Whole30 + Keto Crispy Verde Chicken Recipe  + Video- low carb chicken thighs cooked in verde salsa, then broiled in the oven until crispy. Just 2 ingredients needed! Paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, sugar free, clean eating, real food.

crispy verde chicken burrito bowl on a white background

If you love my crispy carnitas (which are one of the most popular recipes on my site!), then you are going to love my Whole30 + Keto Crispy Verde Chicken!

The chicken is cooked in verde salsa, infusing it with tons of flavor, then broiled in the oven until crispy and golden brown.

crispy verde chicken on a rimmed baking sheet

Whole30 + Keto Crispy Verde Chicken

You only need 2 ingredients to make this amazing crispy chicken! Chicken thighs and a jar of verde salsa! Bonus? Both are so affordable, and hopefully you already have some verde salsa in your pantry that you need to use up. Don’t have chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts too, they just won’t get crispy when broiled since they’re a leaner cut of chicken.

The instant pot and your broiler does all the work for you. (I included slow cooker and stove top instructions in the recipe notes below if the instant pot isn’t your thing.)

crispy verde chicken burrito bowl on a white background

Serving

So many options for serving the crispy verde chicken! My favorite is as a burrito bowl with my cauliflower rice, fajita veggies, some sliced avocado and even more verde salsa.

You could also serve it over a salad, or in lettuce leaves as a taco!

Watch Crispy Verde Chicken Recipe Demo (2:31 minutes)

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Whole30 + Keto Crispy Verde Chicken

★★★★★

5 from 12 reviews
  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 12 ounce can verde salsa (my favorite is Trader Joe’s!)

Serving Ideas

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken thighs in your instant pot. Sprinkle with salt. Pour in the verde salsa.
  2. Close with the lid, and make sure the vent is at SEALING. Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. Will take about 10-15 minutes to reach pressure, then it will start counting down from 15. After the 15 minutes is up, do a QUICK RELEASE, where you move the valve to VENTING to release all the steam. Once all the steam is gone and the float valve has dropped, you can safely open the instant pot.
  3. Set your oven to BROIL. Set out a rimmed baking sheet.
  4. In the instant pot, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Transfer the shredded chicken and 1 cup of the cooking liquid to the rimmed baking sheet.
  5. BROIL the shredded chicken for 5 minutes, until crispy. If I have time, I like to turn the chicken a few times and keep broiling in 5 minute increments. This really caramelizes the fat and gives it the most amazing texture and flavor.
  6. Serve warm. Delicious in burrito/taco bowls with fajita veggies, cauliflower rice, guacamole or sliced avocado. Can also serve in lettuce leaf tacos or as a salad.
  7. Leftovers will keep for 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container, or frozen for at least 6 months.

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions: Place the chicken thighs, salt and verde salsa in your slow cooker. Cook over LOW for 8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours. Then continue with step 3-7.

Stove Top Instructions: Place the chicken thighs, salt and verde salsa in a dutch oven or large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour until the chicken easily shreds with a fork. Then continue with step 3-7.

Your chicken will be as spicy as your salsa is. My favorite store bought is Trader Joe’s, which is a very mild spice. My kids can eat it no problem.

You can make this with any salsa really! Doesn’t have to be verde.

Only chicken thighs will crisp up, since they have so much fat. You can make this with chicken breasts, and it will shred and be delicious. It just won’t get crispy in the oven since it is so lean.

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