Green Chicken Chili

Green chicken chili is a delicious and hearty Mexican-inspired meal made with chicken, tomatillos, onions, garlic, and chili peppers. The recipe is cooked in a pressure cooker, which helps to tenderize the chicken and infuse the flavors of the spices into the dish. The pressure cooker also helps to speed up the cooking process, making this dish perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

This green chili is typically served with a side of rice or tortilla chips, and can be topped with shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, or scallions for added flavor and texture. The tomatillos provide a tangy and slightly acidic flavor, which pairs perfectly with the spicy chili peppers and savory chicken.

StewMeatChickenBeansMexican

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 min

Yield: 8 servings

A bowl of green chicken chili

Ingredients

  • 2-3 chicken breasts (2-2 ½ lb.)
  • 28 oz. can of tomatillos
  • 15.5 oz. can of white beans
  • 1 cup of frozen roasted corn
  • 4 oz. can of sliced black olives
  • 1 serrano pepper or a 4 oz. can of green hatch chilis
  • ¼ cup of pineapple or orange juice
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp. lime zest
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • green Cholula hot sauce (jalepeño and poblano)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or 1 Tbsp. dried cilantro
  • 2 Tbsp. oregano
  • garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin, plus ½ tsp. to sprinkle
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika to sprinkle
  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus ½ tsp. to sprinkle
  • ½ tsp. coarse black pepper to sprinkle

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Blender or food processor

Instructions

Prep

  1. 1.
    Dry the chicken breasts and lay them out on a cutting board.
  2. 2.
    Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.
  3. 3.
    Set chicken aside to rest.
  4. 4.
    Add garlic cloves with skins and serrano chili to a dry frying pan on medium-low heat.
  5. 5.
    Turn the garlic and serrano regularly until they are soft and the skins are browned.
  6. 6.
    Take them off the heat, then peel the garlic and the serrano chili.
  7. 7.
    Slice the peeled serrano down the middle and scrape out the seeds.

Sauce

  1. 8.
    In the blender or food processor, add drained tomatillos, lime juice and zest, roasted garlic, chilis, pineapple or orange juice, and a 5-6 dashes of green Cholula hot sauce.
  2. 9.
    Add salt, cumin, oregano, and cilantro.
  3. 10.
    Blend the sauce ingredients until everything is liquified.

Cook

  1. 11.
    Add the sauce, drained white beans, corn, and black olives to the Instant Pot and stir.
  2. 12.
    Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the pot and cover with the liquid.
  3. 13.
    Add chicken stock or water if additional liquid is needed to cover the chicken breasts.
  4. 14.
    Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and select the Poultry setting, which should be high pressure for 25 minutes.
  5. 15.
    When the timer is up, allow the steam to bleed off on its own. If the pot isn't that full, you may need to bleed the pressure after 15-20 minutes.
  6. 16.
    Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and pull them apart with the backs of two forks until all the chicken meat is shredded.
  7. 17.
    Return the pulled chicken to the pot and stir completely in the sauce.
  8. 18.
    Put the lid back on and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes.
  9. 19.
    Serve over rice or garnish with shredded cheese, scallions, diced tomatoes, and fresh lime.