Keto Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken Burrito Bowl
Pressure-cooked chicken in tangy salsa verde with cumin-spiced cauliflower rice, topped with fresh avocado-tomato salsa and sliced green onions. Quick weeknight dinner or meal-prep base using Anaheim chiles for authentic green chile flavor without heat.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into strips
- 1 cup green chile salsa, from notessalsa roja1:1condiment
changes flavor profile to tomato-based
- 1 4 oz can diced green chiles, Anaheim variety
- 2 avocados
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 T olive oil, for avocado salsa
- 3 T fresh lime juice, 1 T for avocado, 2 T for salsa
- salt, to taste(optional)
- 6 cups frozen cauliflower rice, thawed
- 2 T olive oil, for cooking cauliflower
- 1 onion, chopped small
- 1 Poblano chile pepper, seeds and stem removed, finely dicedbell pepper1:1vegetable
removes chile flavor and heat
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- black pepper, fresh-ground, to taste(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Thaw frozen cauliflower rice on counter, breaking apart lumps.
- 2
Trim chicken breasts and cut lengthwise into 2 or 3 strips.
- 3
Place chicken into Instant Pot with salsa verde and diced green chiles. Lock lid and set to manual, high pressure for 8 minutes.
- 4
When cooking time is up, natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release remaining pressure.
- 5
Transfer chicken to cutting board to cool. Switch Instant Pot to saute, medium heat, and reduce sauce for 8-10 minutes.
- 6
While chicken cooks, dice avocados and toss with lime juice. Dice tomatoes and slice green onions. Combine avocado, tomato, green onion, olive oil, remaining lime juice, and salt to make salsa.
- 7
Chop onion and Poblano pepper, removing seeds and stem.
- 8
Heat olive oil in large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion for 2-3 minutes. Add diced Poblano and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add ground cumin and cook about 1 minute.
- 9
Add cauliflower rice and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid evaporates and rice is hot and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, checking after 5 minutes.
- 10
Season cauliflower rice with salt and black pepper.
- 11
Shred cooled chicken and mix back into Instant Pot sauce.
- 12
Assemble bowls with cauliflower rice base, topped with green chile chicken and sauce, then tomato-avocado salsa.
Tips
For meal prep, make only half the avocado-tomato salsa initially. Refrigerate cooked chicken and cauliflower rice separately; make remaining salsa when ready to eat and reheat components in microwave or on stovetop.
Anaheim chiles are mild; do not substitute jalapenos for the intended flavor profile.
Start checking cauliflower rice at 5 minutes to prevent overcooking depending on thaw level.
Good to Know
Refrigerate cooked chicken and cauliflower rice separately in airtight containers up to 4 days. Avocado-tomato salsa best made fresh; store lime-tossed avocado separately up to 1 day.
Prepare chicken and cauliflower rice up to 4 days in advance. Assemble salsa component parts (avocado tossed with lime, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions) separately, then combine just before serving to prevent sogginess.
Serve warm. Assemble to order for best texture, or portion components separately and let diners build bowls.
Common Mistakes
Substitute jalapenos instead of Anaheim chiles to avoid losing the mild, fruity green chile profile intended for this dish.
Skip the natural release step and manually release all pressure immediately to avoid tough, stringy chicken.
Add cauliflower rice to the pan while frozen or wet to avoid excessive steaming instead of pan-frying and proper liquid evaporation.
Mix avocado salsa more than a few minutes before serving to avoid browning and mushiness.
Substitutions
changes flavor profile to tomato-based