These Instant Pot Lentils with Chicken and Sweet Potato aren’t going to win any beauty contests, but once you taste them you will see why I’ve been making this recipe on the regular!
Besides being incredibly healthy…they’re packed with fiber and protein…the flavors of the salsa verde, cilantro, sweet potatoes and chicken meld together perfectly to make a versatile dish that can be enjoyed on it’s own, over rice or wrapped up in a tortilla.
I’m not gonna lie, the first time I made this a couple of my kids turned their noses up (aka: complained loudly) when I served this for dinner. It took a large handful of cheese and huge dollop of sour cream on top to get them to take their first bites and realize it was actually yummy.
Secretly I hoped that no one would want seconds so I could enjoy leftovers for lunch. I’ve been doing a Healthy Weight Loss Challenge for the last seven weeks and I knew this would make the perfect lunch. Lucky for me there were a couple cups of it left and I got to enjoy them wrapped in a high protein/high fiber wrap for lunch a couple times that week.
In fact, I liked them so much, I’ve kept making them almost every week since to have on hand for easy lunches for me and my husband. They freeze really well too, so you can freeze some in prepped portions to make it easy to pull one out of the freezer when you need a quick lunch.
This recipe can easily be made vegetarian or even vegan. It will still be delicious if you choose to leave out the chicken and the chicken broth can be easily swapped for vegetable broth.
I found this recipe on Pinch of Yum’s Instagram page originally. I made it almost exactly as they wrote it the first time and felt like it was a little too spicy for my kids. I tweaked it a little the second time I made it and then the third time is when I decided that sweet potatoes would be a great addition. I have a yummy Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup recipe on the blog that made me think of adding sweet potatoes.
The sweet potatoes cut the spice a bit and add just a hint of sweetness that really rounds out the dish. And, sweet potatoes are so good for you it makes you feel even better about eating this super healthy dish!
Instant Pot Lentils with Chicken and Sweet Potato is the perfect recipe for quick healthy meal prep. It only takes 22 minutes in the instant pot and you will feel so good about such a healthy lunch or dinner choice.
How to make this recipe:
So simple! Just add all of the ingredients together in your instant pot. Secure the lid. Turn it on the poultry or beans setting for 22 minutes. Slow or quick release the pressure (doesn’t matter on this recipe), take the chicken out and shred it.
Add the shredded chicken back in and give it a stir! That’s it, your done! So Simple!
Remember she may not be the most beautiful meal you ever eat, but I’ve fallen in love with this not so pretty meal 🙂 and I hope you fall in love with it too!
Easy Quick Dinner Favorites
- 2 cups dry lentils
- 1-2 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 uncooked sweet potatoes, cubed (aprox 2-3 cups)
- 2 cups salsa verde (I like the Herdez medium...the medium is pretty spicy. If you don't like a kick or have kids who won't appreciate it you should try mild or only use 1 cup of the medium salsa and add an extra cup of chicken broth)
- 3½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3-4 large garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp salt
- Combine all ingredients in your instant pot (mine is an 8qt, but 6 quart will work fine too)
- Secure the lid and set on poultry or beans setting and set timer to 22 minutes.
- When timer goes off you can either leave it alone and let the pressure slowly release of if you need it quickly you can do a quick release.
- Open the lid and remove the chicken, shred it using two forks and place back in the instant pot. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
- Serve over rice or as a filling for burritos. Can also serve with cheese and sour cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 5 days or frozen for up to three months in an air tight container.
Do you think red salsa would work as well if I don’t have salsa verde? Thanks!
That’s a good question. I have never tried it with red. The green salsa definitely has a more unique flavor. And doesn’t have the tomato base…I am not sure how it would turn out with regular salsa, sorry. If you try it, let me know how it tasted.
I just made it with red salsa (and red lentils). It is delicious!!
Awesome! I love hearing that Quinn! I’ll have to try it with red salsa next time I make it.
I tired it with red salsa and it was delicious. I also added some cumin to the recipe because it’s my favorite spice and it paired well.
Love hearing that it turned out great using red salsa! Thank you for sharing!
This was delish and easy, thanks so much!! Will definitely make again. I also added celery chunks cause I had them on hand, and worked well too!
Awesome! So glad you liked it Lora. It’s one of my favorite healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Hi there! This looks delicious – do you know if it can be cooked in a crock pot instead of a slow cooker? Thanks!
Hi Caroline,
I am not sure if this would work in a crock pot. Lentils can sometimes be tricky. If you try it I would let it go for a full 8 hours on low or 4 on high.
I love sweet potatoes and lentils, so obviously I had to try out this dish, and it turned out great.
I didn’t use the salsa verde; I went to town with spices instead. I also added celery because why not.
Question though! If I wish to add more chicken breast, would I need to increase the time and/or liquid?
Thank you again for sharing this!
Hi Mali, as long as you have 1 cup of liquid it shouldn’t matter how much chicken you add. I am glad you like the recipe!
These were fantastic!! I’m trying to incorporate more nutritious foods into my families and my diet and this is perfect!
I added a bit of cumin to it and cayenne to mine and loved it. I am not typically fond of sweet potatoes and we very rarely eat lentils but this recipe will change that!!
I feel the same way, but love how they come together in this recipe. One of my faves. So glad you found it!