Name: Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into large pieces); 1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes; 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see notes); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder; juice of 1 lime

Juicy, tender, Mexican Shredded Chicken is quick and easy to make in your Instant Pot. Just dump everything in and dinner is ready in 30 minutes. Getting a healthy chicken dinner on the table has never been so tasty or this easy!

Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken on a serving platter.

Quick weeknight meals have never been better thanks to the good ole pressure cooker. Instant Pot chicken dinners can be made in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

This Instant Pot chicken recipe delivers everything you'd want. It's quick, it can be used to make a variety of chicken recipes and it's loaded with bold Mexican flavor. Make a double batch and freeze leftovers for even quicker meals during the week.

Use this shredded chicken to make Instant Pot chicken tacos, burritos, salads, nachos, or even pizza! Top with restaurant style guacamole for a healthy lunch meal prep.

Make sure to try our white chicken chili Verde in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot!

Ingredients

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken tenderloins, or boneless chicken thighs.
Roasted tomatoes: Use one full 15 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes, juice, and all!
Lime: Fresh lime juice is best but bottled can be used.
Seasonings: Salt, cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle chili powder.
Chipotle peppers: Use the chipotle peppers that come in a can of adobo sauce.

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients into the liner of the Instant Pot and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Lock the lid in place and make sure that the vent is in the SEALED position.

Press the MANUAL button and set the timer for 15 minutes at HIGH pressure. (The Instant Pot will take roughly 10 minutes to come up to pressure before the timer begins.)

Once the cooking time is up, release the pressure immediately. Remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a bowl or a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

The remaining juices in the Instant Pot can be stirred back into the chicken meat to keep it moist.

A photo of the ingredients in the Instant Pot and in a bowl after being shredded.

Tips and tricks for the perfect Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken

Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks to help them cook more evenly and become even more tender. This will also help to prevent the chicken from being rubbery.
For a less spicy chicken, leave the chipotle peppers whole so that you can remove them after cooking. Dice them before cooking if you want a spicier chicken.
Before placing the lid on the pressure cooker, make sure that the plastic ring is seated snuggly into place. This will ensure a good seal between the lid and the pot.
Once the chicken has cooked, transfer the meat to a separate bowl and use forks to shred the chicken. You can transfer it back to the liner and stir it back in with the juices OR you can thicken the leftover juices with a cornstarch slurry for a thick gravy.
Want to save even more time during the week? Place the ingredients into a freezer-safe container for a delicious dump-and-go Instant Pot recipe! If cooking from frozen, adjust the cooking time to 25 minutes.

More Mexican-inspired recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos - Use this shredded chicken to make delicious tacos!
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup - The perfect recipe for meatless Mondays. You can use leftovers for taco Tuesdays. (Along with this Mexican shredded chicken, Yay!)
Black Bean Burrito Bowls - Perfect for throwing together leftovers for a deliciously filling meal!
Creamy Chipotle Sauce - A plant-based, creamy sauce to use on tacos, black bean soup or bowls.