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Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas

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Easy Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas – juicy chicken cooked and shredded in under 30 minutes! Add to burritos, nachos, tacos and bowls. Whole30 + Paleo + Gluten Free

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas - shredded chicken in the instant pot topped with fresh cilantro

Instant Pots – have you tried them yet?

Love them? Hate them? Completely indifferent?

I think for the most part I’m on board. Anything that can reduce the amount of pots and pans that I need to wash up in a day gets a gold star from me. I’m also forever in awe of the fact that I can put a frozen piece of chicken in the pot and come back in less than 20 minutes to it being fully cooked.

To be honest though I’m not fully sold on making everything in the instant pot. I just feel like there are some meats and stews that really benefit from the low and slow method where all the flavours get a chance to hang out and really know each other over more time. Or maybe I just need to try new recipes!

That being said – when it comes to chicken breasts I am always impressed with the speed and flavour you can get out of such little time – like with these Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas! They’re so juicy and tender and easy to shred. For these alone I’m convinced my instant pot is more than worth it!

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas shredded on a baking sheet with forks

How to Make: Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas

Like most instant pot dished making these Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas is a pretty simple and straightforward ordeal. All you need is about 10-15 minutes of prep: gathering ingredients, sautéing your veg, and throwing it altogether before securing the lid and walking away. From this point on it’s just a matter of letting it all cook until done.

Breaking it down a little more:

  • Mix your spice blend in a small bowl: cumin, oregano, salt, pepper & chili powder.
  • Sauté your onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
  • Stir in the juices stock and spice blend followed by the chicken blend.
  • Set to cook for 8 minutes and then walk away.

After your timer has gone off and you remove the lid your chicken will look like this picture below – just use a couple of forks or tongs to shred the chicken.

instant pot chicken carnitas in the instant pot before shredded

It’s important to note that at this point your chicken will be looking very juicy from all the liquid needed to cook in the instant pot.  You can, if you like, stop right here and enjoy the chicken as is. In salads and burrito bowls the extra juice really add a lot of extra flavour that you don’t want to miss out on.

However – if you’re looking for crispier chicken carnitas then just finish these off by broiling them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the edges. When you’re all done just spoon a little bit of the leftover liquid at the bottom of the instant pot over the top and enjoy!

If you’re into meal prep it’s a great thing to make and have on hand to add to different types of dishes. These Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas are great in tacos and burritos. You can also add them to soups, quesadillas, nachos, and rice and and more.

Enjoy!

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas shredded on a baking sheet with forks

Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Enjoy

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Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas

Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas shredded on a baking sheet with forks

Easy Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas - juicy chicken cooked and shredded in under 30 minutes! Add to burritos, nachos, tacos and bowls. Whole30 + Paleo + Gluten Free

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup | 60 ml pineapple juice or orange juice
  • 1/4 cup | 60 ml lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock, aim for low sodium stock so you can control the salt
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • fresh cilantro for topping

Instructions

  1. Mix the cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder together in a small bowl.
  2. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot (affiliate link) and press the "Sauté" button. Once the oil is warm add the onion. Use a wooden spoon to stir and cook until the onion is fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
  3. Stir in the pineapple juice, lime juice, chicken stock and spice blend. Mix to combine. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and stir to coat.
  4. Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to stop the sauté function. Secure the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to closed. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 8 minutes.
  5. After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for 10 minutes before releasing the steam valve.
  6. Once the steam has been fully released remove the lid of the instant pot. Use a couple of forks to shred the chicken.

Optional Step for Crispier Carnitas

  1. Preheat your broiler to high heat. 
  2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shredded chicken to a large, lightly greased baking sheet. Spread the chicken out to be in an even layer. 
  3. Broil high up in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, spoon some of the leftover juices in the instant pot over the top of the chicken. Toss to coat and then place back in the oven to broil an additional 5 minutes. 
  4. Squeeze a little more lime juice over the top and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve in tacos, burrito bowls, over nachos, quesadillas, etc and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 594mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 26g
© Sarah
Cuisine: Gluten Free / Category: Mains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Sarah Nevins says

      Yay! So glad to hear it! You can absolutely use beef though you’ll need to increase the cook time so it shreds easier. The cook time will vary a bit depending on the cut of the beef you choose. I actually have a beef carnitas recipe you might want to look at to get an idea:

      https://www.asaucykitchen.com/beef-instant-pot-carnitas/

      This recipe just uses casserole steak/stewing meat which is typically tougher but more affordable. If you cook for 50 minutes it gets very juicy and shreds easy. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  2. Rich says

    Made this for the family tonight. We are all stuck inside. I made the recipe and substituted fresh squeezed clementines for the pineapple juice! We loved it.

    Reply

  3. Katrina K says

    Hi! I want to make this recipe with 2 lbs of chicken but I’m wondering if I should DOUBLE all the other ingredients too? Or maybe 1.5 times all the other ingredients…?

    Reply

  4. Jenn says

    Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice already and it’s definitely now park of my dinner rotation!

    Can I freeze the leftover chicken for another day?

    Reply

  5. Karena says

    Hi Sarah, I don’t cook much and am surprised by the fruit juices. My husband dislikes fruit with meat, e.g. orange with pork chop, so I’m left wondering if I should try this. Once cooked, can you taste the pineapple, orange or lime? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Sarah Nevins says

      Hi Karena! I think the fruit here adds a bit of acidity and sweetness to the overall flavour, but in my opinion I wouldn’t say it’s got a fruity taste. I would recommend using orange juice over pineapple juice if you try to makes this because I think the pineapple tastes a lot more obvious. You could also replace the orange/pineapple juice with more chicken stock if you’re worried your husband might not like it. I would keep the lime though as I think that’s important for balancing out the overall flavours. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  6. Jennifer Lugones says

    I am going to make exact this but at the end drying of the chicken with a tortilla and making taquitos .just added a few packets of Goya

    Reply

      • Sarah Nevins says

        Hi Raul! Carnitas means ‘little meats’. While it is more traditionally made with pork it can be made with other meats like chicken and beef which is why I specify ‘chicken’ carnitas for this recipe 🙂

        Reply

        • Sarah says

          The literal verbatim translation is “little meats,” yes, but the term “carnitas” is specific to a dish made with pork that originated in the Michoacán region.

          So the guy named “Raul” was, in fact, correct about the meaning of the Spanish word 😉 Just sayin’.

          Reply

          • Sarah Nevins says

            Hi Sarah! Like I said to Raul, I do realise that carnitas traditionally refers to pork which is why I make sure to specify this recipe as “chicken carnitas” instead of just carnitas. If anyone was looking for a traditional carnitas recipe (made with pork) I’m not sure why they’d click on a recipe that’s clearly labelled an “Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas”.

            Fortunately when it comes to recipe creation and fusion cooking there are no hard and fast rules we have to abide by. As much as I do love experiencing traditional cuisines, I for one would find cooking a lot more boring and limiting if we were only allowed to enjoy food in the ways they were originally created.

  7. Marilyn Urban says

    I’ve made pork carnitas before and loved it. I thought the chicken carnitas would be more flavorful?? I had to add smoked paprika and salt for flavor. I tried crisping under broiler. It dried out the chicken. Luckily I only broiled half batch and had enough liquid left to restore the juciness.

    Reply

  8. Sara says

    This recipe was wonderfully flavored! I added a little crushed pineapple along with the pineapple juice. I cooked 2 lbs frozen chicken breasts for 12 minutes and natural release. Great in a soft corn taco with sour cream, cheese and guacamole. Thanks very much!

    Reply

  9. stephanie says

    Thank you for this recipe! I’ve had some pretty amazing pork carnitas, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with chicken. Didn’t even notice a difference. I also did not have any limes to juice, so I doubled up on orange juice and it came out perfect.

    Reply

  10. Candace says

    Hello! Brand new Instant Pot user here. This is my first try at anything in the IP. I followed directions exactly, for doubling it for 2 lbs of chicken. When it had cooked 8 minutes and rested with the “keep warm” function on for 10 minutes, I releaseed the pressure and opened it up and tried to shred the chicken, but it wouldn’t really shred. I just put it back in there on “pressure cook” for 5 minutes. Waiting now. Hope it works out. Smells wonderful!

    Reply

  11. MJ says

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I made this for my 11 month old baby and my husband and it was a hit. The chicken was so tender and baby loved it. Served it with guacamole and rice and she ate so much.

    Reply

  12. Cristina says

    Just made this with a few modifications (less seasonings and fresh pineapple chunks instead of the juice) and it came out great! Will definitely be bookmarking and search this blog for other recipes- thank you Sarah!! In a skillet I added some of the carnitas chicken + cream cheese + left over broth to make an alfredo sauce to pour over zucchini noodles- YUM!

    Reply

  13. Rachel says

    We LOVED this- so much that I forwarded the link to all my family! Used fresh OJ instead of pineapple juice, and Lemons instead of limes (our lemon tree is full of fruit right now). Delicious!

    Reply

  14. Mario says

    5lbs of chicken and 3 times the ingredients, along with 25 mins of cooking time and this turned out AWESOME. Shredded it all up, threw some into the toaster oven to crisp it up a bit too. Deelish.

    Thanks for the recipe!!!

    Reply

    • Halle Mann says

      I got a nuwave pressure cooker as a gift, and literally don’t know how to use it/can’t find any good recipes. Every time I try to let the pressure release it just keeps cooking.

      Reply

      • Halle says

        That’s okay. I just did 4lb fresh chicken for 17 minutes of “poultry” time if anyone is wondering, and tripled all the ingredients (other than the chicken which is obvi quadrupled) and followed your recipe and it turned out great.

        Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Aysha! So glad you liked it! To make enough for 3 pounds I’d double all the other ingredients and then just increase the amount of chicken from 1-3 pounds and add an additional 2 minutes to the cook time (so 10 minutes instead of 8). Hope that helps!

      Reply

  18. Richard says

    Sarah,

    Thanks for the recipe.
    You say,
    “To be honest though I’m not fully sold on making everything in the instant pot. ”
    Mee Too, but there are two things we make all the time. Yogurt & Hard Boiled Eggs. The Yogurt function works great and Hard Boil eggs almost de-shell by them selves.

    Thanks again for a nice recipe.

    rick

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Richard! You’ve just reminded me that I need to try making my own yogurt in the instant pot! I agree with you on the hard boiled eggs too – so easy!

      Glad you liked the recipe!

      Reply

  19. Nina says

    We loved it!! Just a little too spicy for our taste so next time I’ll halve the peppers. So good, I’ll be using this as a bulk freezer meal as I prepare for my baby coming soon. 🙂

    Reply

  20. Katrina says

    I am about to cook this in my new 8 qt instant pot (first timer) & I wanted to confirm that you don’t think I need to adjust times and settings since it’s not a 6 qt pot. I am also doubling the recipe and I saw that you said 10-12 mins for 2 lbs of chicken. Correct?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Ann! You should be able to make this in a slow cooker. Increase the chicken stock to 1 cup and just add everything to your slow cooker – stir to combine and then cook on low for 6-7 hours.

      Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Shan! Increase the chicken stock to 1 cup and just add everything to your slow cooker – stir to combine and then cook on low for 6-7 hours. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  23. Maggie says

    Do you know if I use boneless skinless chicken thighs if the cook time needs to be adjusted? It’s what I have on hand.

    Reply

  24. Eric says

    I made this tonight, doubled up the recipe and it turned out fantastic. I added a couple of minced jalapenos to saute with the onion and it added a very slight spice to it. Thank you for this recipe, it has been added to my repertoire and I will definitely make it again

    Reply

  25. Rosemary Maggiore says

    Hi there, I made this last night and the chicken was really dry and tough. I followed the directions exactly. Any ideas why? The liquid was good

    Reply

  28. Erin says

    This was a big hit with my family! It’s recipes like this that makes my instant pot really feel worth it! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  29. Tom D. says

    Hey, I made 2 lbs by doubling the ingredients measures and cooking for 11 minutes as you had recommended in a comment reply. It came out great. My family loved it. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  30. Diana says

    Made this tonight in my 8 qt IPLUX. Modified it for 5 lbs chicken since we have a huge family and it was a total hit!!!
    Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Laura – this was made in the 6 quart instant pot but you should’t need to change anything about the recipe. The main difference between the two here is that the 8 takes longer to come up to pressure/temperature but the actual cooking time stays the same.

      Reply

        • Sarah says

          Hi Lisa! It really just comes down to preference – you don’t have to crisp the chicken if you don’t want to. More traditional carnitas are usually fried at some point to make it a little more crispy in some areas. Broiling the chicken in the oven is just another (easier) way to achieve some of that crispiness without adding more oil

          Reply

  34. Becky says

    We love this recipe so much! I’m actually making 10 pounds of it right now as part of a taco bar for my stepdaughter’s wedding. Love that it’s extra ‘saucy’, so it will hold well in a warming dish on the buffet line!

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Shirley! Typically chicken breasts can be cooked from frozen in 12 minutes – if they are especially large breasts you might want to aim for closer to 15 minutes though

      Reply

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