Instant Pot Salsa Shredded Chicken

I don’t know about you guys, but Mexican food is my all time favorite, and I’m pretty much ALWAYS in the mood for it.

So I’ve been tinkering around trying to come up with the perfect all purpose Mexican chicken, that would be super easy to throw together, and could be used in a big variety of ways.

When I settled on this combination, I knew this was it! No searing or browning, no complicated ingredients, an option to make this with no fresh produce, makes enough food for a crowd, but PACKED with flavor.

This is what I would consider a “dump it in and go” kind of meal. You literally add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot, start cooking, and walk away!

We love to serve this Mexican shredded chicken over rice (like this Verde rice), in tacos, taquitos, burritos, enchiladas (try out my homemade sauce here), over top a southwest salad, and my personal favorite… chimichangas!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Chicken – I typically use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, as that’s what I typically have on hand in our freezer.
• Onion – I prefer a yellow onion, but a white onion will also work well.
• Garlic – fresh garlic is preferred, but you can use an equal amount of garlic paste, or about 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
• Spices – in this recipe, those are ground cumin, chili powder, ancho chile pepper powder, and Mexican oregano (or regular oregano).
• Tomatoes – I love the extra flavor of using fire-roasted diced tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes will work well too.
• Green chiles – you can use either the mild or hot variety. I use mild.
• Salsa – I love using salsa verde (either homemade or store-bought), but use your favorite.
• Chicken broth – reduced sodium is preferred.
• Liquid smoke – this is optional, but I love the extra flavor it brings.

How to make shredded Mexican salsa chicken:

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Add all ingredients to liner of Instant Pot. Seriously, just dump it all in… that’s the beauty of this recipe.  No need to stir or layer anything.
2. Add lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes.
3. Let pot depressurize for 5-10 minutes. Then go ahead and release any remaining pressure.  I don’t like to do a quick release here as I found it could make the chicken dry.
4. Remove chicken and shred. You can alternately shred the chicken in the Instant Pot, I just like to really be able to go at the chicken, and I don’t have enough room to do that without sloshing liquid around.
5. If you want to thicken the sauce, make a slurry. Just mix together 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and 3 Tbsp of water in a small bowl until smooth, then stir that into the sauce.  Hit “saute” and cook, stirring often, until thickened.
6. Return chicken to the sauce. And serve as desired!

Variations of this recipe

• Chicken – You can easily swap out the chicken breasts for boneless skinless chicken thighs, just decrease the pressure cook time down to 12-13 minutes. When I make this using breasts, my chicken usually weighs between 3 and 3.5 lbs. so you’ll want to use about that amount of thighs.
• Frozen – Didn’t remember to thaw your chicken out, (I’ve totally been there!), no problem!  You can cook this recipe with frozen breasts – just increase the pressure cook time to 17-19 minutes. Also, make sure the chicken breasts are separated – a big block of frozen chicken just isn’t going to cook evenly
• Spicier – As written, I would say this recipe is about a mild heat level.  If you’d like it spicier, use HOT diced green chiles, add a chopped jalapeno to the ingredients, and/or use a hot salsa.
• Beer – For some extra flavor, try using a Mexican beer like Modelo instead of the chicken broth.
• Other salsas – I love the tang that the salsa verde adds to this chicken, but feel free to use your favorite salsa.  There are SO many flavors out there… the sky is the limit!
• Cooking methods – this is made for the Instant Pot, but I’ve detailed how to make this in a slow cooker or on the stovetop if you’d prefer. Those instructions will be down in the “recipe notes” section of of the recipe card.
• No fresh produce – hey, I get it… there are times when you may not have a fresh onion or garlic around the house. You can swap in 1/2 Tbsp onion powder and 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder if you prefer.

Making salsa chicken ahead of time

As with most braised meats, this shredded chicken tastes even better the next day!  Those flavors sit and meld together.  So feel free to make this recipe a day or two ahead of time.

Storage

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 5 days.

Keep in mind that more liquid can be absorbed during storage, so if you want it saucier, you may need to add a splash of chicken broth.

Freezing

The cooked and shredded chicken can also be frozen for longer storage. Just transfer the cooled chicken to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3-6 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator and use as desired.

** Recipe originally published in March 2020, but has been updated in April 2026 with new information.