Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas Recipe - Slow Cooker Option (2024)

FAQs

Why is my Instant Pot chicken hard to shred? ›

We've found that a lot of recipes for Instant Pot shredded chicken actually call for pressure cooking the chicken for less time than we do, but in our experimentation, the lower amount of time tends to yield more rubbery, hard-to-shred chicken, while the amount of time that we recommend (slightly longer than you may ...

How to Make Juicy Boneless Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot. The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot.

In addition, chicken breast has less fat and can become dry (chewy or rubbery) if cooked for too long. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

I wouldn't cook chicken longer than 20 minutes at high pressure, or it could start to dry out, but don't worry if you forget about it for a few minutes after the pressure cooking cycle is complete.

Make the chicken thinner

Especially when cooking chicken in a skillet, the answer is to aim for a more uniform thickness, so that the pieces cook more evenly and in less time. Thinner breasts or cutlets are less likely to dry out, as they won't spend as much time in the pan.

Overcooking leads to dry, tough, sawdusty meat with nearly no flavor. High doneness temperature for food safety. Salmonella is the food safety enemy in chicken that dies only at higher temperatures. But cooking chicken breast to an instant thermal-kill doneness temperature will cause it to dry out excessively.

There is no difference between shredded chicken and pulled chicken; both terms can be used interchangeably. Both refer to meat cooked until tender, then “pulled” or “shredded” along the meat's grain. Shredded and pulled chicken are popular in sandwiches, soups, pizzas, tacos, enchiladas, and casseroles.

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Avoid shredding the chicken too finely. The finer the shreds, the less succulent the chicken will be, and the more quickly it will dry out. Refrigerate shredded chicken in an airtight container with a half-cup of the poaching liquid (if available) to keep it moist and juicy for up to three days.

Why is my chicken not shredding easily? ›

How to Shred Chicken: My Secret Tip. The easiest way to shred chicken is with a hand mixer. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl, then use a hand mixer on low speed to break the chicken into shreds. This hack is a complete timesaver, especially if you are making a larger amount.

As mentioned above, overcooked chicken is the most common reason for rubbery chicken because the chicken loses moisture as it cooks. Checking the internal temperature of the chicken is the best way to avoid this.

If the chicken is hard after cooking, you cooked all the moisture out of it. The juices got left in the pan or pot and/or totally evaporated away.

Is it better to shred chicken hot or cold? It's best to shred chicken when it's hot or warm and not when it's cold. It's much easier to pull the chicken apart with your hands or forks when it's warm. However, if you are cutting or slicing chicken, it's easier to do so with a knife when it's cold.