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.
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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.
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Instant 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
Keywords: dump and go, instant pot
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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.
For someone new to an Instant Pot, this was easy and delicious!😋
★★★★★
Thanks Jennifer for the 5 stars! I am glad it was easy for you!
Would red lentils work for this recipe?
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.
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!
★★★★★
Thanks Katherine! I love this one too! Thanks for the 5 stars 🙂
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!!
Oh my goodness, sorry! I just saw the link now!
This recipe says 6 servings but what is the serving size? My hubby made this for dinner tonight and I absolutely loved it!
★★★★★
It’s just 1/6 of the recipe. I am sorry it’s not more precise.
Another winner with the kids! We all loved it
★★★★★
Yay! I love this recipe. I love lentils!
I am new to using a pressure cooker. This sounds delicious, but won’t the canned beans get smooshy? Would dry beans work?
They worked just fine for me. Dry beans would be fine if they are pre-cooked separately.
Made this tonight and loved it!! Used regular salsa as I didn’t have any green. Thank you! I will be making this again!!
Glad you enjoyed it Shari!
Do you have the nutritional information on this? Thanks!
just added it in!
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…)
★★★★★
Wow how awesome Amy!! I can’t believe it’s 0 points and still so much flavor 🙂
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!
I love this one too Diane! Lentils are underrated in my opinion.
Does cooking time increase if chicken is frozen?
I usually add 3 minutes if it’s frozen.
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!!
★★★★★
Yum your version sounds great.
If I double the recipe how much time should I cook it for then? I am new to the multi-cooker!
Just keep the cooking time the same 🙂
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!
I can’t wait to make it again. I’m craving it 🙂
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!
Hi Mary, yes it is the same recipe 🙂