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Made this recipe tonight and it was tasty. And now we’ve got meals prepped for a while. I’ve never had lentils before either. I would definitely recommend.
Stephen
I’m baaaaack! with more meal prep!
This time it’s got shredded chicken, lentils, and a dangerous amount of kicky green flavor: jalapeños, green onions, cilantro, limes. The top is begging for a little cotija cheese crumble – and by a little I mean a REAL GOOD CHUNK – and the little extra lime juice shower just before eating is not negotiable. Serve it up with brown rice (look at you, healthy!) and it is a protein powerhouse lunch.
The only real thing you need to do to prep this recipe is chop the veggies, and then pop it all into the slow cooker or Instant Pot and let the magic happen.
It makes for happy leftovers (which is kind of the whole idea with meal prep, right?) and if you get sick of eating it with rice (or cauli rice for our low-carbers), it can be repurposed in a variety of ways.
Think: tacos, quesadillas, nachos, soups, burritos, and on and on.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Cilantro Lime Chicken and Lentils for the happy desk lunch win!
15 Minute Meal Prep is the gift that keeps on giving.
Watch How To Make These Chicken and Lentil Bowls
Ingredients You Need
I love how straightforward the grocery list is for this one!
- Chicken
- Lentils
- Salsa verde
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Jalapeño
- Onion
- Garlic
I also love how cost-effective it is. Besides the chicken, most ingredients are inexpensive pantry and produce items, and the leftovers last for days. Winning!
You can also get wild with toppings for these bowls – avocado, sour cream, cilantro, cotija, etc. etc.!
How To Make These Chicken and Lentil Bowls
If you’re opting to make this in the Instant Pot (which you should), you really can’t get much simpler than this.
- Prep Your Ingredients: Chop up all the produce so it’s ready to go – cilantro, jalapeño, onion, and garlic.
- Place All Ingredients In The Instant Pot: Just dump all your prepped ingredients and everything else into the Instant Pot and combine it all together.
- Cook: Let it cook together for 30 minutes on the soup setting.
- Shred And Serve: Shred the chicken in the pot, stir it all up with more salsa verde, and serve in bowls with rice!
Storage and Reheating For Meal Prep
I like to divvy out the chicken and lentils and rice into containers (affiliate link), and pop them right in the fridge. At lunch the next day, I just grab one on my way out the door and am good to go with a filling, nutritious meal!
For reheating, just reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes until heated through. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions For This Recipe
Cook for 8 hours on low. The chicken probably only needs 4 hours so add it halfway if you want to be really on top of it and keep your chicken from drying out.
Simmer together on the stove covered for about an hour!
This will last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Yes, absolutely! Chicken thighs work beautifully as well.
Just skip the chicken (and/or sub with more lentils if you want). The lentils on their own are hearty and protein-packed!
Cilantro Lime Chicken and Lentil Rice Bowls
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken and Lentil Bowls! The BEST easy protein powerhouse meal prep. Just 15 mins of prep and totally hands-off cooking!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
- 3 cups salsa verde
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeños, diced (ribs and seeds removed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1–2 limes
Instructions
- Add everything to the Instant Pot except the lime juice.
- Cook for 30 minutes on Soup setting. Quick release the steam. Stir it all up and add more salsa verde as desired.
- Serve with rice and a squeeze of lime!
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Notes
Note: Expect about 10-15 mins for the Instant Pot to come to pressure before the cook time starts.
Slow Cooker: Cook for 8 hours on low. The chicken probably only needs 4 hours so add it halfway if you want to be really on top of it and keep your chicken from drying out.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Meal Prep
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: chicken lentil bowls, lentil rice bowls, rice bowls
Make It A Freezer Meal!
Freeze Together:
- 2 cups dried lentils
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- 3 cups salsa verde
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeños, diced (ribs and seeds removed)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 3 cups chicken broth (can add at cook time)
To Cook:
INSTANT POT: From frozen, high pressure 25 mins + 10 mins natural release.
SLOW COOKER: Thaw first, then high setting for 6 hours.
FINAL STEP: Serve with rice and cilantro.
View more healthy freezer meals here!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our flavor-packed jalapeño recipes page. Check it out!
Very good! Used chicken thighs and followed the directions for the stove top version. So easy!!
Lindsay never disappoints. Every recipe I make from Pinch of Yum is a huge hit with my family, including this one! My kids devoured their bowls and kept saying how yummy it was. We make it with a side of steamed or roasted veggies when time permits. It’s made it into our regular meal rotation!
Is there a way to make it kid friendly (not spicy)?
I do not have an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
How would I do this soup pot?
Would you add more cook time to the instant pot for thighs?
Five stars, such an underrated recipe that makes a ton, is filling and so so flavorful. Love it so much!!!
I just made these from the freezer meal series you did and OMG it is delicious! I omitted the jalapeño cause my daughter can’t do super spicy but WOW it was delicious! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers all week!
I made this exactly as written, and it was absolutely, positively delicious!
If you ever want to test a recipe, have your teenager make it. He wasn’t sure how to serve it because the recipe doesn’t mention what to do with the cooked chicken.
Overall the dish was great and very easy, but for a new cook it lacked a few instructions. LOL
I cooked this in a slow cooker for 8 hours on low as recommended and it looked like actual vomit. Went dark brown/green in the fridge after a day. I choked down one flavorless serving before tossing everything, which I had intended to be my meal prep for the week. I hope it works in an instant pot because god knows it doesn’t work in a slow cooker. Jesus.
Hi! I’m not seeing rice listed anywhere in the ingredients or cooking instructions. Did you cook it separately? Could it be cooked with everything else at the same time in the instant pot?
We use precooked rice that we serve on the side!
This looks super yum. Do you have a recommended salsa verde brand or recipe that you use?
Thanks!
We don’t have a specific brand, pretty much all are good!
Can you freeze the leftovers? Or will it be soggy once defrosted?
Yes, you can freeze!
This recipe is SO GOOD and SO EASY. Personally, I don’t think it needs the rice, as it’s amazing all on its own.
We loved this! We are trying to incorporate ingredients such as lentils into our diet, and this was a great one to do that with! It was pretty simple to make, and made enough to have for dinner one night, and lunches for myself for the rest of the week. Will definitely be adding this to our rotation.
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and it’s a true staple in our home. It’s a fast, easy, protein-heavy dinner for those (frequent) days we need something fast. I usually omit the jalapeño, since my little kiddos don’t really go for spice yet. We serve it with basmati rice and some butter, and everyone in my house loves it! I also love to package this up as a hearty, healthy meal for a new mama or grieving family. Can’t oversell this recipe enough – we’re huge fans!
Can this be made on the stove top? Surely it can. Just not sure how long to cook it but I would think 30-45 minutes would be adequate since I can boil chicken breasts for 20ish minutes and they get cooked in that amount of time. Any tips on doing it this way? Thanks!
Yes! Simmer together on the stove covered for about an hour!
If i omit chicken and only use lentils, do i still cook for 30 minutes on soup setting? Thanks!
Any way to make this without an Instant Pot? Thanks!
Yep! Simmer together on the stove covered for about an hour.
Just checking for the freezer meal slow cooker instructions it says high for 6 hrs after thawing – is that right? High vs low?
I feel like the chicken would be way overdone but maybe I’m not considering something.
Hello! You could do 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. It’s pretty forgiving because of the saucy ingredients, and the lentils are what need the time to cook.
I’m confused the directions say cook 30 minutes on Soup setting but video shows 20 minutes on Manual, which is it? Also shows you shredding the chicken and the directions say to just stir and serve??
This dish looks incredible! The ingredients blend so well together, and the step-by-step instructions make it super easy to recreate. Can’t wait to give it a try—thanks for sharing!
this needs some herbs or spices in it. this did not have a lot of flavor. maybe some cumin and oregano
Looks good! Is it spicy?
Hi! This dish is mild!
Does this work well also for stovetop? I am having 12 people over (our weekly college girls’ dinner) and my instant pot is too small. I cooked this before in my IP and it was fabulous. Even for stovetop we leave the line juice out until the end? Is the lime juice just for the rice?
I think it could work! It will just need to simmer for awhile to get tender enough. And yes, leave the lime juice out until the end!