it as the base for tasty tacos with all your favorite toppings.
One recipe for two delicious meals
Don’t you love it when recipes serve double duty? A single batch of chicken chili can be enjoyed two different ways:
Meal #1: Serve it as-is for a wonderful bowl of satisfying chili. I recommend topping each bowl with crumbled queso fresco (or sour cream), diced avocado, finely chopped radishes, and optional sprigs of cilantro.
Meal #2: Serve it as a base for hearty chicken tacos. Top with your desired toppings – all of the chili toppings work well, as does rice. (Note: The nutrition information for this recipe is calculated for the chili only, so if you go the taco route, keep in mind that the calories and carbs will increase.)
Storage
This chicken green chili is an excellent make-ahead recipe!
If you find yourself with extra (or if you want to make extra to prepare for future meals), simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can also store the chili for longer in the freezer. It’s a great dish to pull out on those nights (or days) when you want a healthy meal but don’t have the time or energy to make one.
More healthy chicken recipes
Are you always looking for new tasty and healthy chicken recipes? We’ve got you covered! We have so many healthy low-carb chicken recipes here on Diabetes Strong that I know you will love. Here are some of my favorites:
If you’re looking for even more inspiration, be sure to check out my roundup of the best healthy diabetic chicken recipes!
When you’ve tried this recipe, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate it in the comments below!
Instant Pot Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 2½ lbs. chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- 16 oz. salsa verde
Toppings
- 2 packages queso fresco (crumbled, or sour cream)
- 2 avocados, diced
- 8 radishes, chopped fine
- 8 springs cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting on medium.
- Add the vegetable oil.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently until the onion begins to soften.
- Add the garlic, and stir for another minute.
- Add the cumin and oregano and stir for another minute.
- Pour ½ of the salsa verde into the pot. Top with the chicken breasts and pour the remaining salsa verde over the chicken.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn the valve to “sealing,” and select “manual”. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
- Once the timer is up, let the pressure release naturally (will take 8-10 minutes).
- After the pressure has come down, open the lid, transfer the chicken to a medium bowl, and shred with a fork.
- Return the chicken to the pot and stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Info Per Serving
Can I use frozen chicken, if so does that change the timing? (Forgot to defrost)
I would recommend defrosting your chicken before using it as I don’t know how the cooking time will change if you use frozen chicken. Luckily, defrosting is also super easy in an instant pot and only takes a few minutes. Just follow this guide: https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/how-to-pressure-cook-frozen-chicken-breasts/
At the beginning of the recipe it says lock the steam button. But later it says let it be natural.. which one is it?
I am not quite sure where it says to “lock the steam button”. You first use the sautee setting and then switch to “manual” when you add the chicken.
Hi, I have a pre-cooked chicken. Any tips on using that vs. raw? Thanks in advance from Minneapolis!
Using pre-cooked chicken isn’t really ideal as the chicken helps build flavor. You could throw all of the ingredients except the chicken in the instant pot with some chicken stock and add the chicken after the 10-min
Bomb.com! So delicious and easy!!!
Very very good
This was great! I made it for my stepdad, however how much is a serving size? It’s 9.1 carbs per serving, but how many oz/cups would it be? He loved it and wants to know how much he can eat!
I can’t give you an exact amount but the recipe is for 8 servings. I’ve found that it’s usually ok if I’m off with a few grams but if he wants to be sure you can weigh out the whole portion before serving and divide the weight by 8
My family loved it. I added a can of pinto beans after it was cooked and heated it for a little more.
Just wondering, if I doubled this recipe in my 8qt Instant Pot, would I still pressure cook for 10 minutes? Or would I increase that time? Thanks!
You shouldn’t have to increase the time, as long as there is still some room left in the Instant Pot (the steam needs room to circulate). If you put more into the pot, it will simply take longer to build pressure before the cooking time starts.
What is the actual serving size?
Thanks!
Maxine
Hi Maxine, the recipe makes 8 servings. If you click on the serving size, you can use a slider to adjust it to how many servings you want.
Hi Christel,
Looks so tasty. Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeta