Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Lentils is an easy dump and go recipe. Lentils and chicken are pressure cooked with mild salsa verde and black beans to make a creamy one pot dinner. Top it with cheddar, sour cream, cilantro and crunched up tortilla chips for the ultimate Mexican meal.
Get the SLOW COOKER cheesy chicken and lentils recipe here
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Lentils
Love the flavors of salsa verde? Me too! I wanted to mix things up a bit and try lentils in a Mexican-style meal instead of Indian food or other traditional ways of cooking lentils. And it was a super awesome choice! I loved the way the lentils came out almost creamy-like. The chicken was so tender and moist.
I added in some black beans, cumin and chili powder to give it that Mexican flare. You could serve this in so many different ways. You could eat it plain, serve in tortillas, use it as a dip with tortilla chips, or put it over rice or even quinoa. We just served it in a bowl, like stew, with chips and sour cream on top.
My husband said, “this tastes so much better than it looks!” Ha ha! And my kids ate it happily agreeing with their dad that they weren’t exactly sure at first if they were going to like it. My son said, “it has great flavor!” We all agreed that I should have doubled the recipe so we could have the leftovers for lunch.
More recipes you’ll love…
Instant Pot Rice Pilaf with Chicken Sausage
Instant Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Lentils I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
PrintInstant Pot Cheesy Chicken and Lentils
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
Lentils and chicken are pressure cooked with green salsa and black beans to make a creamy one pot dinner. Top it with cheddar, sour cream, cilantro and crunched up tortilla chips for the ultimate Mexican meal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green lentils
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (can use frozen)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 (16 oz) jar salsa verde (I used mild)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips, cilantro and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Add lentils, broth, chicken, cumin, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, salsa verde and beans into the Instant Pot.
- Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 13 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit there for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Open the pot.
- Use tongs to place chicken on a cutting board. Shred the chicken*. Stir it back into the pot.
- Stir the cheese into the pot.
- Serve lentils and chicken plain, in tortillas, as a dip with tortilla chips, or put it over rice or even quinoa. Top with tortilla chips, cilantro and sour cream.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. This recipe is GLUTEN-FREE! Just check your broth to be sure it does not contain gluten
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Jennifer says
For someone new to an Instant Pot, this was easy and delicious!😋
Karen says
Thanks Jennifer for the 5 stars! I am glad it was easy for you!
Kelly says
Would red lentils work for this recipe?
Karen says
I think red lentil cook very quickly so if you put in cooked rotisserie chicken in the pot instead of uncooked that would work. They only need to cook for 2 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release. Or you could cut the raw chicken into small bite size pieces and it will cook in the 2 minutes.
Katherine says
Karen, thanks for the recipe. We’ve made this at least 3 times. It’s now in the regular meal rotation. My family also enjoys it with plain ol’ red salsa. This is a nice combination of protein that also tastes great!
Karen says
Thanks Katherine! I love this one too! Thanks for the 5 stars 🙂
Amanda W says
I’m dying to try this recipe but don’t own an instant pot. How would you recommend altering it for a slow cooker? Thank you!!
Amanda W says
Oh my goodness, sorry! I just saw the link now!
Carmella says
This recipe says 6 servings but what is the serving size? My hubby made this for dinner tonight and I absolutely loved it!
Karen says
It’s just 1/6 of the recipe. I am sorry it’s not more precise.
Meghan says
Another winner with the kids! We all loved it
Karen says
Yay! I love this recipe. I love lentils!
Jennifer Stewart says
I am new to using a pressure cooker. This sounds delicious, but won’t the canned beans get smooshy? Would dry beans work?
Karen says
They worked just fine for me. Dry beans would be fine if they are pre-cooked separately.
Shari says
Made this tonight and loved it!! Used regular salsa as I didn’t have any green. Thank you! I will be making this again!!
Karen says
Glad you enjoyed it Shari!
Shannon says
Do you have the nutritional information on this? Thanks!
Karen says
just added it in!
Amy says
This is so good. I’m skeptical of anything with lentils, but I didn’t even notice them with all the great flavor. If you leave out the cheese, sour cream, and chips, it’s zero WW points! I’m a cheese lover but I l left it out and it was still sooooo good! Even picky meat and potatoes husband liked it (I didn’t tell him about the lentils and he didn’t ask…)
Karen says
Wow how awesome Amy!! I can’t believe it’s 0 points and still so much flavor 🙂
Diane says
This is a fabulous, almost one-pot meal if you like healthy Mexican! I used regular salsa and it was delicious and so QUICK and EASY! Thank you for sharing!
Karen says
I love this one too Diane! Lentils are underrated in my opinion.
Audrey says
Does cooking time increase if chicken is frozen?
Karen says
I usually add 3 minutes if it’s frozen.
Songbird121 says
This was soooo good. And so filling from the lentils. I had a half a can of beans left over from something else and 3/4 a cup of red lentils, so this was an excellent way to use up those odds and ends from the pantry and fridge. I also added a small onion just because it was there before cooking, and some grape tomatoes cut in half on top. Thanks so much for the idea!!
Karen says
Yum your version sounds great.
Kalena says
If I double the recipe how much time should I cook it for then? I am new to the multi-cooker!
Karen says
Just keep the cooking time the same 🙂
Linda says
I just made this for supper. I had to laugh because I agree with your husband that it tastes much better than it looks!! It is delicious and will be a regular in my house. Thanks for another great recipe!
Karen says
I can’t wait to make it again. I’m craving it 🙂
Mary says
Hi Karen,
The title of the email I received from you yesterday indicated a recipe for Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken, but the link goes to a recipe for Cheesy Chicken and Lentils. Are they the same recipe?
Thank you for all the recipes you share! I have passed many of them on to friends and family members!
Karen says
Hi Mary, yes it is the same recipe 🙂