Air fryer pulled chicken is great for your Burritos or Tacos night. They are so juicy and full of flavor, nicely sprinkled with paprika and black pepper. I love chicken because there is a lot you could do with it. You can make this shredded chicken for meal prep as well, it freezes very well.
What is pulled chicken?
It’s a cooked chicken that has been pulled off the bones then manually shredded. There are different ways of cooking chicken for shredding. In this recipe, I have used the air fryer pulled chicken method and I will be sharing other methods too.
Ingredients needed for this air fryer pulled chicken recipe
Chicken breast- This is a great source of lean protein and it is low in calories. From chicken, we get a good amount of vitamin B, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and other excellent health benefits.
Olive oil – This will help keep our chicken moist and tender. You can alternatively use avocado oil
Seasoning- For this recipe, I used my go-to paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
How to cook pulled chicken in the air fryer
1 Coat your chicken breast with olive oil
2 rub in your seasoning onto the chicken breast
3 Put your chicken in the air fryer basket then cook for 15 minutes at 180 C
4 Halfway through the cooking time, flip the chicken to cook the other side.
5 Check the internal temperature to be 165 degrees using a digital thermometer. Let it cool then start to shred your chicken.
More air fryer chicken recipes I’m certain you will love
Air fryer frozen chicken nuggets
Air fryer frozen chicken fries
How to shred or pull the chicken?
You can use two forks to pull the chicken as demonstrated in the picture below. Another way you can just simply use your hands to shred the chicken. I prefer the fork method because I get finely shredded chicken.
What cuts of the chicken are good for pulled chicken?
The ideal chicken cuts for air fryer pulled chicken is skinless and boneless breast or thighs. You can go as far as using a whole chicken but I’m thinking you won’t get much meat from the wings and drumsticks
Alternative ways to cook this pulled chicken
Crockpot- This is quite easy and straightforward. You will need the chicken breast with seasoning and chicken broth.
How to cook shredded chicken in a crock-pot? You just simply add all your ingredients to the pot and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high.
When that is done then you can remove it from the pot, let it cool down then start shredding once it is cool.
Oven-baked pulled chicken- Preheat your oven at 200 C while you season your chicken. Firstly you need to drizzle the chicken with olive oil or avocado oil. Sprinkle with your seasoning and in my case, it would be paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
How long does it take to cook pulled chicken in the oven? I will put this in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes but ensure that my chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165 degrees. If you need to add the time you may do so but be careful not to cook it to death.
Another method is Instant pot shredded chicken.
With all these methods I prefer AIR FRYER PULLED CHICKEN simply cause it is the quickest and the chicken will have bbq chicken vibes.
What goes with pulled chicken?
This could be like an open field of ideas but here are a few ways you can use air fryer pulled chicken.
- Chicken soup
- Tacos
- Burritos
- Sandwich
- Tostadas
- Quesadillas
FAQ
Yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 to 4 months in a freezer bag. To reheat you will have to thaw it first before use.
Yes, you can. You will work easier with boneless chicken to get the perfect pulled chicken.
In an airtight container, this will last anything between 4 to 7 days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes and tips
You can use leftover chicken to do this as well and freeze it for future use.
Air fryer pulled chicken
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lbs chicken breast
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- Sal to taste
Instructions
- Coat your chicken breast with olive oil.
- Rub in your seasoning onto the chicken breast.
- Put your chicken in the air fryer basket then cook for 15 minutes at 180 C
- Half way through the cooking time, flip the chicken to cook the other side.
- Check the internal temperature to be 165 degrees using a digital thermometer . Let it cool then start to shred your chicken.
