Green Chile Chicken

one tostada from above showing shredded green chili chicken, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, and black olives

4.84 from 6 ratings

This healthy Green Chile Chicken is perfect for meal prep! Makes enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and salads with just one recipe. Directions for making this recipe in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and right on the stove!

Prep Time5

Cook Time22

Total Time27

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: green chile chicken, green chili chicken

Servings:

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Becca Ludlum

Equipment

Instant Pot 6 qt
Crockpot
Enameled Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast or thighs
1 can diced green chiles or fresh
2 cups green chile salsa or tomatillo salsa
4 green onions diced
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken:

Heat oil using the sauté mode in the Instant Pot. When the oil is hot, slightly sauté the green onions and cilantro.
Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and brown. Cover with the can of green chilies and tomatillo salsa. 1 lb chicken breast, 1 can diced green chiles, 2 cups green chile salsa
Cook on high pressure using the manual button for 15 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally or do a quick release–whatever you have time for. Natural release is always good for chicken because it helps it stay tender.
Remove the lid and shred the chicken right in the pot. You can use a hand mixer for this, two forks, or stick it in the stand mixer to shred. If you're going to eat this as a dip, you might want to put it in the food processor instead so it breaks into smaller pieces.
If you've chosen to add cheese to your chicken, add that now and mix it up.. The sauce will thicken a little as it cools. 1 cup cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, 2 tbsp cilantro
Serve as is, or refer to the full blog post for several serving ideas.

Oven Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.
Lightly coat a small baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
Add chicken to the dish, and top with tomatillo salsa and green chilies. 1 lb chicken breast, 2 cups green chile salsa, 1 can diced green chiles,
Top with cheese (optional), diced green onion and cilantro. 1 cup cheddar cheese, 4 green onions, 2 tbsp cilantro
Bake until chicken is heated through to 165º and cheese is melted, about 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Shred chicken with a stand mixer or two forks.

Slow Cooker Directions:

Add the chicken to your slower cooker insert. 1 lb chicken breast
Cover with green chilis, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, and green onions. 1 can diced green chiles, 2 cups green chile salsa, 2 tbsp cilantro, 4 green onions
Cover and let cook on high heat for 3-4 hour or low heat for 5-6 hours.
Shred the chicken with two forks or move to a stand mixer to shred. Add the cheese (optional) and mix it until it melts. 1 cup cheddar cheese
Serve as is, or refer to the blog post for serving ideas.

Video

Notes

Recipe tips:

Tomatillo salsa is similar to salsa verde or green chili salsa, and what is available across the country can vary greatly. Don't stress too much about what you get, your chicken will be delicious!
This recipe is a great freezer meal! If you make extra or want to freeze some, add it to an airtight container or freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
If you have pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to use with this recipe, pull it off the bone and heat it on low with the tomatillo salsa and deiced green chilis for about 30 minutes. The chicken will be seasoned and falling apart with flavor.
Want to use chicken thighs? No problem! The cooking time will be the same for all three cooking methods. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is 165º before removing from heat.
You can use fresh green chilies if you'd like! I typically use about 1/2 cup.
If you struggle to find the green chiles or tomatillo salsa, go ahead and use green enchilada sauce.

Healthy Eating Plans

Portion Fix/21 Day Fix:

Entire recipe: 5 Red containers, 5 Green containers, 3 Blue Containers. I give you the container counts for the entire recipe so that if you change the ingredients, it's easier for you to recalculate the containers.
This recipe makes four servings (depending on how spot on your chicken measurements are), and each serving is about 3/4 cups. Each serving is 1 1/4 red container, 1 1/4 green container, and 3/4 blue container.

Weight Watchers:

Per serving: 0 2025 Plan Points | 4 Blue Plan Points | 7 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points | 0 2023 Plan Points when skipping the cheese. If you add the optional fat free cheese the total per serving is 1 2025 Point.

I calculate my recipes based on the exact ingredients that I use, not the nutrition information. WW has said this is the most accurate way to count points.

Nutrition