Shredded Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Shredded Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

May 25, 2018

Servings: 6

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 12 min

Total: 20 min

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Two of my favorite kitchen gadgets make these shredded chicken tacos everything and more! Cooked to perfection by the instant pot, shredded to a tee by the Kitchen Aid mixer!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 2 lbs skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• Taco Seasonings - all measurements approximate:
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1/2 TBSP cayenne
• 1/2 TBSP onion powder
• 1/2 TBSP smoked paprika
• 1/2 TBSP salt
• 3/4 cups salsa of your choice (I love Trader Joe's Island Salsa)

Directions

• Step 1 Coat the bottom of an Instant Pot with olive oil. (No instant pot? You can bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes instead!). Place the skinless boneless chicken breasts into the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with the taco seasonings. My measurements are approximate, you should add whatever you like to make them your own! Pour salsa on top.
• Step 2 Place the lid on the Instant pot and make sure it is fully locked in place and the pressure valve is in the closed position.
• Step 3 Press the manual button on the Instant Pot and set the timer for 12 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to do it’s magic. Once the timer has gone off, us a wooden spoon or kitchen mitt to carefully open the valve and quick release the steam pressure.
• Step 4 Once you have released all of the pressure carefully open the lid facing away from you. Allow the chicken to cool slightly, then transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. (The liquids should remain in the Instant Pot).
• Step 5 Turn the stand mixer on a low speed and allow it to shred for 2 minutes. Keep an eye on the chicken – you may want to turn it off sooner – you don’t want it to turn to mush!
• Step 6 Return the shredded chicken to a bowl and stir in the cooking liquid. Serve with all of your favorite taco fixings and warm tortillas!

If there’s one thing I love as a chef, it’s discovering new kitchen hacks.  Whether it’s finding a substitution for an ingredient I need but don’t have on hand (ie, our buttermilk hack, featured in my Creamy Cauliflower Mash recipe) or something that just makes my life easier, hacks can be a game changer in the kitchen.  Tonight’s featured hack is a technique my friend taught me for shredding chicken.  You might be just as skeptical as me when I describe it, but I’m here to vouch for it 110%.  This hack will blow your mind!

I’ll back up just a minute first to explain the inspiration for this recipe.  A few of the husbands in my group of friends had all decided they were in need of a guys night out.  (For those who are probably rolling your eyes after reading that, I’m not going to debate whether or not they were the ones who “needed” the night out right now, but let’s just say we made a deal and it is definitely the ladies’ turn next!)  Since my friends and I all have kids around the same ages, I figured why not have the Mom’s over to our place for dinner so at least we too could spend some social time together; there’s no reason having the kids underfoot should stop us!

The only thing that required some extra thought was what I could serve that would 1. be easy to prep 2. be a hit with the kids and 3. spare me too much clean up.  Tacos were an easy answer and since I really didn’t want anything with much too hands on time, I called on my faithful Instant Pot to do the heavy lifting for me.  I simply popped some chicken breasts in with my favorite Mexican spice line-up, topped it with salsa and let the pot work it’s magic.

After cooking, I usually shred the chicken with two forks like most of the chefs out there.  Yes, it’s a fairly full proof method but it’s one that requires a little extra elbow grease.  Enter my friend Amanda who taught me the hack that blew my mind: you can use your Kitchen Aid stand mixer to shred the chicken for you!  I know it seems too good to be true, but I promise, it works like a charm, and the photos clearly prove my point.

In a matter of two minutes, the chicken was shredded to perfection, dinner was on the table, and best yet – both Moms and babies were happy!  Of course, my little guy still managed to make the biggest mess of all, but he ate every last bite so this was definitely a win!