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Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas - Cilantro Lime Chicken made with simple everyday ingredients!Perfect instant pot chicken for tacos and rice!
Why this recipe works
1. Versatile - Serve it on tacos, steamed rice, or with a side of veggies as a low-carb option
2. Quick- The whole recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes.
3. Perfect Texture - Pressure cooking in chicken broth and taco seasoning, ensures juicy, succulent chicken every time.
This is one of my weekly meal prep recipes. If you hate eating chicken breast but have to, this recipe is for you!
The chicken is juicy, flavorful, and versatile! And made in a fraction of the time- 5 minutes of hands-on time.
You can make burritos, sandwiches, and quesadillas or serve them with rice. I could literally eat it every day by just changing the sides- serve it with a spicy salsa or this summer mango corn salsa. Or you can oomph it up with this delicious black bean feta dip.
Really, there are endless ways to enjoy this dish.
As you are pressure-cooking the chicken with spices and herbs, as a bonus, you get a delicious "ju" along with tender, soft, juicy chicken. Drizzle the liquid that's left over after pressure cooking on cooked rice, along with some of the shredded chicken. It cannot get better than this!
Another way to take this to the next level is to air fry or broil the chicken to make its ends crispy! Add it to warm tortillas with a spoonful of that leftover JU, some salad and maybe cheese and you have a winner dinner!
This recipe is Paleo, Whole 30 approved. It's gluten-free and dairy-free!
If you are looking for a saucier version, you should try my pressure-cooked salsa chicken. Another one-pot recipe is this instant pot Mexican rice. It is one of my most appreciated instant pot recipes.
Ingredients for Chicken Carnitas
Here is what you will need
- Chicken Breasts
- Fresh Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder
- Taco seasoning - Cumin, Oregano & Paprika
- Smoked Paprika
- Liquid - Chicken broth, Water, pineapple juice or orange juice
We need liquid to enable the chicken to be pressure-cooked. You can use plain water or chicken stock. But if you want to experiment a little, try using pineapple or orange juice as the liquid. You will be pleasantly surprised with the flavor it adds.
This classic Mexican dish needs some form of chili powder to make it sing. If you do not like spicy food, you can stick to paprika. If not, then I urge you to try adding chipotle peppers or some kind of smoked chili.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
Step 1:Prep
Prep and measure all the ingredients.
If the chicken breasts are frozen, take them out of the freezer and thaw them enough so they are not stuck together.
Step 2:Pressure Cook
Add the chicken broth to the inner pot first. This creates a layer between the chicken and the inner pot, ensuring you do not get the burn sign.
Add all other ingredients- Chicken thigh, Taco seasoning, salt, garlic powder, and cilantro. Close the lid, select PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 10 minutes.
Step 3:Shred
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Quick Release and Open the Instant Pot after that.
Shred the Chicken with two forks or with a handheld whisk. I like using whisk as it is faster and more thorough.
Taste and adjust the salt and lemon. Top the chicken with cilantro and you have a killer chicken dinner on your hands!
Step 4: Broil for Crispy Chicken Carnitas
This is an optional step. You can either broil in your oven or in the air fryer.
Just toss the chicken with a little olive oil and some juice from the pressure cooking step.
Spread it on a sheet pan and broil till the edges of the chicken crisp up, and there you have your crispy carnitas.
You can find the detailed instant pot chicken carnitas recipe below.
Tips for perfect chicken carnitas
Do not forget to use the broil or air fry the chicken for that crispy finish.Drizzle the leftover ju for extra flavor!
Serving Chicken Carnitas
We spoke about how versatile this dish is above. Here are the ways you can eat pressure-cooked chicken carnitas
- Chicken carnitas tacos -Warm tortilla slathered with guacamole, sour cream, cotija cheese, and pico de gallo.
- Crispy Quesadilla with shredded chicken carnitas and cheese.
- Burrito bowls - With Spanish rice with a quick chopped salad for some crunch. For a low-carb version, serve the chicken over some cauliflower rice.
- Chicken Sandwich made with crusty bread and some greens.
- Baked Nachos- Tortilla chips topped with chicken, Monterey jack cheese, beans, guac, and sour cream.
If you have a slow cooker, try this chicken slow cooker enchiladas. They are delicious.
Storage
Leftover carnitas can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four to five days. I usually store the chicken with the juice from the pressure cooking step. This makes sure the chicken stays juicy, dripping with flavor.
Freezer - You can freeze the chicken in single servings for later use. I find using silicon bags to freeze is the most convenient and environmentally friendly way of freezing. That way I can stick them in the microwave straight from the freezer and have a meal ready in no time.
More Instant Pot Chicken Dishes
Here are some more pressure cooker dinner recipes for you
If you make these easy instant pot chicken carnitas, do leave me a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lbs Chicken Breast Check Notes
- ¼ Cup Chicken Broth or water or pineapple juice
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder or 3 garlic cloves
- 2 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning More if required
- ¼ Cup Cilantro
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika Optional
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Add the Chicken Stock, water or pineapple juice (pick one) to the inner pot of the instant pot.Add Lime Juice.
- Check the seasonanig. Add salt.
- Place rest of the ingredients- Chicken Breast(Check Notes on frozen chicken),Cilantro,Garlic,Taco Seasoning- Dried Oregano,Cumin & Paprika.
- Close the lid. Select pressure cook or manual on HIGH for 10 minutes. Change the Pressure Cooking time as per the details in the Notes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing it.
- Open the pot, using 2 forks or handheld whisk, shred the chicken.
- Top with more cilantro if desired, serve inside soft tortilla with Salsa.
- To make the chicken crispy, toss it in one table spoon of the cooking liquid, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning.
- Broil for 5-10 minutes toll the edges of the chicken are charred.
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