Instant Pot Mexican Pulled Chicken
Seriously the most tender pulled chicken in a blend of spices that ready in under 30 minutes. It’s a Flavor Fiesta perfect for your favorite Mexican night meal. Plus it’s so easy for meal prep and freezer meals!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 17
- Category: mexican, instant pot, meal prep, chicken, poultry
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: mexican, instant pot, meal prep, chicken, poultry
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) – make sure the chicken is pounded to even thickness
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2–3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4–8 ounces green chilis
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Spice Mixture
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon dried arugula flakes (FYI… make your own, it’s EASY!)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Red Hatch Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoon Smoky Chipotle Powder
Instructions
- In an 8 qt or larger Instant Pot (or preferred pressure cooker), add the chicken. In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients in the spice mixture. Sprinkle all of the seasonings over top of the chicken and, using tongs, flip the chicken to coat all sides. *Or if preferred, dredge the chicken in the spice mixture and then put it into the pressure cooker.
- Next, pour the stock and 1 tablespoon of lime juice into the pressure cooker, close the lid, and set the timer to 10 minutes for HIGH pressure. *If your chicken is over 1” thick or frozen, set the pressure cooker to 12 minutes. When the time is us, carefully perform a Quick Release.
- Remove the lid and, using tongs, remove the chicken to a rimmed bowl/plate. Set the Pressure Cooker to sauté and add in the tomato paste and green chilis. Whisk or stir to combine. As the sauce is cooking (for ~5 minutes), use 2 forks and shred/pull the chicken into as big or little pieces as you like. Taste the sauce to see if it needs more lime juice or seasoning. Add the chicken back to the pot, shut it off, and stir to coat all of the pulled pieces. Add in the entire bunch of chopped cilantro and stir.
- Serve over rice, in a burrito, nachos, pizza, sandwiches, etc. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Note, time does not include the 5-15 minutes it takes your pressure cooker to build up pressure