Banana Pepper Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is tangy and flavorful shredded chicken, made with banana peppers and ranch seasoning, ready in minutes from your pressure cooker. With Freezer Meal instructions included!
Yes, another Instant Pot recipe coming straight at you…and a freezer meal to boot!
Folks, if you love Mississippi-style chicken or beef, get your mouths set to watering because you’re going to love this banana pepper instant pot shredded chicken recipe. This chicken is cooked in banana pepper brine (with the peppers of course), ranch seasoning and a packet of chicken gravy mix. After the chicken cools a bit and the sauce thickens, it is totally divine, especially served on toasted buns with a slice of provolone cheese. AMAZING!
There’s a running debate over whether or not to use ranch seasoning in chicken flavored with peppers and brine. Full disclosure – we love the extra flavor from the ranch packet, but if that doesn’t appeal to you, just leave it out. The gravy mix is what thickens the sauce so it’s all good.
How to Make this Banana Pepper Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Talk about simple! With this recipe, you can plop everything into your Instant Pot, set it and minutes later it’s ready. No fuss, no measuring, no mess! Let the chicken cool a bit to allow the sauce to thicken before piling on buns.
TIP ? – If you have too much liquid (some chicken brands have A LOT of added water injected into them), then I would try this:
- Pour excess liquid into a saucepan, bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened.
- OR simply pour off some of the excess. Leave enough to keep the chicken moist if you’re storing it.
Ingredients Needed for Instant Pot Shredded Chicken with Banana Peppers
- Chicken Breasts – we love to use boneless, skinless breasts for this recipe, but have tried a mix of breasts and thighs that was also amazing!
- Banana Pepper Rings – just the jarred kind from the store. The mild rings have just enough tang and pizzazz to bring the chicken flavor to life.
- Butter – the ranch seasoning and gravy mix have lots of salt, so unsalted butter is best here.
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – if you’ve made your own or buy this seasoning in bulk like we do, use 2 tablespoons, otherwise use the whole packet.
- Chicken Gravy Mix – 1 packet will do ya! We don’t usually buy chicken gravy mix in bulk, but 2 tablespoons is the amount to use if you do.
Freezer Meal
Freezer Meals don’t get any easier than this. Throw the ingredients into a bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months. You’ll have a quick and easy dinner in minutes, with no thawing needed. Just grab the buns or lettuce wraps and dinner is served!
More Instant Pot Recipes to Love
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Beef Mexicana
- Thai Instant Pot Carrot Soup
- Instant Pot Almond Rice
- Instant Pot Strawberry Cheesecake
Instant Pot Banana Pepper Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 12 ounce mild banana peppers with juice from a jar
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1 packet chicken gravy mix
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot insert. Stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and select the Pressure Cooker function to High.. Use the manual (+/-) buttons to adjust the cook time to 15 minutes. Make sure the Keep Warm light is ON and the Vent is set to "Sealing". The Instant Pot will require about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- When cooking time is done, use the Quick Release method. Turn off the pressure cooker and use a gloved hand or wooden spoon handle to carefully turn the valve to "Venting" to vent the steam from the Instant Pot. When the pressure valve has dropped, remove the lid.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and use two forks to shred into small pieces. Return the chicken to Instant Pot and use tongs to toss the chicken with the sauce. The sauce will be thin but will thicken as it cools.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
FREEZER MEAL INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place all uncooked ingredients into a gallon freezer bag. Remove excess air and seal. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.To Cook From Frozen: (cooking instructions are the same as above!)Place frozen contents from bag into Instant Pot. Set cook time to 15 minutes, then do a Quick Release when cooking time is done. Shred the chicken and return to the pot. Toss, cool and serve.TIP? – the cook time about is the same whether cooking right away or from frozen. The difference is the Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure using frozen ingredients.
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker insert. Stir to combine and replace lid.
- Cook on LOW for 5 – 7 hours until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred.
- Transfer liquid to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until liquid is reduced and thickened. Return chicken and liquid to slow cooker and toss to combine.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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