Beer Braised Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

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During the fall and winter months, it is so comforting at night to have a warm cooked meal on the table. The problem with that is we don’t always have the time to be in the kitchen for hours on the weeknight. This recipe helps bring both together by giving you a delicious meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. This is a fun Mexican spin on a traditional shredded chicken. The beer, limes, and dried chiles blend together for a tangy, citrusy chicken that has just a hint of heat. We love this recipes because there are endless options for how you can use this chicken. We put it in tacos, over salad, or even on a burger bun- you can truly incorporate this any way you would like. We have found through some trial and error that our favorite beer for this recipe is a lighter ale, specifically, Corona. The key to cooking with any alcohol is that if you like to drink it, you will likely enjoy eating it as well. So if you don’t like Corona, just swap it out for something that suits you.

Beer Braised Instant Pot Chicken

  • Servings: 6-8 for taco preparation
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A quick & easy recipe for shredded chicken that is perfect for tacos, enchiladas, and salads.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 4 dried guajillo chilis (these can be found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores)
  • 6 oz Corona Beer or another beer of your choosing
  • 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (~6 chicken thighs)
  • 1 lime, cut into segments

Directions

  1. Put the Instant Pot on the sauté setting and add the olive oil and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
  2. Add the salt, pepper cumin, chilis, beer, and limes to the pot and give everything a quick stir. Place the chicken breasts into the Instant Pot and try to submerge them in the liquid as much as possible. It’s ok if they are not fully submerged. Switch the Instant Pot setting to the Pressure Cook setting on High and set for 12 minutes.
  3. Use the quick release once the chicken has finished cooking. Use two large forks to shred the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve in tacos with rice and salad or in any other format you would like!

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

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If you look at our history of recipes it is abundantly clear that we love cooking Asian cuisine. Indian recipes are no exception to this rule. Cooking Indian dishes can be incredibly intimidating because most recipes come with a list of dozens of spices. We have created this recipe to help use some spices that you may already have on hand (cayenne, chili powder) and introduce new spices (garam masala, turmeric) in a way that is approachable. All of these spices can be found at your local grocery store or on Amazon.

Chicken Tikka Masala is a creamy, tomato based curry and the best dish to introduce you to Indian cuisine. It is traditionally served with steamed rice, which we have done in this recipe. We created this meal as a two-part Instant Pot recipe; you can prep the masala ingredients while the rice is cooking and reuse the Instant Pot to help alleviate the kitchen cleanup.

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients for Rice:

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbs butter
  • salt

Ingredients for Tikka Masala:

  • 2 lbs chicken breasts
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 2 tbs tandoori powder
  • 2 tbs garam masala
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder
  • 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 8 oz can coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups non-fat greek yogurt
  • 2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:

  1. Add the rice and water to the Instant Pot and click the “Rice” setting.
  2. While the rice is cooking, prepare the Tikka Masala ingredients. Cut the chicken into cubes or bite sized pieces and set aside in a bowl with the garlic and onion. In another bowl, combine the spices (tandoori powder – cayenne powder).
  3. When the rice is finished cooking, de-pressurize the Instant Pot and move the rice to large bowl. Add the butter and salt and cover with foil to keep the rice warm. You do not need to perfectly clean out the Instant Pot. You will be using it again for the tikka, so if a few grains of rice get left behind, that is perfectly fine.
  4. Set the Instant Pot on the “Saute” setting. Add the olive oil and the bowl of chicken, garlic and onions. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the bowl of spices and saute for 2 minutes so that the spices become toasted.
  5. Add the tomato sauce and coconut milk and give everything a big stir so that the onions and chicken are lifted from the bottom of the pot. Change the Instant Pot setting to “High Pressure” for 6 minutes.
  6. Once you have depressurized the pot, open the top and add the Greek yogurt. Stir in the yogurt until the sauce is fully blended.
  7. To serve, place a large scoop of rice at the bottom of the bowl. Add the Tikka Masala with extra sauce for the rice to soak up. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

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Pulled pork has become a go-to week night recipe in our house. You can make it in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot and you really get your bang for your buck with this one. We love it because it is pretty hands off and produces a quantity that is large enough for a crowd or for week night leftovers to put on top of salads, in tacos or just eat alone if you are lazy on a Thursday like we are! We have a few ways we like to season and make this dish but wanted to bring in a BBQ element to our Super Bowl party this year. The Instant Pot reduces the cooking time by hours making this recipe perfect for entertaining. You can be hands off while your guests are there and still serve a bad ass sandwich.

Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

Makes: 8-10 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb pork butt/shoulder roast
  • 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 4 tbs salt
  • 4 tbs pepper
  • 4 tbs chili powder
  • 4 tbs garlic powder
  • 12 oz light beer (we used Blue Moon)
  • 2 cups BBQ sauce (pick your favorite kind!)

Directions:

  1. Trim off any excess fat from the pork shoulder. It doesn’t need to be perfect but will help ensure that your pulled pork isn’t completely saturated with oil when you are done.
  2. Create holes in the pork using a knife and insert the garlic cloves. Try your best to evenly distribute the garlic on all sides of the pork the best you can. We literally stick a knife straight into various parts of the shoulder to create the “pockets”.
  3. Season the pork with the salt, pepper, chili and garlic powder evenly on all sides. **
  4. Set the Instant Pot on saute and sear the pork on all sides until the sides are seared brown. You do not need oil at this point as the pork has enough fat naturally.
  5. Change the setting to pressure cook on high and add the beer. Cook on the high setting for 75 minutes. Release the pressure when done. Open the Instant Pot and flip the pork over, submerging the other side of the pork, and cook on the high setting for an additional 20 minutes.
  6. Release the pressure and using two forks, shred the pork. Be sure to discard any bones during this process which should only be the shoulder bone depending on the cut you purchased.
  7. Add the BBQ sauce and serve with buns, coleslaw, pickles and cheddar cheese!

**If you want to use a Crock Pot, sear the pork in a pan on the stove and transfer the pork to the CrockPot. Add the beer and set the Crock Pot to cook on High for 8 hours. Continue with Step 6 and enjoy!