Instant Pot Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken

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This Instant Pot Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken recipe is a shortcut to the authentic Mexican chile verde. Made in an instant pot in under 30 minutes, this keto salsa verde uses jarred tomatillo salsa to save on time - a perfect quick and easy high protein, low carb, and keto friendly weeknight dinner!

top view of a bolw of instant pot creamy salsa verde chicken with fresh parsley and a wooden spoon

Table of Contents

Instant Pot Verde Chicken

Mr. Grumbles has officially declared this low carb salsa chicken as one of his favourite recipes yet! And it has quickly become one of favourite weeknight dinners as the entire recipe, from start to finish, only takes under 30 minutes, thanks to the use of a pressure cooker!

After nailing the perfect recipe for Pulled Chicken in my pressure cooker, I now almost exclusively use it whenever I am in a bind and need a high protein dinner in a jiffy.

By simply adding some jarred salsa verde with some chicken and some taco seasoning, this low carb salsa chicken is not only delicious but also so easy to make.

Plus, if you are following a PSMF diet or a Keto diet, the modifications to adhere to either are really simple!

Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken Ingredients

The ingredient list for making this Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken is fairly short. Listed with each ingredient, are also some possible substitutions for making this into simply a low carb salsa chicken, a keto salsa verde chicken or a PSMF chicken verde.

Chicken - To keep this recipe PSMF, use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. For keto salsa verde chicken, use chicken thigh meat instead.
Taco seasoning - Almost all taco seasoning can be used to make this low carb salsa chicken but always double check the sugar content of your seasoning just to be sure.
Salsa verde - This is sometimes called Tomatillo salsa. You can either use my Salsa Verde recipe or buy it from the store. I really like Herdez or Whole Foods Roasted Verde.
Cream cheese - Using cream cheese will keep this recipe under the keto category. For a PSMF recipe, you could use ¼ cup 0% Greek Yogurt, plain instead but the end result will not be quite as thick.
Xanthan gum, salt and pepper
Extra Keto - Cheddar Cheese - You can always add in some cheddar cheese and allow it to melt to make this instant pot verde chicken super creamy! Omit the cheese if wanting a PSMF recipe
Sweetener - I like to add about 1 tablespoon of allulose to counteract the acidity of this dish but feel free to omit.

Instructions

Grab your pressure cooker and let's make this low carb salsa chicken!

top view of instant pot chicken with salsa verde over the chicken before being pressured cooked.

Salt and pepper the chicken and add it to the pot of the pressure cooker. Add in the taco seasoning, and salsa verde.

Seal the vent on your pressure cooker and cook on "hi" for 12 minutes. Manually release the steam.

top view of instant pot creamy salsa verde chicken after cream cheese has been added

Add in the cream cheese and sweetener (if using) and stir until the cream cheese melts. Add the xantham gum and whisk until the sauce thickens. Taste and add additional salt, pepper or sweetener.

top view of a bowl of keto salsa verde chicken with fresh parsley as garnish.

Add some chopped parsley to the dish for decorations.

side view of a bowl filled with low carb salsa chicken made in an a instant pot

Serving Suggestions

My favourite way to eat this keto salsa verde chicken is in a bowl over a bed of lettuce or cabbage topped with a little cotija cheese or queso fresco and diced pickled onions. Here are a few other ideas:

on a plate with cauliflower rice and low carb black soybeans
as a taco using these PSMF wraps
you can also shred the low carb chicken and add it to your morning eggs (for a keto or carnivore breakfast) or egg whites (for a PSMF breakfast)

What do I do if my low carb salsa chicken is too thick or too thin?

If the instant pot verde chicken is too thick after adding the cream cheese and xanthan gum, stir in ½ cup of water or chicken stock at a time until it has reached your desired consistency.
If the low carb salsa chicken is too thin, you can thicken it by whisking in ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum at a time until the desired consistency if met.

Can I make this PSMF chicken verde in a slow cooker?

You can make this PSMF chicken in the slow cooker by following the instructions and turning the slow cooker and cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Just be sure the chicken is nice and fall apart fork tender, and you’re good to go!

Can I make this with a different type of meat?

If you don’t want to use chicken for this recipe, try using a pork loin roast or even a pork butt instead.

Can you freeze this keto salsa verde chicken?

To freeze, cool the instant pot verde chicken in the fridge. Once chilled, scoop into freezer-safe storage bags or containers and freeze. When ready to eat, let the frozen container thaw completely in the refrigerator or defrost in the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warm.

Looking for other instant pot recipes like this? Try these:

Delicious Keto Desserts

These are my favourite keto desserts to serve after this keto salsa chicken: