Instant Pot Mexican Pulled Chicken

This is the most tender pulled chicken in a blend of spices, ready in under 30 minutes. It’s a Flavor Fiesta perfect for your favorite Mexican night meal. Plus, it’s so easy to prep and freeze meals! Need Slow Cooker instructions? See below!

Since moving to Arizona, my love for Mexican cuisine has grown exponentially. I’m so fortunate to have all these new spices and local chilis to work with, which has awakened that passion even more. 

I’ll share more of those flavors, but in ways that don’t necessarily require hard-to-get ingredients. I mean, Amazon pretty much carries everything these days, and most local groceries have an awesome Latin-inspired section. 

A Recipe Worth Repeating

I’ve been making this recipe for decades, but over the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve honed in on what spices work best and made it more flavorful without that heat that makes your ears feel bleeding. You can do that with this dish, but I’m keeping it on a more even keel. 

It wasn’t until the last month or so that I realized, ‘This is the perfect recipe. ‘ And it was perfect timing.

We were having company for dinner, and one of the guests couldn’t have any carbs or sugars. She needed a high-protein meal. Since I was already serving pizza, I decided to whip this up with some cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. 

Since that night, I’ve made this recipe five times, breaking one of my rules by giving her the recipe before posting. 

Yes, the spice mixture is long, but each component is important. 

• Chicken – boneless, skinless breasts, thighs, or a combination of both
• Chicken Stock
• Seasonings – assorted chili powder, pepper powders, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, dried arugula, and salt
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Tomato Paste
• Chili Peppers – green chilis or jalapenos per your heat preference

How to make Instant Pot Pulled Chicken

I’ve done the following steps: dump it all in, close the lid, coat each piece of chicken with the mixture first, and then add it to the pot. There’s no difference in flavor or taste, so it’s your call.

1. Add all the seasoning mixture in a bowl and whisk gently to combine.
2. Add the chicken to the pot, then sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken. 
3. Using tongs, flip the chicken to ensure the seasoning coats all sides.
4. Add in the stock and lime juice. Place the lid on, seal, and cook for 10-12 minutes under HIGH pressure.

5. When the time is up, carefully perform a Quick Release.
6. Remove the chicken to a rimmed bowl/plate. Set the Pressure Cooker to sauté and add tomato paste and green chilis. Whisk or stir to combine.

7. While the sauce is thickening, shred or pull the chicken apart with two forks into as big or little pieces as you like.

Coat The Shredded Mexican Chicken

8. Once you pull or shred the chicken, place it back into the instant pot with the sauce and shut it off.

9. Add in the cilantro and stir to combine. Allow the chicken to rest in the sauce for 15 minutes.

When you store the chicken in the fridge or freezer, please leave it in the sauce. This will help keep it super moist.

Shredding Chicken

To get smaller shredded pieces, you can use two forks OR place the hot chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn on to low and slowly increase the speed until the chicken is shredded finely.

If you’d like bigger pieces, leave some of the larger chunks.

Using Frozen Chicken

I’m guilty of forgetting to take the meat out for dinner later that night. That’s where the Instant Pot is a huge lifesaver in the kitchen. If you have frozen chicken, you can put it directly in the pot and cook it. I recommend adding 2 minutes to the cooking time.

Now, if the breasts are ginormous (like they look like they were on steroids, you may want to go 3-4 minutes, though I’ve only had to do 2 minutes at most). 

Ways to Serve Mexican Shredded Chicken

Gosh, there are so many ways I’ve served this. You really can’t go wrong. Here are some of my favorites

• Enchilada or Burrito – Place a few spoonfuls in a warm tortilla or burrito with some rice, salsa, and black beans
• Rice Bowl – Add rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa to a bowl, top with charred corn, pinto beans, avocado, radishes, cilantro, and chicken
• Nachos – Warm tortilla chips, esquites, black beans, red onions, jalapenos, radishes, cotija, chicken, queso, and cilantro
• Pizza – I created a pizza with this over on my Pizza Instagram account. It was a wood-fired pizza topped with cheese, chicken, charred corn, banana peppers, picante, cilantro, and cotija cheese. It was AMAZING!!!

Slow Cooker Instructions

Hey, I get it. Not everyone is on the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker train. You either don’t have the space for another kitchen gadget, or they intimidate you. I can help with the latter part, but not the space part. 

So, if you have a larger slow cooker, you can make this in there with a few minor tweaks. Go with an 8qrt slow cooker like this one.

1. Increase the chicken stock to 3 cups.
2. Cook on low for about 7 hours or high for about 4 hours
3. You may need to transfer the juices to a stovetop pot to thicken the sauce.

Storing Mexican Pulled Chicken

• Fridge – store it in an air-tight container for up to 5 days
• Freezer – place in portion control, freezer-safe containers, and store for up to 3 months

Reheating Instructions

1. Freezer: place the container in the fridge to thaw overnight. You can reheat in a large pot over medium heat or the microwave.
2. Fridg: transfer the mixture to a pot or skillet and reheat over medium. You can microwave it if you choose, but I prefer the stove.

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