Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Let’s prepare the ingredients for cooking White Chicken Chili in Instant Pot. 🙂

*Pro Tip: We freshly grounded our cumin and coriander seeds for maximum flavor, but ground cumin and coriander will work fine in a pinch.

*Regular Soy Sauce: This is not a traditional ingredient in a White Chicken Chili. However, we love adding soy sauce because it boosts the flavor complexity by adding another layer of umami flavor to the final dish.

*Unsalted Chicken Stock: Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted chicken stock can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted chicken stock for more control & consistency on the dish’s flavor profile.

*Freshly Grated Cheese: For this recipe, we used freshly grated Aged Cheddar Cheese and Pepper Jack Cheese.

Tools for White Chicken Chili Instant Pot Recipe

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups
• Mixing Bowl

Optional Step – Roast Peppers

*Pro Tip: This step is optional, but roasting the peppers will bring out their full flavors & aroma, thus increasing the flavor complexity of the overall dish.

First, set your oven to “Broil” function, then preheat for 5 minutes.

Then, place the baking sheet with peppers on the top rack, and broil for 5 – 8 minutes.

Allow the peppers to cool down, then peel away the outer brown skins of the Poblano and Anaheim peppers.

*Pro Tip: To avoid “Jalapeño” burning hands, wear gloves!

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove the stems & membranes from the peppers, then chop them up roughly.

*Pro Tip: You can keep the seeds if you want the dish to be more spicy, or discard the seeds if you prefer a more mild version.

Brown Chicken in Instant Pot

First, press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up the Instant Pot. It will switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes).

*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a Maillard reaction.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil (15ml) in the Instant Pot’s inner pot, and ensure the whole bottom is coated with olive oil.

Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel. Season one side of the chicken thighs with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken thighs in Instant Pot (seasoned side face down), then brown for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Season the other side with salt and black pepper, then brown this side for 3 minutes.

*Note: We are overcrowding the chicken in Instant Pot, but it will work fine for this recipe. 🙂

Saute Onion and Garlic

Set aside the browned chicken thighs. Then, add the sliced onions in Instant Pot and saute for 3 minutes.

Add 1 tsp (2g) ground coriander seeds, 2 tsp (6g) ground cumin seeds, and minced garlic in Instant Pot. Saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.

Pressure Cook White Chicken Chili

Add 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot.

Add browned chicken thighs and roughly chopped peppers in Instant Pot.

Layer the drained and rinsed cannellini beans on the very top. Don’t mix to avoid the potential “BURN” Error.

Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.

• Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes + 10 minutes Natural Release

*Note: It will take roughly 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to get up to pressure to begin the pressure cooking cycle.

After 10 minutes of Natural Releasing, carefully turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure.

Once the Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Shred Chicken

First, set aside the chicken in a large mixing bowl.

Then, shred the chicken thighs slightly into chunks with two forks, and discard the skins & bones.

*Pro Tip: For better mouthfeel, don’t over-shred the chicken into thin strands or small strips of chicken.

Make White Chili & Season

Bring the chili mixture back to a simmer with Instant Pot’s “Saute” function.

Mix ½ – 1 cup (125g – 250g) corn and ½ cup (125ml) heavy cream into the chili mixture in Instant Pot.

Add roughly ¼ cup (55g) freshly grated cheese into the white chili.

*Pro Tip: We used freshly grated Aged Cheddar Cheese and Pepper Jack Cheese.

Now, mix the shredded chicken into the white chili in the Instant Pot.

Taste the white chicken chili, then adjust the seasoning with more salt.

*Pro Tip: You will need more salt for this white chicken chili recipe. For reference, we added 2 – 3 large pinches of salt to further enhance & balance the flavors.

Serve Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Finally, garish the yummy white chicken chili with chopped cilantro and lime wedges on the side. Then, top it with some extra cheese.

Your yummy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is now ready to serve. 

Enjoy your White Chicken Chili Instant Pot Recipe~

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