Cooked in a mixture of Mexican spices and tangy pineapple juice, chicken thighs quickly become tender and easily shredded, ready for piling into tortillas.
How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Pressure Cooker
This recipe is a riff on Elise’s original slow cooker version, just sped up in the pressure cooker. (I love my Instant Pot!) I didn’t do much to change Elise’s recipe—it’s delicious as is. My one tweak for the pressure cooker was to use ketchup instead of tomato paste to ensure that there was enough cooking liquid for the pot to come up to pressure; if it’s too thick it won’t. With the ketchup and the pineapple juice, I had just enough liquid to make my 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker seal up properly. If you’re using a larger pressure cooker, add an extra can of pineapple juice so there’s enough liquid. Once the chicken is finished cooking, I recommend removing it from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon and then reducing the cooking liquid into a sauce on your pressure cooker’s “Sauté” setting.
New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer’s Guide.
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2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
For the chicken:
2 1/2 pounds (about 8 medium) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup (6 ounces) pineapple juice
2 tablespoons ketchup
For the tacos:
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 to 2 cups shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup sliced radishes
2 large avocados, cut into chunks
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges
It will take about 15 minutes for your pressure cooker to come up to pressure, and then the actual cooking will begin. The total time from when you seal the pressure cooker to the finished dish is about 30 minutes. Leftover shredded chicken will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
