Mexican Shredded Chicken – Easy 3 Ingredient!

Mexican Shredded Chicken made quick and easy with only 3 ingredients and an Instant Pot! Tender chicken packed with flavor, perfect for tacos, burrito bowls and quesadillas.

Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Recipe

This delicious 3 ingredient (4, if you count water) Mexican inspired shredded chicken is tender and flavor packed. The chicken is served in a mouth watering tomato sauce, made in a flash using store bought salsa!

I love Instant Pot recipes that can be prepped in advance and turned into many different meals. This shredded chicken is perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salad, quesadillas or served with rice and beans.  There are so many options to serve your family this tasty dish!

When it comes to Taco Tuesday I always get so excited but at the same time a little stressed because there can be a lot of prep work involved. From making guacamole, to shredding cheese, and prepping all the other toppings. In order to save some prep work and has a stress free Taco Tuesday this dump and go shredded chicken is one of my favorite taco fillings!

Instant Pot Mexican Salsa Shredded Chicken Recipe

Shredded chicken tacos have been a trusty, easy recipe in my emergency dinner rotation! If I need a quick weeknight dinner or last minute dinner this shredded chicken is perfect. No need to stress about a dinner the whole family will love, this is an easy versatile dinner sure to please.

This is a dump and go, set it and forget it kind of recipe. Simply add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot, set it and forget it. Then, come back and shred your chicken and serve! Dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

For a unique side dish to your Taco Tuesday dinner try my delicious Mexican Street Corn Dip (recipe linked here)! You can serve this as a dip with corn chips or use it as a salsa topping for tacos and burrito bowls!

What is in Mexican Shredded Chicken?

• Chicken Breast, boneless skinless – I prefer using white meat for this recipe but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. White meat holds up better and is my preferred cut of meat for shredding.
• Salsa – any store bought salsa will work for this recipe. Choose your desired spice level – mild, medium or hot! You can even use a store bought salsa that has corn and beans in it!

• Taco or Fajita Seasoning – store bought or homemade taco seasoning is perfect for making this a quick recipe so you don’t need to worry about adding in a list of different spices. I like making a batch of homemade taco seasoning and keeping it in a jar in my pantry.
• Water – I don’t really count water as an ingredient but if we want to be technical then yes this is a 4 ingredient shredded chicken. Water is added into the Instant Pot during cooking to avoid the salsa drying out too much and getting the dreaded burn notice on your Instant Pot.

How to Make Mexican Shredded Chicken

Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page

1 To an Instant Pot, or Electric pressure cooker, add the chicken, taco seasoning, salsa and water.

2 Stir together to ensure the chicken is evenly combined and submerged in liquid.

3 Secure the lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 10 minutes on high pressure. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. When the cooking time finishes, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for 5 minutes (the screen will read L 00:05) then carefully turn the pressure valve to VENTING to quick release the remaining pressure.

4 Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and place it on a cutting board or large bowl. Shred the chicken using two forks, your hands if it’s cool enough to handle, or with a mixer. Note: Keep the chicken in fairly large pieces as they will break up into smaller pieces when added back into the sauce.

5 Return the chicken back to the sauce in the Instant Pot to soak up the flavor. Mix until evenly coated in sauce. Serve and enjoy!

How to Serve Mexican Shredded Chicken

• Tacos – serve with corn or flour tortillas and your favorite taco toppings (guacamole, salsa, sour cream, pico de gallo).
• Burrito Bowls – serve on top of rice with all the classic toppings.
• Nachos – this chicken is amazing layered on tortilla chips with cheese, salsa, and baked until golden brown and melty!
• Quesadillas – I like using leftover shredded chicken for quesadillas. After 1-2 days of the chicken store in the fridge it soaks up the tomato sauce making it great for quesadillas. If you are using the fresh cooked chicken for quesadillas drain some of the sauce to avoid a soggy interior.

Looking for More Easy Family Dinners?

Try some of my most popular recipes!

• Street Corn Chicken Tacos – all the great flavors of elotes combined with flavor packed chicken tacos! A smoky and spicy crema finishes off these light and healthy tacos.
• Sweet and Sour Pork – made healthier and even tastier then takeout! Crispy and tender pork stir fried with peppers, onions and pineapple in an irresistible tangy sauce.
• Turkey Meatball Orzo Soup – the perfect family weeknight dinner. This hearty and healthy meal comes together in just 30 minutes!

Enjoy!

– Sab

Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission.

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