Instant Pot Moana Shredded Chicken is an easy sweet-and-savory chicken dinner made with pineapple, peaches, orange juice, and tender shredded chicken. Serve this tropical-inspired Moana chicken piled onto hamburger buns or spooned over rice for an easy family dinner.
The chicken pressure cooks for just 12 minutes, then the fruity cooking liquid is thickened into a tangy-sweet sauce. It is especially fun for a Moana movie night, but it works just as well when you need an easy Instant Pot chicken recipe that can become two completely different meals.
We ate it piled onto sandwiches the first night and served the leftovers over rice the next. That’s one of my favorite things about this recipe: one pressure cooker full of chicken can save dinner twice.
What Is Moana Shredded Chicken?
This is a playful Moana-inspired chicken recipe I created for my family using sweet tropical flavors that reminded us of the movie. It combines chicken breasts with pineapple, peaches, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
It may be tempting to describe a recipe like this as Polynesian chicken, but this isn’t intended to represent a traditional Polynesian dish. It’s simply a fun, tropical-inspired family dinner that became our Moana chicken.
The finished flavor is more tangy and fruity than spicy. If your family likes a little heat, you can easily add crushed red pepper, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Moana Chicken
- Two dinners in one: Serve it on buns one night and over rice the next.
- Sweet and savory: Pineapple, peaches, citrus, soy sauce, and brown sugar create a fruity but savory sauce.
- Family-friendly: The original recipe is mild, so everyone can add heat to taste.
- Easy pressure cooker dinner: The chicken cooks for just 12 minutes at High Pressure.
- Great for movie night: Pair dinner with my Free Printable Moana Activity Sheets.
- Easy leftovers: The saucy shredded chicken reheats beautifully for another meal.
Watch How to Make Instant Pot Moana Shredded Chicken
See how easy it is to make this sweet-and-savory Instant Pot Moana shredded chicken with pineapple, peaches, and orange. The video walks through the full process—from building the tropical sauce and pressure cooking the chicken to thickening the sauce, shredding the chicken, and serving it on buns or over rice.
Instant Pot Moana Shredded Chicken Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can peaches in juice
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water or cooking liquid
- Hamburger buns or cooked rice, for serving
A Note About the Fruit
Use the peaches and pineapple with their juice rather than draining them. That fruit juice becomes part of the flavorful cooking liquid and finished sauce.
Equipment You’ll Need
- 6-quart Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 or comparable electric pressure cooker
- Instant-read digital thermometer
- Large mixing bowl
- Silicone stirring spoon
- Silicone spatula
- Two forks or chicken and meat shredding claws
I make this in a 6-quart Instant Pot DUO. You do not need a cabinet full of accessories for this recipe, but a good thermometer and something sturdy for stirring that glossy sauce are especially useful.
How to Make Instant Pot Moana Shredded Chicken
1. Make the Tropical Sauce
Add the orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, soy sauce, peaches with their juice, pineapple chunks with their juice, and brown sugar to the Instant Pot.
Stir until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. A silicone stirring spoon is handy here because it reaches around the bottom of the pot without scratching the stainless-steel liner.
2. Add the Chicken
Nestle the chicken breasts into the fruit mixture, turning them if necessary so they are surrounded by the cooking liquid.
3. Pressure Cook for 12 Minutes
Lock the Instant Pot lid into place and set the pressure valve to Sealing.
Select Pressure Cook/Manual, High Pressure, for 12 minutes.
Remember that the 12-minute cooking time begins after the Instant Pot has come to pressure.
4. Release the Pressure
When the cooking cycle ends, carefully release the remaining pressure according to your Instant Pot manufacturer’s instructions. When the pin drops, unlock and remove the lid.
Check the thickest chicken breast with an instant-read digital thermometer. The center should reach at least 165°F. Very large or unusually thick chicken breasts may need additional cooking time.
5. Remove the Chicken
Transfer the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl or cutting board while you finish the sauce.
6. Make the Cornstarch Slurry
In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water or cooking liquid until completely smooth and no lumps remain.
7. Thicken the Sauce
Select Sauté on the Instant Pot. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the fruit sauce.
Allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens. A silicone spatula works especially well for scraping along the bottom and sides as the sauce turns glossy and thick.
Cancel Sauté once the sauce reaches the consistency you like.
8. Shred the Chicken
While the sauce thickens, shred the cooked chicken.
Two forks work perfectly well, but if you make pulled chicken, pork, or pot roast often, chicken and meat shredding claws can make quick work of a large batch.
9. Return the Chicken to the Sauce
Now you have a choice.
For a slightly less saucy chicken, keep the shredded chicken separate and spoon the tropical sauce over each serving.
For juicy, saucy shredded chicken, return the chicken to the Instant Pot and fold it directly into the thickened pineapple-peach sauce. This is the way I usually serve it, but keep in mind that it will be wonderfully messy on a sandwich.
How to Serve Moana Shredded Chicken
This is one of those recipes that can become several different meals depending on how you serve it.
- On hamburger buns: Pile the saucy chicken onto soft buns for an easy sweet-and-savory shredded chicken sandwich.
- Over steamed rice: White or brown rice absorbs that pineapple-peach sauce beautifully.
- Over coconut rice: Coconut rice leans even further into the tropical flavors.
- With crispy chow mein noodles: Sprinkle them over the top for crunch.
- With cabbage slaw: A crisp slaw adds freshness and balances the sweet sauce.
- As sliders: Make smaller sandwiches for a Moana-themed party or family movie night.
If rice is your family’s go-to side, a rice cooker lets you get the rice going while the Instant Pot handles the chicken, which is exactly the kind of dinner multitasking I can get behind.
For completely homemade sandwiches, pile the chicken onto my homemade hamburger buns.
Expert Tips for the Best Shredded Chicken
- Check the chicken temperature. Chicken breast thickness varies, so confirm that the thickest part reaches at least 165°F.
- Don’t add the cornstarch before pressure cooking. Thicken the sauce afterward using Sauté.
- Make the slurry separately. Stirring dry cornstarch directly into hot sauce can create lumps.
- Control how saucy it gets. Add only as much finished sauce to the shredded chicken as you want.
- Shred while warm. Cooked chicken generally pulls apart more easily while it is still warm.
- Taste before adding heat. The original recipe is deliberately mild and family-friendly.
Want Spicy Moana Chicken?
The original recipe has a mild, sweet-tangy flavor. If your family prefers more contrast, add a small amount of crushed red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce.
Start with a little. You can always add more heat at the table, but convincing a six-year-old that dinner is not actually on fire is considerably harder.
Troubleshooting
Why Is My Shredded Chicken Too Wet?
If you return all of the chicken directly to the pot, it will absorb and carry quite a bit of sauce. For a drier sandwich filling, keep the shredded chicken separate and spoon only the amount of sauce you want over each serving.
Why Isn’t My Sauce Thickening?
Make sure the Instant Pot is on Sauté and the sauce reaches a gentle simmer after you add the cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch needs heat to activate.
If the sauce is still thinner than you’d like, mix a small additional amount of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water before adding it. Do not sprinkle dry cornstarch directly into the hot sauce.
What If My Chicken Breasts Aren’t Done After 12 Minutes?
Chicken breasts can vary significantly in thickness. If the center hasn’t reached 165°F, return the chicken to the cooker and continue cooking until it reaches a safe internal temperature.
Can I Make Moana Chicken Ahead of Time?
Yes. This shredded chicken is an excellent make-ahead meal because the chicken can be stored right in the sauce.
You can also cook and shred the chicken ahead of time, refrigerate it, and reheat it when you’re ready for dinner.
How to Store Leftover Shredded Chicken
Allow leftovers to cool, then transfer them to airtight meal-prep and food storage containers and refrigerate promptly.
Keeping some of the sauce with the shredded chicken helps prevent it from drying out while it is stored. Individual containers are also convenient if you’re planning chicken-and-rice lunches for the next day.
How to Reheat Moana Shredded Chicken
Reheat the chicken and sauce gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated throughout.
If the refrigerated sauce becomes thicker than you like, stir in a small splash of water or pineapple juice while reheating.
Can You Freeze Shredded Chicken?
Yes. Let the chicken cool completely and freeze it with enough sauce to keep the meat moist. Portioning it into meal-prep or freezer storage containers makes it easy to thaw only what you need.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Moana Chicken FAQ
What Is Moana Chicken?
My Moana chicken is a movie-inspired sweet-and-savory shredded chicken made in the Instant Pot with pineapple, peaches, orange juice, soy sauce, lemon juice, and brown sugar. It is a family recipe rather than a traditional Polynesian dish.
Can I Serve Moana Shredded Chicken Over Rice?
Absolutely. Rice is one of my favorite ways to serve it because it absorbs the sweet and tangy fruit sauce. It’s also delicious piled onto hamburger buns.
Can I Make This With Boneless Chicken Thighs?
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also work well with these flavors. Because chicken pieces vary in size, always use doneness rather than time alone as your guide and make sure the chicken reaches at least 165°F.
Can I Make the Chicken Less Sweet?
Yes. Reduce the brown sugar if you prefer a more savory sauce. The pineapple, peaches, and orange juice concentrate already contribute plenty of sweetness.
How Can I Make Moana Chicken Spicy?
Add crushed red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or another hot sauce to taste. You can add it to the entire batch or let everyone spice individual servings.
What Is the Easiest Way to Shred Chicken?
Two forks are the simplest option and require no special equipment. For larger batches, meat shredding claws can make the job faster and keep your hands farther away from hot chicken.
Make It a Moana Movie Night
This recipe originally came together because we love the movie Moana, and my kids were waiting for dinner with these Free Printable Moana Activity Sheets.
If your kids love Moana and chicken dinners, this is an easy way to turn an ordinary weeknight into a themed family dinner without creating an elaborate party menu.
Readers Also Make
If you’re serving this as sandwiches, try it with my homemade hamburger buns. They’re especially good for soaking up that pineapple-peach sauce.
Perfect With
Serve Moana shredded chicken with steamed rice, coconut rice, cabbage slaw, steamed vegetables, fresh pineapple, or crispy noodles for an easy complete meal.
More Instant Pot Cooking
If easy pressure cooker dinners are your kind of kitchen shortcut, you’ll find more of my recipes in The Instant Pot College Cookbook: 75 Quick and Easy Meals. I wrote it around the same idea I love about recipes like this one: approachable food with the pressure cooker doing most of the heavy lifting.
Related Posts
Planning a themed family night? Print my Free Printable Moana Activities and Coloring Sheets to keep the kids busy while dinner cooks.
Instant Pot Moana Shredded Chicken
Sweet and savory Instant Pot Moana shredded chicken made with pineapple, peaches and orange. Serve this easy tropical-inspired chicken on hamburger buns or over rice.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can peaches in juice
- 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water or cooking liquid
- Hamburger buns or cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
1. Add the orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, soy sauce, peaches with their juice, pineapple chunks with their juice, and brown sugar to the Instant Pot. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves.
2. Nestle the chicken breasts into the fruit mixture.
3. Lock the lid in place and set the valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook/Manual on High Pressure for 12 minutes.
4. When the cooking cycle ends, carefully release the remaining pressure according to your Instant Pot manufacturer's instructions. Open the lid when the pin drops.
5. Check the thickest chicken breast with an instant-read thermometer. Chicken should reach at least 165°F in the center.
6. Transfer the chicken to a bowl or cutting board.
7. Whisk the cornstarch with the water or 1 tablespoon cooking liquid until smooth.
8. Select Sauté. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Cancel Sauté.
9. Shred the chicken with two forks.
10. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce for a very saucy filling, or keep it separate and spoon the desired amount of sauce over each serving.
11. Serve on hamburger buns or over cooked rice.
Notes
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Small mixing bowl
- Whisk or fork
- Two forks for shredding
Expert Tips
- Use the peaches and pineapple with their juice rather than draining them. The fruit juice becomes part of the cooking liquid and finished sauce.
- Chicken breasts vary in thickness. Always check the thickest portion with an instant-read thermometer and make sure it reaches at least 165°F.
- Do not add dry cornstarch directly to the hot sauce. Mix it with cold water or cooking liquid first to prevent lumps.
- For a less-saucy sandwich filling, keep the shredded chicken separate and spoon sauce over it as needed.
- For very saucy shredded chicken, return all of the shredded chicken to the Instant Pot and stir it directly into the thickened sauce.
Variations
Make It Spicy: Add crushed red pepper flakes, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce.
Make It Less Sweet: Reduce the brown sugar. The pineapple, peaches, and orange juice concentrate already contribute plenty of sweetness.
Use Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also work well with these flavors. Always verify doneness with an instant-read thermometer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Instant Pot Moana shredded chicken over white rice, brown rice, or coconut rice. You can also pile it onto hamburger buns, make sliders, or add crispy chow mein noodles for crunch.
For homemade sandwiches, serve it on my Homemade Hamburger Buns.
Storage
Allow leftover shredded chicken to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate promptly. Store the chicken with some of the sauce to help keep it moist.
Reheating
Reheat the chicken and sauce gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated throughout. If the refrigerated sauce becomes thicker than you like, stir in a small splash of water or pineapple juice while reheating.
Make Ahead
The chicken can be pressure cooked, shredded, and refrigerated in the sauce ahead of time. Reheat it when you are ready to serve.
Freezing
Cool the shredded chicken completely and freeze it with enough sauce to keep the meat moist. Store in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Troubleshooting
Chicken Is Too Saucy: Keep the shredded chicken separate from the sauce and add only as much sauce as you want to each serving.
Sauce Is Too Thin: Make sure the Instant Pot is set to Sauté and allow the sauce to reach a gentle simmer after adding the cornstarch slurry. If necessary, mix a small additional amount of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water before stirring it into the sauce.
Chicken Is Not Done: Very large or thick chicken breasts may require additional cooking. Check the thickest portion and continue cooking until the chicken reaches at least 165°F internally.
More Recipes and Resources
Make the sandwiches completely homemade with my Homemade Hamburger Buns.
Turn dinner into a themed family night with these Free Printable Moana Activities and Coloring Sheets.
Find even more pressure cooker inspiration on my Instant Pot Recipes Pinterest Board.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition information, when provided, is an estimate only and will vary depending on ingredients, brands, serving size, and preparation method.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 109mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 28g
The Nutritional Information may not be accurate. This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Next Recipe to Try
Make your shredded chicken sandwich completely homemade with these easy homemade hamburger buns.
You can also browse my Pinterest Instant Pot board for more pressure cooker dinner ideas.