Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken is a delicious, spicy Instant Pot creamy chicken recipe. Made with jalapeños and chili powder, this recipe is mildly spicy but can be made even spicier with more jalapeños. Chicken and veggies are cooked into a creamy cheese sauce that can be served over rice, noodles and in burritos or tacos.
"Made this for dinner tonight! WOW soooo good. "
Table Of Contents
🌶 Heat Factor: Medium
Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken is an extra creamy, spicy 1 pot Instant Pot recipe that takes about 30-40 minutes to have on the table. Chicken tenders, jalapeños, corn, and onions are cooked into a cheesy cheddar cream sauce and then served with veggies or over rice and noodles.
The Instant Pot makes this dinner an easy 1 pot meal that's perfect for anyone who likes a spicy kick to their dinner. Use less jalapeños for a mild version and add more for a hotter version. If you have a family who isn't too keen on a very spicy meal, eliminate the jalapeños to create an Instant Pot creamy chicken dinner that tastes just as amazing.
This recipe has been tested in both a 6 quart and 8 quart Instant Pot. Use either size pot without changing the ingredient quantities.
And while Instant Pot jalapeño cheddar chicken is the perfect size for a family of 4-6, there will be extra cream sauce to reserve for later use. It's so creamy and tasty, it's like a queso dip for tortilla chips or a topping to drizzle on enchiladas!
How To Serve Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken:
- over rice
- as a burrito stuffing
- to make loaded nachos
- shred and use as spicy enchilada filling
- as a taco filling with extra cheddar cheese and green peppers
- over noodles to create a spicy jalapeño pasta
- with green vegetables, like broccoli or asparagus
And because the sauce is extra creamy and thick like queso it can be used as a cheese dip for tortilla chips. Enjoy it drizzled over taquitos too!.
Ingredients
You'll need:
- Chicken tenders: chicken tenders cook quickly, but you can also use sliced chicken breasts.
- Jalapeños: I use 6 jalapeños. For a milder meal use 2-3 and for a spicier meal use 8-10.
- Corn: canned or frozen both work.
- Scallions: you can leave these out if you do not have them on hand.
- Heavy cream: don't substitute with regular milk, as it may curdle while pressure cooking. Heavy cream has a high fat content, which prevents it from doing so.
- Chicken broth: use water if you don't have chicken broth (the difference is insignificant).
- Cheddar cheese: always use freshly shredded cheese, as it melts better than pre-shredded cheese.
- Spices/herbs: chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro.
Step-By-Step Directions
Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode on high and set to 6 minutes. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pot and add the chicken tenders. Brown on each side for 2 minutes (for a total of 4 minutes).
Then add the jalapeños, onions, and garlic. Toss with the chicken and saute for the remaining 2 minutes. When done, add the broth and deglaze, scraping any stuck pieces of food from the bottom of the pot. Deglaze thoroughly to avoid the burn notice!
Add the corn, scallions, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
Add the heavy cream. DO NOT STIR!
Seal the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. When it's done, let the steam naturally release for 10 minutes. Then quickly release the remaining pressure. You'll have a watery sauce here, but the next step thickens it up.
Use tongs to remove the chicken and set aside. Transfer the inner pot to another heat-proof surface and let it cool for 2 minutes. Then add the cheese 1 cup at a time, stirring between additions to melt and integrate the cheese into the broth. *It's important to remove the pot and let it cool for a few minutes so that the cheese isn't added to broth that's too hot, which causes it to turn into rubbery chunks rather than melt.
Melt the remaining butter in the microwave. Whisk the flour into the butter to create a thick paste.
Put the inner pot back into the pressure cooker and set it to saute for 6 minutes. Add the butter/flour paste to the pot and whisk until it's incorporated. Stir the sauce occasionally while it simmers, gently scraping the bottom to release any cheese that may have stuck. You'll feel the sauce thicken as it simmers.
Turn the pot off. Stir the cilantro into the sauce and put the chicken back in. Let the meal rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, to further thicken the sauce if desired.
Then enjoy!
More Instant Pot Recipes:
- Instant Pot Salsa Verde
- Mango Habanero Salsa
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta
- Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken
- Instant Pot Iced Green Tea
Storing
Fridge: store for up to 7 days in a covered container.
Freezer: store chicken and sauce separately in freezer bags. Lay flat for easy storage and use within 2 months.
That's all there is to making this creamy, spicy jalapeño cheddar chicken dinner. I hope you enjoy it and will let me know how it turned out in the comments below.
Recipe
Jalapeño Cheddar Chicken (Instant Pot Recipe)
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken tenders or breasts
- 4-6 jalapeños with or without seeds and sliced
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 can corn
- 6 scallions chopped
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup fresh cilantro torn
- 4 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 6 tablespoon butter divided
- 3 tablespoon flour
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute on high for 6 minutes. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pot. Add chicken tenders and brown on each side for 2 minutes. Add jalapeños, onions, and garlic, toss with the chicken, and saute for the remaining 2 minutes.
- Add the broth to the pot and deglaze, scraping any stuck pieces of food from the bottom. Add corn, scallions, heavy cream, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Do not stir.
- Seal the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 6 minutes. Let naturally release for 10 minutes, then quickly release the remaining pressure. Remove the chicken and set aside while completing the next 3 steps.
- Remove the inner pot to a heat-proof surface and let cool for 2 minutes. When cooled, add the cheese 1 cup at a time, stirring between additions to melt the cheese *The sauce will be watery at this stage.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Whisk the flour into the butter to form a thick paste.
- Put the inner pot back into the pressure cooker and set to saute on high for 6 minutes. Add the butter/flour paste to the pot and whisk until incorporated, about 1 minute. Stir the sauce occasionally while it simmers for the remaining 5 minutes, gently scraping the bottom to remove any cheese that may have stuck. You'll feel the sauce begin to thicken as it simmers.
- Turn off the Instant Pot and add the chicken back to the pot along with the cilantro. Let rest for 5-10 minutes if desired to thicken the sauce further. There will be extra sauce for serving over rice, noodles, or to use as a dip for tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker Method
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except for cilantro, shredded cheese, butter and flour. Set to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. With 1 hour remaining open the lid and stir. Add in cheddar cheese.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter (this is less butter than in the ingredient list) in the microwave. Whisk the flour into the butter to form a thick paste. Put into the slow cooker and stir into the sauce. Close the lid and let cook for the remaining hour. Serve topped with cilantro, extra jalapeno and cheddar cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
J. Smith says
This recipe was delicious! I replaced the 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup of evaporated milk and 4 ounces of cream cheese like suggested above. Turned out perfectly.
Destiny says
I’ve tried making this recipe three times and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong but no matter what brand of cheese I use and no matter how closely I follow the directions my cheese does not melt properly. We grate our cheese instead of buying preshredded but I have no idea what is going wrong. At the end I end up with big clumps of half melted cheese.
Kristina says
I'm sorry it hasn't worked properly. Try letting the pot cool for longer before adding the cheese and stir it constantly as it's being added. If the pot is too hot when the cheese is being added it will heat up too quickly and turn into chunks. So I think your pot is just too hot still after waiting the 2 minutes. Try 5, or even slightly longer.
Katie says
Could you do this with a crockpot??
Kristina says
Yes! The instructions are there in the recipe card. 🙂
preston says
You might use chunks of velveeta next time. You won't have to worry that way.
Jerry says
Looks tasty and going to try it. Cn the corn be substituted with something else? Hominy??
Kristina says
Sure, I think you could definitely try that!
Anonymous says
Can you make this on a stove top?
Kristina says
I have not done so but I don't see why you can't. You could cook the chicken with the vegggies and seasonings, then add the heavy cream and broth, simmer, then add cheese til it melts. Then thicken with the roux at the very end.
Laura says
Every time I make this I have to add 2 cans of green chilies at the end or it will taste REALLY REALLY bland. I drain the corn before adding to the recipe.
Crystal says
Help! I can't find heavy cream ANYWHERE (it's November 2021 and groceries are hard to find). I just bought all of the other ingredients. Is there a substitute I can use for the cream and/or an alternative way to cook this so that I can use a substitute that won't curdle?
Kristina says
Oh no!! Any alternative (milk, evaporated milk) will curdle if under pressure since the fat content will be too low. What I'm going to suggest is replacing the 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup of whole milk or evaporated milk and 4 ounces of cream cheese. Don't add it to the pot before pressure cooking, wait til the end. Add the milk and cream cheese in step 4, after letting the pot cool for 2 minutes. Mix until the cream cheese is melted, then add the cheese and follow the instructions for the remaining steps. Let me know how this works for you! It may be a good method for anyone else who can't find heavy cream this season. 🙂
Kim Horton says
If you use it for an enchilada filling, what type of sauce would you recommend using to pour over the enchiladas?
This looks delicious!
Thanks!
Kristina says
That sounds delicious! I think salsa verde would be great or a green enchilada sauce. Even a cilantro crema might be good!
Kim Horton says
Thank you for the rec! Can't wait to try it!
Heather says
Can this be made in a crockpot instead? This recipe sounds delicious!!
Kristina says
Yes! Add all of the ingredients except the heavy cream, butter, flour and cheese to the crockpot. Then cook on low for 4 hours or high for 6 hours. Stir in the heavy cream and cheese slowly. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. If it's not thickened as you like, add melted butter to the flour then stir into the crock pot and let it cook on high for another 20-30 minutes.
Libby says
Low for 4 hours and high for six? Also do I stir in the heavy cream and cheese through out the time it is cooking or once it is done?
Kristina says
Hi Libby- HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. You would add all ingredients except butter, flour, heavy cream and cheese. In the last 30 minutes add the heavy cream and cheese. Stir well and then add the butter/flour paste. Stir again and let cook for the remaining time.
Lauren Muckert says
I think I must have done something wrong, I tried it tonight and this is how it turned out. A watery mess. I followed instructions down to a T as well. Was I supposed to add cornflour to the butter to thicken it or just normal flour?
Kristina says
I'm sorry to hear that! I haven't heard anyone else say this, so I wonder if you are at a high altitude? This will interfere with how sauces thicken. If you are, adding 3 more tsp of flour to the butter should do the trick. The recipe does call for regular flour, not cornflour. Did you use cornflour, or perhaps cornstarch? If you use cornstarch, it should be mixed with water to activate the thickening, not butter.