Instant Pot Mexican Chicken

Top view of a red bowl filled with shredded chicken with fresh cilantro on the side.

Instant Pot Mexican Chicken

Simplify dinner with my easy 3-ingredient recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken. This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen chicken breast in under a half hour. The Mexican shredded chicken is perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more!

Course Instant Pot, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 94kcal

Author Katie

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

19 ounce can of Red Enchilada Sauce
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
4 boneless skinless chicken breast frozen or fresh

Instructions

Empty the can of enchilada sauce in the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the taco seasoning in the sauce. Mix well with a whisk. Then add the chicken breast to the sauce. Coat the chicken on both sides.
Plug the Instant Pot in and close the lid to the locking position. Select "meat", for fresh thawed chicken, select cooking time to 15 minutes. (For frozen chicken breast cook for 30 minutes.)
Once the Instant Pot has come to pressure and is done let it sit for 5 minutes. Carefully, force the pressure, remove the lid, and place the cooked chicken breast in a bowl. Shred the chicken (see notes for easy shredding options) and place the shredded chicken back in the sauce. Make sure to toss the chicken in the sauce, so the chicken is saucy. Enjoy immediately or keep in the Instant Pot on "Keep Warm" mode until you are ready to enjoy!

Notes

Enchilada sauce - You can use a large can of enchilada sauce or you can make your own. In a pinch I will use a can of tomato sauce and my chicken still comes out just as flavorful!
Taco Seasoning - You can use a store bought envelope of taco seasoning for this recipe. If you find yourself making a lot of tacos I would invest in a large Costco size container of taco seasoning. Another great option is to make your own. I do this and store my homemade taco seasoning in a mason jar in my cabinet.
Shredding Chicken - I have found two methods to shred chicken. The first method requires a little arm muscle; place the chicken in a bowl and shred with the tines of two forks. My other method, which people always seem to be blown away with is using the KitchenAid Stand Mixer! You might wonder just how do you shred chicken with a mixer?Simply place the cooked chicken in the bowl of the stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment and turn on low setting. Within 30 seconds you'll have perfectly shredded chicken!
Freezing Shredded Chicken - I always make extra so that I can freeze the Mexican shredded chicken for an easy dinner in the future. It is so incredibly easy to do this. Let the shredded chicken cool to room temperature, label the freezer bag, and place the chicken in the bag. I always add a few extra spoonfuls of sauce to the bag before I freeze. This will ensure the chicken is not dry when you go to reheat it later on. Lay flat and freeze.
Cooking frozen shredded chicken - To reheat your previously frozen chicken you'll want to first thaw the shredded chicken. If you place the bag in the refrigerator the evening before you are ready to serve it will be defrosted in time. Then just add the contents to a sauce pan and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition