My favorite Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and rice bowls. It turns out juicy, tender, and packed with incredible flavor.
You only need a few ingredients to make it, and the Instant Pot does all the work. I use green enchilada sauce or salsa verde to infuse the chicken with flavor while keeping it perfectly moist. The result tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, even though it comes together in under 30 minutes.
It’s one of those recipes I come back to week after week. I’ll use leftovers to make shredded chicken tacos one night, rice bowls the next, and maybe stuffed into quesadillas for lunch. I’m obsessed.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts in our photos, but this recipe works beautifully with either chicken breasts or thighs. Thighs stay extra juicy, while breasts shred easily and soak up all the sauce. I prefer thawed chicken for this, but tips for using frozen chicken are below the recipe.
- Enchilada Sauce: My family loves green enchiladas, so I usually make this with green enchilada sauce or our homemade salsa verde. Red enchilada sauce works just as well, and you can even use your favorite jarred salsa.
- Sour Cream: A spoonful of sour cream stirred in at the end makes the cooking liquid slightly creamy and extra delicious. It’s optional, but I highly recommend it.
- Cilantro: Stir a little chopped fresh cilantro in at the end. It adds color and fresh flavor.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Tip 1: Add liquid. Pressure cookers need liquid to build pressure, so be sure to add at least 1 cup to the bottom of the pot. For the most flavorful chicken, skip plain water and use salsa verde, enchilada sauce, or broth. Salsa verde adds a tangy, rich flavor that we love.
Tip 2: Let the Instant Pot do the work. Once you’ve added your chicken and salsa, secure the lid and cook on “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” mode.
For 1 pound of thawed chicken breasts, cook on high pressure for 8 minutes, then let it naturally release for 5 minutes before using the quick release.
Tip 3: Shred the chicken and stir back in. After allowing the cooker to naturally release for 5 minutes, use the manual pressure release to release the remaining pressure. Then, shred the chicken with two forks, and stir it back into the sauce. This lets it soak up all those delicious flavors. For a creamy shredded chicken, stir in a little sour cream and chopped cilantro at the end.
Serving Suggestions
This shredded chicken is incredible for rice bowls. I love using a base of cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice, then topping it with fresh tomatoes, pico de gallo, avocado, avocado salad, or a scoop of guacamole.
It’s also perfect for tacos, and if you want to make them truly homemade, try our flour tortillas or corn tortillas. The chicken also works beautifully rolled into burritos for a quick meal prep option.
And I can’t let you go without suggesting our chicken quesadillas, shredded chicken nachos, or green enchiladas. Both are family favorites and pair perfectly with this juicy Instant Pot shredded chicken.
More Instant Pot Recipes I Love
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love this Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe made with a creamy salsa verde sauce. The Instant Pot is a programmable pressure cooker, but if you don’t have one, you can easily adapt this recipe for any standard pressure cooker. For a stovetop version, see this easy shredded chicken recipe, or to make it in a slow cooker, see this crockpot shredded chicken.
You Will Need
2 cups green enchilada sauce or Mexican salsa verde, try our homemade salsa verde
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
½ cup sour cream
Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
Salt, to taste
Directions
1Add chicken and sauce: Pour the enchilada sauce or salsa verde into the Instant Pot. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, then secure the lid.
2Pressure cook: Select the Pressure Cook or Manual function and set the timer for 8 minutes on high pressure. The timer won’t start until the pot reaches full pressure, which can take a few minutes.
3Release pressure: When the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, then carefully use the quick-release valve to vent any remaining pressure.
4Shred and finish: Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce along with the sour cream and cilantro. Taste and season with salt. Enjoy over rice or grains, or use as a filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over medium-low heat in a saucepan.
- Sauce: We love making our roasted tomatillo salsa verde, but when we don’t have time to make it, store-bought works beautifully. Our favorite brands are Frontera by Rick Bayless and Hatch.
- Canned sauce: If you’re using canned salsa, you’ll get about 1 ⅔ cups per can. No need to open a second one, just top it off to the 2-cup line with a little water or broth.
- Chicken underdone: If you notice the chicken isn’t fully cooked when you remove it, switch the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and simmer for a few minutes until it’s cooked through.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Thanks for the recipe – I can’t wait to try it! If I have 5 1/2 pounds of thawed boneless chicken breast, how much enchilada sauce should I use?
Hi Regina, It’s going to depend on how much can fit in your Instant Pot. Make sure you don’t go past the fill line and add enough sauce to coat the chicken.
We love this easy, delicious recipe. I use bone in chicken thighs and Herdez mild salsa Verde.. Shread and serve over rice. Thank you for so many great recipes.
I had this can of enchilada sauce and was too lazy to make enchiladas. I love chicken Verde and chose this recipe and try out my pressure cooker. I added some paprika and cumin. I use my kitchenaid paddle to shred the chicken. Instead of sour cream at the end, I used a crema I made the night before. Consisted of sourcream, mayo, pickled jalepenos, lime and cilantro. The flavor was outstanding! Super easy. I made Fajita spiced rice, and refried black beans to go with it.
LOOOVE this. It’s one of my family’s favorites. I use the Herdez Mild Salsa Verde and it tastes amazing. So easy and so good. The sauce really makes this. I cook som jasmine rice to go with as mine is super sauce-y. The rest of my fam eats in tortillas and I eat mine from a bowl with tortilla strip chips as I like a little crunch. It’s a quick meal that doesn’t taste quick.
I was going to make another recipe from y’alls site last night but didn’t have the energy. Saw this and how fast it was. I was NOT disappointed! Added my own spices to jack up the heat a bit and threw it on corn tortillas. I’m having it for lunch today!! Thanks!
Can I add and cook rice in this recipe?
Hi Jenny, While I have made rice in a pressure cooker, I have not added it to this recipe. Without testing it, I’m not sure how it would turn out. I’m a bit worried the rice will be overcooked since the chicken takes longer than rice to cook in a pressure cooker.
Can I use frozen boneless chicken breasts or do they need to be thawed?
Hi Caroline, You can use frozen chicken breasts in the recipe. The preheat and cook time will be longer — more like 10 to 12 minutes.
Nice recipe! I’m going to try it out I was wondering if I doubled the recipe do I need to also double the cooking time or does that stay the same? Thank you!
Hi Steve, The cooking time should be the same.
The instructions don’t say when to add the chicken…so I put it in at the same time as the salsa Verde or after??
Great catch! You add the chicken after you have made the sauce. We updated the recipe.
I just can’t wait to try this very soon. I keep you posted!