Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

the best white chicken chili in white bowls on wooden tables surrounded by limes, avocado and parsley

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

A quick, easy and comforting meal that's Paleo and Whole30 friendly!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 460kcal

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

For the chili:

1 tablespoon cooking oil of your choice, like avocado oil or ghee
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided, plus more as necessary
1 medium cauliflower
1 tablespoon minced garlic, from about 3 cloves
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon regular or smoked paprika
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth, divided
3½ lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 4-5)
2 (4) oz. cans green chiles, preferably fire-roasted

Toppings:

fresh lime juice
chopped cilantro or parsley
sliced avocado
peeled jicama, chopped into small, thin matchsticks
crushed plantain chips, if you're not doing a Whole30

Instructions

Drizzle oil into the insert and press the Sauté button.
Once the oil is hot and shimmering (you might need to pick up the insert a bit to swirl the oil around), add the onion and salt. Stir occasionally until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, rip off and reserve all the cauliflower leaves that look good enough to eat (a little browning is fine but they shouldn't be too dirty or shriveled). Halve the cauliflower and set one half aside for another use. Slice out and discard the core of the remaining half and chop into small florets.
Once the onion is soft, add the garlic and spices and stir for about 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup of broth and use a spatula to scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the insert. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button.
Toss in the cauliflower florets and add the chicken directly on top. Pour in the remaining broth (the chicken will not be fully submerged).
Secure the lid, making sure it's sealed, and press the Manual button. Set to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse and thinly slice the cauliflower leaves crosswise.
As soon as the time is done, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button and release the pressure. Once it's finished de-pressurizing, remove the lid and use tongs to transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Add 1 tsp. salt and puree the vegetables and broth in the insert with a stick blender. I blend it until it's totally smooth but you can also quickly blend it so it's still a little chunky. Taste to see if it has enough salt. Add the sliced cauliflower leaves and both cans of green chiles to the broth.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and tear the meat away from the bone. Add the meat to the broth, ripping it into small, bite-sized pieces. Taste one more time and adjust seasoning as necessary
Scoop into bowls and toss on your choice of toppings.

Notes

Nutrition note: The nutritional info does not include any toppings.

If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, set the cooking time to 7 minutes. I wouldn't recommend chicken thighs. As much as I love them, I think they're too rich for this. But if you use them, cook 10 minutes for boneless thighs and 12 minutes for bone-in thighs.

With the other half of the cauliflower, rice it using your food processor or the large holes of a box grater. If you'd like, mix the rice into the broth at the end. You can also season it, saute it in one tablespoon oil over medium heat until slightly softened, and scoop into bowls before pouring the chili over it.

If you don't have a stick blender, after removing the chicken, fill a blender jar half way with the veggies and broth. Remove the insert in the lid, clamp a towel over the hole and blitz until preferred consistency. If you have to do this in batches, pour the blended broth into a separate bowl before adding more veggies and broth to the blender.

If you'd rather use a slow cooker, follow the instructions above and set the slow cooker to low for 6-7 hours. Continue as above.

If cooking it on the stove, use a narrow, deep pot and follow the instructions above. Simmer the chicken for 40 minutes. Continue as above.

Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium heat on the stove.

Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over medium heat on the stove.

Nutrition