Instant Pot Chile Verde Shredded Chicken made with only 5 simple ingredients! This tender and delicious shredded chicken recipe is perfect for chicken tacos, burritos, taco salads, tostadas, lettuce wraps, and more!
One of my favorite parts about this easy Instant Pot Chile Verde Shredded Chicken recipe is you’re left with restaurant-quality shredded chicken with only a few minutes of prep time and minimal effort.
The easy prep for this recipe involves adding all of the ingredients to a pressure cooker, setting it, and letting it do its thing. So simple!
Because of how tasty it is and how easy it is to prepare, this is by far one of my favorite chicken recipes when I’m preparing chicken tacos or burrito bowls. I also use it for my Chicken Enchiladas with Green Salsa.
This chile verde chicken recipe turns out so flavorful, you’d never guess it’s only made with 5 basic ingredients.
Plus, you can find all of the ingredients at any grocery store!
Let’s discuss the ingredients for chile verde chicken.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chile Verde Shredded Chicken:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Pick up 2.5 to 3 pounds of boneless chicken thighs. You can also use a combination of thighs and breasts or only boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders.
I like using thighs because the dark meat itself has more flavor. Due to the higher fat content, you’re always left with very tender shredded chicken. While breasts can be used, the meat doesn’t turn out quite as tender or flavorful.
Onion: Fresh onion always makes any dish taste richer and more flavorful. You can use one small white onion or yellow onion. Red onion works but I find yellow and white onions to have the best flavor in this application.
Green Enchilada Sauce: Pick up a can of your favorite green enchilada sauce. There are some great brands that make high-quality enchilada sauce, so feel free to be choosy here. I like using this enchilada sauce, which doesn’t contain canola oil.
Green Salsa (or Tomatillo Salsa, or Homemade Salsa Verde): Use your favorite store-bought or homemade salsa. Make my Easy Salsa Verde if you love making salsa from scratch. You can also use chicken broth instead of salsa if you prefer.
Canned Diced Green Chilies: Mild green chiles bring fresh briny flavor. If you don’t enjoy green chiles, feel free to skip them. You can also use spicy canned chilies for spicy chicken.
Optional Additions:
- If you have fresh garlic on hand, mince up 3 to 4 cloves and toss it in. You can also add in 2 to 3 teaspoons of garlic powder if you’d like.
- For a citrus zing, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.
- If you love spicy food, you can finely mince up 1 to 3 jalapeno peppers or serranos and add them in to the Instant Pot with the seeds.
- For those who prefer red salsa and red enchilada sauce, make my Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken or my Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken.
- If you enjoy the flavor of chili powder for classic chicken taco approach, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder to this easy salsa verde chicken recipe.
- Chop up some Anaheim peppers or poblano peppers and add them in if you love them.
- Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of ground cumin if you enjoy the flavor.
Now that we’re familiar with the simple ingredients list, let’s make this amazing shredded chicken recipe!
How to Make Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken:
Add all of the ingredients for the shredded chicken to your Instant Pot.
Give everything a big stir so that all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and adjust the time for 20 minutes, making sure your Instant Pot is set to high pressure. Keep the steam valve closed (in the “sealing” position) for the cooking process. The Instant Pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to full pressure before it goes into its 20 minute cycle.
Once the 20 minutes is up, you can use the quick release valve to release any remaining pressure, or allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 to 30 minutes. I always take the longer approach as it results in even more tender chicken.
For frozen chicken, pressure cook on high pressure for 24 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it to your desired consistency.
Transfer the shredded chicken back to the pressure cooker and allow it to sit in the juices until you’re ready to use it. Taste the chicken for flavor and add additional salt to your personal taste.
Scoop out the chicken using a slotted spoon.
Use chile verde chicken for tacos, burrito bowls, burritos, and more.
I like making burrito bowls with the chicken using Homemade Spanish Rice (or regular white or brown rice), black beans, salsa (homemade mango salsa is my favorite), grated cheese, and sliced avocado or guacamole.
Use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option. I always drizzle some of the amazing chile verde sauce from the Instant Pot over the bowl so that the rice soaks it up for a real flavor fest.
You can make tacos using any of your favorite tortillas, such as corn tortillas, flour tortillas, grain-free tortillas, or low-carb tortillas. Use any of your favorite toppings here, such as sour cream, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, chopped onion, and more!
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
This easy chicken recipe is even more flavorful the next day, so feel free to make it in advance of when you need it.
Use this at a meal prep recipe by storing individual toppings and sides in a sealed container. This is a great option for busy weeknights, as there are so many different ways you can serve it up without ever getting tired of the leftovers.
The next time the whole family is craving tacos, whip up this flavorful salsa verde chicken.
Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken:
If you don’t own an Instant Pot or prefer using a slow cooker, the slow cooker version is just as easy.
Simply add everything to your crock pot and give it a big stir. Secure the lid and cook on High Heat for 4 hours, or Low Heat for 6-8 hours.
Follow the same process of shredding the chicken and storing it in the juices until you’re ready to use it.
If you love simple Mexican-inspired recipes like this, also try these reader favorites!
More Mexican Food Favorites:
- Ground Beef Taco Casserole
- Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos
- Ground Turkey Taco Soup
- Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole
- Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas
Let me know how you use your chile verde chicken!
Chile Verde Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 2.5 to 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs*
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 15-oz can green enchilada sauce
- 1 cup green salsa**
- 1 4-oz can diced green chilies
- 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the shredded chicken to your Instant Pot.
- Give everything a big stir so that all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
- Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and adjust the time for 20 minutes, making sure your Instant Pot is set to high pressure. Keep the steam valve closed (in the “sealing” position) for the cooking process. The Instant Pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to full pressure before it goes into its 20 minute cycle.
- Once the 20 minutes is up, you can use the quick release valve to release any remaining pressure, or allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 to 30 minutes. I always take the longer approach as it results in even more tender chicken. For frozen chicken, pressure cook on high pressure for 24 minutes.
- Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it to your desired consistency.
- Transfer the shredded chicken back to the pressure cooker and allow it to sit in the juices until you’re ready to use it. Taste the chicken for flavor and add additional salt to your personal taste. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chicken.
- Use chile verde chicken for tacos, burrito bowls, burritos, and more. I like making burrito bowls with homemade Mexican Rice (or steamed brown rice), black beans, salsa, and guacamole. For low-carb, make burritos with cauliflower rice or tacos using low-carb tortillas.
What recipe is that first picture in the post from with the browned cheese on top? I assume it’s made with this verde chicken. Making this chicken tonight.
Hi Kim! That’s my Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce: https://www.theroastedroot.net/chicken-enchiladas-with-green-sauce/ Hope you enjoy!! xo
Sounds yummy but I think you may have reversed your slow cooker times. You state: “Secure the lid and cook on Low Heat for 4 hours, or High heat for 6-8 hours.”
I am assuming it should be high for 4 hours and low for 6-8 hours.
Hi Diane! Oops! Thank you for catching that – you are correct! I made the edit to the post 🙂 xo