This Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken can be made in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker – it's a one pot Mexican-inspired green rice bowl made with tomatillo salsa then topped with avocado, cilantro and jalapenos!
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In the mood for a different twist on a burrito bowl? (other than buffalo chicken burrito bowls of course…)
You're going to LOVE this Salsa Verde Chicken with rice and beans – it's such a filling, flavourful meal and fun take on the classic burrito bowl, and it's made all in ONE POT for easy clean up and of course for your meal prep needs.
Come on, you better know I'm the queen of meal prep by now!!!
What I especially love about these Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls is how versatile they are, and how you can easily re-purpose the ingredients in these bowls for other meals as you feel like switching it up throughout the work week.
Actually, one of the chief complaints I get about meal prep is that people tend to get bored after the first couple of lunches, and I have to say I agree.
It's hard eating the same old thing over and over for lunch, but it's also kinda nice to know that you automatically have something healthy that you can grab out of the fridge on the go, or when you're super hungry and you've just arrived home from work.
That said, I also think it's great when you have different ways to re-purpose your leftovers, and before we dive too deep into this salsa chicken, I thought I would just share some ways that you can re-create these bowls and turn them into something new throughout the week – and you may need to do that, especially if you're just cooking for yourself and have way too much of this to eat yourself LOL (I should point out this is the case with me most weeks!)
Let me fill you in on a couple other ways you can re-purpose this salsa chicken into other meals:
- Tacos (place the filling in a corn tortilla)
- Burritos (saute some extra bell peppers and onions, then add some extra toppings (sour cream, pico de gallo, guac) and roll up into a flour tortilla
- Breakfast Bowls (crack a fried egg on top and pair with some turkey bacon)
What is Salsa Verde?
Now, I know this is what you may be wondering before we dive into the specifics of these bowls. Well, salsa verde, put simply, is GREEN SALSA made from tomatillos and it is SO good! You still get the kick of regular red salsa, and I would actually describe it as having a bit of an extra bite. It can be a tiny bit spicier, and you can usually find it in a jar from your local grocery store in the Mexican section.
I used one such jar in this salsa verde chicken recipe, and it was basically just a matter of dumping that in alongside some chicken broth, chicken, rice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, onions, black beans and corn.
Stir in your green peppers after everything has pressure cooked and let them steam (I'm a big fan of the steaming method using the Instant Pot, your veggies never get overcooked this way!) and then add the rest of your toppings like sliced avocado, jalapenos and cilantro.
Will you be making this Salsa Verde Chicken?
This is such an awesome meal prep idea and a super fun twist on your traditional burrito bowl, you're going to love it!
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or in the comments – I’d love to see what you come up with!
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!
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Instant Pot (or Crock Pot) Salsa Verde Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 1 can black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn (do not defrost!)
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 green peppers, sliced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, onion, garlic, spices, broth, salsa, beans, corn and rice to 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.
- When safe to do so, remove lid and stir in green peppers. Replace lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Divide among four bowls and top with avocado, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
- Crockpot instructions: Add olive oil, chicken, spices, broth, salsa, beans, corn and rice to slow cooker. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Stir in green peppers and let sit 5-10 minutes. Divide among four bowls and top with avocado, jalapeno and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition
Taylor says
Turned out perfectly! My husband and I both loved it. Served with “Food Should Taste Good” brand Multigrain tortilla chips and lime on the side and it was delicious. Favorite instant pot recipe I’ve tried so far.
Taylor Stinson says
Love it!!! So happy it came out great 🙂
Bob says
Did you stir in the rice….I see it was added near the end….will it cook, out of the water?
Taylor Stinson says
It is added to the rest of the ingredients at the end and not stirred in. It will get cooked during the pressure cooking process.
Alex says
If using a slow cooker, do not add the in the beginning as stated. I stupidly did that and it was absolute mush after eight hours. But I will say the taste was pretty good.
Ellie says
If I portion it out into freezer bags ahead of time do you think that will work? Should I defrost it first or throw it all in frozen when I cook it?
Taylor Stinson says
I haven’t tried it this way myself so unfortunately I can’t advise 🙁 If you do assemble raw then freeze, I would defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before throwing in the crockpot. I’m just not sure how the rice would hold up!
Jenn Cornell says
I tried frezzer prepping this recipe per another blogger’s meal prep recommendation and cooking from frozen. Dont do this, thaw it first. Otherwise you’ll end up like me with burn notice after burn notice, frustrated af, ordering a pizza and wasting a bunch of food.
Blake says
I made this tonight but omitted corn and subbed with brown rice and chicken thighs! For brown rice it probably needs a bit longer and mine came out more like a soup but it was still delish!
Kimberly says
Made this last night and it was a hit! I’m a newbie to the Instant Pot and not a very skilled cook with any method. I subbed brown rice since I’m doing WW. I guessed I’d need another 2 0z of liquid for brown and to increase cook time to 18 minutes. Ended up not being enough time and then because of that there was too much liquid. Boiled it off and it was still delicious even with my errors. Will try again with longer cook time. If you, or any other readers, have tips on time and liquid adjustment for substituting brown rice, it would be much appreciated! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kimberly – brown rice takes a lot longer to cook than white rice. I’m not exactly sure of how to modify here because it depends on what type of brown rice you’re using and I would need to do some testing. Overall, I’m happy you enjoyed!
kristen says
Would it work to cook the rice separately and add it when the recipe is done? I’m just very particular about my rice being a certain way.
Taylor Stinson says
I haven’t tried it this way myself but you could give it a try! I imagine it would work 🙂
Danielle Z says
Don’t add the rice in the beginning. It’s absolutely mushy. If using a slow cooker just make it separate at the end.
Rachel says
can I use canned corn?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes for sure!
Peter says
I carefully followed the instructions, used an InstaPot, and it cooked just right. Not a big fan of green peppers, so substituted anaheim peppers instead. I wasn’t that happy with the flavor from the can of Salsa Verde. Planning to make it again, but I’m likely to substitute Hatch Chilies, or something with bigger flavor. It was easy, and I liked the result, worth messing around to find the perfect flavor.