Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde Chicken—chicken tenders infused with lots of bright flavors. Green salsa, honey, lime, and plenty of seasonings will have you licking your plate! This chicken is perfect with rice, on tortillas, wrapped up in lettuce or plain.
Get the SLOW COOKER honey lime chicken recipe here
Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde Chicken
I expected this honey lime chicken to be tasty but wow it exceeded my expectations! It was so very flavorful. I will be making this recipe again and again. It would be so tasty served over rice or rolled up in a tortilla. Greg ate the leftovers on top of a salad for lunch the next day.
The cool thing about this recipe is that you can easily double the recipe and feed a crowd. Remember you don’t need to double the cooking time. Just double the ingredients and keep the same cooking time.
The key to getting intense flavor from this recipe is letting the sauce reduce down for a few minutes after the chicken has pressure cooked. The sauce gets ultra flavorful and all the flavors just pop. The good thing about reducing the sauce is that you really can just hit the saute button and walk away for ten minutes. No need to stand over the pot and stir.
Try out this Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde for dinner this week! It’s a perfect weeknight dinner.
Related: Easy and Healthy Weeknight Dinner Ideas
More Instant Pot Chicken Ideas…
Instant Pot Honey Dijon Chicken
Instant Pot Mango Salsa Chicken
Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde Chicken 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.
Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Chicken tenders infused with lots of bright flavors. Green salsa, honey, lime, and plenty of seasonings will have you licking your plate! This chicken is perfect with rice, on tortillas, wrapped up in lettuce or plain.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken tenders, frozen or fresh (or you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into the size of chicken tenders)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup mild salsa verde
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Add the chicken and oil into the Instant Pot. Stir to coat the chicken in the oil. Then add in the chili powder, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and black pepper. Toss to coat the chicken in the seasonings.
- Pour the lime juice into the pot and stir. Dump the salsa verde and honey on top of the chicken.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes on high pressure. When the time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Use tongs to place the chicken on a platter. Then turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting and let the juices boil and reduce down for 10 minutes. You don’t need to stir. Turn off the Instant Pot and then stir the chicken back into the pot and coat the chicken with the juices.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings.
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Instant Pot
*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.
Clearly this recipe has been around for a long time but a recent discovery for me, and I’m so glad I did! I prepped this recipe in a freezer bag weeks ago and had no idea what I was going to have for dinner. I took the bag out of the freezer and prepared according to the normal instructions…. Bam, dinner done in less than 30 minutes! My husband had it over white rice and I made a taco with shredded lettuce, black olives, shredded cheese, and scallions. Husband loved the sauce, I mean LOVED 😍! Thanks Karen
★★★★★
yay! I’m so glad you discovered it! thanks for the 5 stars Dawn!
So I want to try this recipe, but do not have the smoked paprika. Would using regular paprika work?
It is a different flavor profile and will leave out a lot of flavor. But you could do that!
Do you have the nutrition facts for the Instant Pot Honey Lime Salsa Verde Chicken recipe? Thanks!
★★★★★
yes they are at the bottom of the recipe card
Can this be made at a freezer meal?
yes…go here to find out how: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/3-dump-and-go-instant-pot-freezer-meals/
All the rave reviews for this recipe were right on the money. This made am amazingly delicious meal that everybody loved! I made this as written in my 3 qt. Instant Pot Mini with two exceptions: I used Herdez Guacamole Salsa (as you recommended in a different recipe) for the green salsa, and I added a corn starch slurry to thicken up the juices during the final saute.
Thank you so much, Karen & Jennifer at Carlsbad Cravings!
★★★★★
I do love that Herdez salsa! Glad you discovered it. And I love your site…it’s beautiful.
Should I be sautéing during steps 1 – 2?
nope!
Karen, I’m jonesin’ to make this yummy sounding recipe tomorrow…but I could use some advice 🤔.
I’m not sure what size a chicken “tender” would be. I’ll be using 3 full breasts for the 2lb of chicken. How many pieces (or how much weight/piece) would it make sense to slice each of my whole breasts into?
I feel like a doofus, but I’m clued out re. tenders!😲
Thanks in advance, Karen
I put on my big girl pants, ditched the analysis paralysis, and just eyeballed what I figured might be chicken tender size. The sky didn’t fall, and the dinner results were fab!
Karen, your recipe ROCKS! It’s also forgiving: I didn’t have quite enough lime juice, but subbing in lime zest, lemon, and fresh squeezed orange juices with a tsp of apple cider vinegar got me the 1/2 cup of tangy goodness needed. The chicken came out spatula-licking delish.👍
Thanks oodles, and apologies for the needy hand-holding requests! 😊
★★★★★
YOU TOTALLY ROCK JENNIE!!! You put on your big girl pants and did it!
WOW!!! Lots of spice…but, we love spicy! I did saute the sauce a bit longer than 10 minutes to thicken it a bit more. And I served it over brown rice. This will definitely be added to our rotation. Thanks for another great recipe for my instapot!
★★★★★
Was your salsa hot? Mine was mild and so this wasn’t spicy for me.
It’s probably because I always buy Penzey’s med-hot chili powder! It makes all of my recipes with chili powder pretty hot!
…plus, I did cook the sauce down a bit more than 10 minutes so that intensified the flavors!
Oh yeah, probably!
My husband and I love this recipe, last summer we made this recipe 1 to 2 times a week, then last July we went on Weight Watchers and quit making this recipe, today I revisited this recipe and made it again, but swapped out the honey and used 2 tablespoons of sugar free maple syrup for lower points, it was great , I couldn’t tell the difference, thank you Karen for a great dish.
Good idea! Thanks for sharing the tip.
This was sooo good! We used boneless skinless thighs and served on corn tortillas. Yum!
★★★★★
Sounds like a perfect meal to me!
As I love all of your recipes, I would love to try this one but I am not sure what « Salsa Verde » is and I am not sure if we have that in Canada. Can you élaborante….
Finally made it, found some salsa verde but not mild so I had to change the recipe a bit. My husband really liked it and gave this dish a 5 stars, will definitely make it again. Served it with pita bread and guacamole. See the picture and the altered recipe below:
https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/d9f43274-f8ab-4344-505c-f7400805a3e1
https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/d5f9784b-560c-412b-5881-f97011e8740e
★★★★★
I love how you include the pictures!
It’s salsa that’s made out of green tomatillos and it’s pretty mild usually.
I made this recipe with frozen chicken tenders that were frozen together, not individually. Should the cooking time be longer than 4 minutes if the chicken is frozen in a block? After the 10 minutes of NPR, I was surprised that my chicken was still partially frozen. I only recently got my InstaPot so I’m still learning. It was unusual that after 10 minutes there was no residual pressure release. I separated all the chicken tenders and did the 4-minute high-pressure cooking cycle again with 10 minutes NPR. The chicken was definitely overcooked and dry. The flavor was nice though.
If it’s a big frozen block then yes it will take longer. Think of the thickness of the meats. When it’s frozen in a block it’s like a 4 inch chicken breast instead of a 1 inch chicken tender.
Hi Karen,
I made this tonight, It was easy, quick, and tasted great! I had it in a tortilla with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I have some left over and will put it over rice for a couple lunches.
Yum that sounds fantastic!
Yup, it was delicious in my 6 qt. Can I make it in my 3 qt IP or do I need to adjust amount and time?
It should work great in the 3 quart. no changes.
Hi Karen,
I’m making this recipe again, but am doubling all the ingredients (it as too delicious!).
Do I need to double the time in the IP as well or keep it the same time?
Please let me know and thank you.
~Hyacinth
Same time! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-double-instant-pot-recipes/
What if I only have one pound chicken? Can I do
Same times to half recipe?
Yep you can halve the recipe with no changes in time.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! Brought it to work and everyone wanted the recipe. They have used it for everything from stuffed Zucchini to Enchiladas. I am going to try it this weekend with Pork, I am guessing it will be just as good.
★★★★★
Ahhh that’s so nice to hear thanks Victoria!
Thank you Karen for an excellent and absolutely tasty recipe! Made this tonight and hubby just gave me the green light/thumbs up to make this one again! Definitely a keeper!
Nice! I love it when that happens!
I’m going to try this tonight (based on the ease of the recipe and the positive reviews)! And I’d like to add that I find it so refreshing to have Karen reply to ALL comments. I can’t stand reading reviews or questions about a recipe when the author doesn’t respond. It tells me that there’s no accountability to those who are making the dish. Thank you all. I’ll let you know how it comes out.
Hope you like it Shelly! I try to answer all comments. Sometimes they fall through the cracks but I do try.
I used the red tomatillo chipotle salsa that I had on hand instead of salsa verde- but this turned out amazing! we made burrito bowls. I imagine you could sub with many salsas to keep it interesting and versatile! Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
That sounds so tasty Rae!!!
The first thing my 5 year old said was, “The meat is really good!” Good flavor and very easy. I might try with thighs next time, breasts always seem dry to me.
★★★★★
Glad your 5 year old liked it!!! And yes thighs are definitely more moist and tender.
This is my favorite recipe. I was leery of the honey because I don’t like sweet meat dishes. It was just the right amount to balance the tartness without make it sweet. I buy chicken tenders especially for this dish plus make tenders from chicken breast on sale. My husband I both love these tenders.
Yay! Thanks Jami. I agree with you on the sweet part. It’s definitely not too sweet.
Are chicken tenders and chicken tenderloins the same thing?
yes!
Super easy! Super tasty! Super fast – even with frozen chicken tenders! It was a great choice for our Cinco de Mayo dinner tonight! Served with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and a side of refried beans. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★
I want to try your cauliflower! That sounds so tasty 😊
I would love to make this tonight. Is the pressure cooking time the same for frozen chicken tenders?
I would do the same time for frozen chicken tenders.
Karen,
I’m going to try your recipe tonight. However, I’m a little confused about the time bing the same for thawed or frozen meat. How does that work? In my mind the frozen meat might not be cooked enough or the thawed meat might get dry from overcooking.
Thank you!
The pot will take longer to come to pressure with frozen meat. So it should cook all the way through. The thawed chicken will take less time even though you set it for the same amount of time.
This recipe was DELICIOUS and so easy to make! I loved the sauce! I am going to use it on pulled pork. So yum!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
You’re welcome Corrine! Glad you liked it 🙂 I love the pulled pork idea.
I forgot to add the lime juice, but it was still out of this world good. I served it on a bed of mashed cauliflower, cuz trying to cut down on carbs. Amazingly good. Adding this to my list of favorites.
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad to hear it was still tasty even without the lime juice 🙂
Would the cooking time be longer if I used boneless thighs?
If they are not cut into pieces then I would use 12 minutes for fresh boneless thighs or 15 minutes for frozen.
Thank you! If I cut them into chunks what would the time be?
I would do 5 minutes with 10 minute natural pressure release.
Do you need to increase liquids if you have the 8qt? Can’t wait to try tonight:)
I would add a half cup of chicken broth for the 8 quart.
I didn’t change anything for my 8-qt and it was fine! Really good!
I made this tonight and it was a hit . I used frozen chicken breasts . Unfortunately one of the breast were not done in the middle after 15min and 10min npr. I put it back on manual for another 5 min.perfect! My husband said these were the best chicken tacos ive ever made.well seasoned and so tasty.btw i used bottled lime juice
★★★★★
Glad they ended up okay! Sometimes thicker chicken breasts take longer 🙂
Can I make this recipe in my crockpot as I don’t own an instant pot and how long to cook
yes you can here is the recipe: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-honey-lime-salsa-verde-chicken/
I was looking for a recipe to make tonight. But I only have red salsa. Will that still work. ?
Yes you could. It will definitely have a different flavor profile though.
I made it with red salsa and it was delicious. It’s kind of like Mexican BBQ, for lack of a better description. Very good!!
★★★★
I like that description 😊
Loved this recipe! Easy to make, Very tasty and moist, and somehow bright, don’t know how else to describe it. We just had it with salad and a couple of small tortillas. Delicious!
★★★★★
I love this one too!
I was looking for a recipe that would be easy but yummy as a new Instant Pot owner. Made it last night. It cooked so fast, had tons of flavor and the was so moist and tender. I can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
Christine, welcome to the IP world! I love this one, it really has so much flavor 🙂
Do you taste the honey? I’m not a fan of honey
Yes sorry
Do you think I can add less of the honey?
Sure you can
How much time for frozen chicken breasts?
I’d do 15 minutes with 10 minute npr
WOW!! Made this tonight for adult kids and husband – everyone LOVED it!! Couldn’t find salsa verde in our regular grocery store in Canada. They carried Tomatillo Salsa which when googled seemed similar. Will definitely make this again and add it to our list of favorite dishes!
★★★★★
Nice! I am so happy that you liked it. And yes I think tomatillo salsa and salsa verde I the same thing.
Did you add water?
nope!
Made it for the first time tonight…but it had a little too much heat for my 7 year old! I used mild salsa…what would you cut back on to reduce the heat???? (Personally I loved it)
★★★★★
I guess just less salsa, maybe more honey? Or you could NOT reduce down the sauce. That probably made it more spicy and pungent.
Do you need to cook the tenders longer if frozen?
We just had the Chicken Fajita Rice tonight and it was a hit. Will try making quesadillas with leftovers.
Thank you so much for the wonderful work you do with these recipes. We appreciate You.
I would just increase it by 1 minute for frozen.
I made this two nights ago and the wife loved it, had it also the next night and it was even better. Used thighs cut into small bites and I also made a spanish rice that we put into flour tortillas for burritos.
This is a keeper.Karren you always have great recipes.My problem is my binder is filling up with keepers. I pass your recipes to all my IP friends and family. Keep up the good work.
THANK YOU
Sounds great with the Spanish rice! Maybe you should get a HUGE binder–lol!!
I do have one.
★★★★★
This was incredibly tasty shredded up and eaten in tacos with all of our favourite toppings. I’m looking forward to having the leftovers on a salad on my lunch break today!
I always look forward to your new recipes; simple and straightforward yet so delicious. Thanks for another keeper!
★★★★★
YESSSS! Thanks Caitlin. I’m so happy you liked it. I need to make this one again soon. Luckily I still have some green salsa leftover!
For anyone that’s wondering:
I used chicken breast that I cut into strips (same cook time). I also used bottles lime juice, but I’m really looking forward to using fresh next time. I know it will really take the flavours to the next level.
I also used a corn starch flurry to thicken the sauce after noticing it hadn’t reduced to my preferred level. I only did this because I was using this in soft tacos. Had I chosen to serve this over veggies or rice, I would have just done the 10 minutes reduction on Saute mode. That would have been the perfect consistency.
Please forgive all the auto correct typos.
Good tips thanks!
Hi Karen
Did you get the salsa verde in Costco. I can’t find it in our local grocery store.
Could I substitute with regular salsa..
Love your recipes
★★
Opps Meant to give you 5+ stars…Sorry
★★★★★
Haha! Thanks Fran.
I bought a bottle of Herdez salsa verde at my local Smiths. You could try a can of green enchilada sauce. That would be tasty!
Sooooo good! We ate it with a green salad, and it was incredibly satisfying. The sauce is heavenly. My teenage son couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved it! I’ll definitely be making it again.
★★★★★
Wow what a compliment! Thanks so much! I’m glad he liked it.
I live out in the boonies and don’t always have fresh limes on hand. Does it change the recipe a lot if I use the refrigerated lime juice? Love your site !!!! Thanks!
You can use that. It just won’t taste as fresh but it will still be good.
Thanks! Just what I thought, but nice to have it confirmed. Lol
I just used fresh lemon juice because it was what I had, and it was great!
After looking at the recipe for honey, lime, salsa verde. I only saw 1/2 cup lime juice is this enough liquid for the pot to come to pressure.
The chicken gives off a lot of liquid so it helps bring the pot to pressure. If you’re concerned you can always throw in a half cup of chicken broth 🙂
What is the cook time if you use boneless, skinless chicken thighs? Thanks!
Will you be cutting them up, then I’d use 6 minutes.