Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas Verde are a summer staple. A sweet and spicy homemade verde sauce from a lush mix of tomatillo and peppers really elevates these enchiladas! They’re filled with shredded chicken, roasted corn, poblanos, queso fresco and then topped with pepper jack cheese. These enchiladas are a perfect summer dinner.
July is my absolute favorite time of the year to cook. Sunday trips to the farmer’s market leads to experimenting with a variety of different fresh vegetables in the afternoon. This time around, I decided to stock up on a ton of tomatillos and Anaheim peppers. Anaheim peppers are spicy and a little sweet, making them perfect for sauces.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Making the sauce and cooking the chicken
- Start by adding the chicken breast, tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, spices, lime juice and water to the Instant Pot.
- Next, cook the mixture in the Instant Pot on the high pressure setting for 20 minutes. When it’s done, release the steam and remove the chicken. Set aside.
- The remaining tomatillo mixture is blended together using either an immersion blender or regular blender. I like using an immersion blender so I don’t have to take it out of the pot.
- After the mixture is blended and smooth, mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch. This will help thicken the sauce up a bit. Turn the saute setting to medium heat. Cook and reduce the sauce until slightly thickened, around 10 minutes.
- While the sauce is thickening, shred the chicken and add it to a medium bowl.
Making the filling
- Place the corn and poblano peppers on the grate of a gas stove. Turn the heat to medium low. Roast the peppers until the skins char completely. You want them to be pretty charred so the skin is easy to remove. Roast the corn until it’s slightly charred and cooked through.
- Remove from the heat. Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Allow the corn to cool slightly and then remove the corn kernels.
- Place the poblanos on a cutting board. Using the back of a butterknife, carefully scrape off the charred skins. Dice the poblano into small pieces and add to the chicken bowl, along with the crumbled queso fresco, juice from 1 lime and salt. Stir until combined.
Assembling the Enchiladas
- Pour a cup of the sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Add a tortilla to the dish and add the chicken filling. Roll the tortilla up and place the enchilada seam down. Repeat until the dish is filled. Top with sauce until the enchiladas are covered. I had extra sauce left over.
- Cover the enchiladas with pepper jack cheese and bake on 350 for 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Garnish with queso fresco and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce. If you don’t have one I highly recommend it! I use this one here. It makes soups and sauces so much easier and cleaner to blend. If using a standard blender, transfer the tomatillo mixture to the blender, blend until smooth, and return to the Instant Pot.
- Char the skins completely on the poblano until very black. If you don’t the skins will be harder to remove.
- If you end up with extra sauce, use it as a salsa. It can stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Love enchiladas? Try making these Chicken Enchiladas with Mole Blanco
Instant Pot Corn and Poblano Enchiladas Verde with Chicken
These Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas Verde are sweet, spicy and perfect for dinner. A lush mix of tomatillos, peppers and onion creates the best fresh verde sauce.
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Servings: 6
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Immersion Blender or Regular Blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- ½ lb tomatillos, husks removed and halved
- 1 Anaheim pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ red onion, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- juice from 2 limes
- 1 cup chicken broth or filtered water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 6 medium sized flour tortillas
- 5 oz queso fresco
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese
- cilantro and queso fresco, for garnish
Instructions
Chicken and Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the Instant Pot, add the chicken, tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, Mexican oregano, salt, and juice from 1 lime. Pour the chicken broth or water over the contents and stir until the seasonings are mixed in.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. When done release the steam completely (it will smell amazing!)
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Using an immersion blender, blend the tomatillo mixture that remains until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender carefully pour the contents into a regular blender and blend until smooth. Once blended place back into the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function on medium heat. Add the corn starch and mix it in until incorporated. This will thicken the sauce slightly. Cook for 10 minutes, until sauce has slightly thickened. Set aside.
- Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Add the chicken to a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Enchilada Filling
- Using the grate of a gas stove, place the corn and poblano's on the grates over medium-low heat. Turning every couple of minutes, roast the poblanos and corn until charred. Remove from the heat and place the poblanos in a bowl. Cover the poblanos with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. This will make the charred skins easier to remove. Remove the corn from the cob and add to the bowl with the chicken. Remove the poblanos from the bowl. Using the back of a knife, remove the charred skins. Remove the seeds and chop the poblanos into small pieces. Add the poblano to the chicken mixture.
- Add the crumbled queso fresco and juice from 1 lime to the bowl. Mix until combined.
Assembling the Enchiladas
- To the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, add a cup of the verde sauce. Place a tortilla in the sauce and add the chicken filling. Roll up the enchilada to the end of the dish, seam side down. Repeat the process until the dish is filled. Pour the sauce over the rest of the enchiladas. Depending on how saucy you want them, you might have a little extra sauce. Top with the shredded pepper jack cheese. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Enjoy!