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Cook up a batch of shredded chicken in less than 15 minutes with your Instant Pot. It is quick and easy to prep, juicy, and full of flavor, it’s great to use in many recipes.
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Table of Contents
- Why you will love this pressure cooker shredded chicken recipe!
- Ingredients
- How to make Instant Pot shredded chicken
- How to shred chicken
- Can you make this with chicken thighs?
- Storing and reheating shredded chicken
- Freezing shredded chicken
- Ways to use shredded chicken
- Recipe Notes and Tips
- More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe
My best bit of advice to help you eat healthier is to meal prep, and this Instant Pot shredded chicken is an easy way to help you keep on track with your lifestyle goals.
Cooked quickly with seasonings, this pressure cooker shredded chicken is perfect to add to so many recipes so that it’s easy to get a hearty and healthy dinner on the table.
Be sure to check out my Instant Pot Chicken and Rice and Instant Pot BBQ Chicken too!
Why you will love this pressure cooker shredded chicken recipe!
- So quick: Get the most perfect shredded chicken in less than 15 minutes with this Instant Pot recipe.
- Flavorful: Shredded chicken can often be quite bland, but this is cooked with seasonings so it’s super tasty and comes out nice and juicy.
- Make ahead: This is perfect for meal prep for the week and freezer friendly too.
- Healthy: Low in carbs, calories and fat and packed with protein. Instant pot shredded chicken breast is a great addition to a well balanced diet.
Ingredients
- Chicken Stock: The chicken breasts are cooked in stock to keep them juicy and add flavor. You can use just water, but the stock works really great.
- Chicken: Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Cut them in half to ensure they cook through.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, salt, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper.
How to make Instant Pot shredded chicken
- Add chicken broth/stock to Instant pot and place trivet in the inner pot.
- Season chicken breasts with seasonings and place on the trivet in the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid, turn the valve to ‘Sealing’ and pressure cook for 7 minutes on High pressure. When cooking is over, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then carefully release the remaining pressure by turning the valve on the Instant pot lid.
- When all the pressure is released and the pin has dropped, carefully open the lid, and remove the chicken breasts to a plate and let rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Using two forks, shred chicken breasts.
How to shred chicken
Place cooked chicken breasts in a large bowl or plate. Using two forks, gently pull the chicken apart until it’s fully shredded. It’s easiest to shred it against the grain.
Can you make this with chicken thighs?
I prefer to make shredded chicken with breasts, but you can make this recipe with skinless boneless chicken thighs if you have those on hand or prefer the taste. You will have to increase the cooking time from 7 minutes to 10 minutes to make sure that they cook through.
Storing and reheating shredded chicken
Once you have shredded your chicken, it’s ready to use straight away, or you can store it for later use. Let it cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. It will keep well refrigerated for up to 4 days. You can enjoy it cold, or reheat it in a pot with a couple of tablespoons of water or in the oven covered with foil at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes.
Freezing shredded chicken
Yes! This instant pot shredded chicken is great to stock your freezer with! Let cool and place into containers or ziplock bags and it will keep well for up to 4 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Ways to use shredded chicken
Shredded chicken is so versatile and can be used in a number of dishes. It’s great for meal prep as well. For example, here are some delicious ideas:
- Salads – Chicken Waldorf Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, Cobb Salad
- Sandwiches – Turkey Salad Sandwiches (swap turkey for chicken)
- Dips – Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Skillet meals – Chicken Fried Rice
- Soups – for example Instant Pot White Chicken Chili, Chicken & Mushroom Soup, Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- BBQ pulled chicken – add bbq sauce when cooking the chicken to make some delicious BBQ Pulled Chicken in the Instant pot
- Casseroles
- Tacos & Fajitas & Quesadillas
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Use the trivet in your Instant Pot for this recipe.
- Naturally release pressure for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure. This will ensure that the chicken is juicy, tender, and fully cooked.
- You can use frozen chicken but increase the cooking time to 15 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts or thighs.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before shredding it. This allows the juices to redistribute so that your chicken isn’t dry. But don’t refrigerate it before shredding it, chicken shreds easiest when it is warm.
- Add some of the cooking liquid back to the shredded chicken for moisture and flavor.
More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
If you loved this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe, try my other Instant Pot chicken recipes:
- Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Pressure Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
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Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth or water
- 3 – 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken broth/stock to Instant pot and place trivet in the inner pot.
- Season chicken breasts with seasonings and place on the trivet in the Instant Pot.
- Close the lid, turn the valve to ‘Sealing’ and pressure cook for 7 minutes on High pressure. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then carefully release the remaining pressure by turning the valve on the Instant pot lid.
- When all the pressure is released and the pin has dropped, carefully open the lid, and remove the chicken breasts to a plate and let rest for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Using two forks, shred chicken breasts.
Video
Notes
- Use the trivet in your Instant Pot for this recipe.
- Naturally release pressure for 5 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure. This will ensure that the chicken is juicy, tender, and fully cooked.
- You can use frozen chicken but increase the cooking time to 15 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts or thighs.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before shredding it. This allows the juices to redistribute so that your chicken isn’t dry. But don’t refrigerate it before shredding it, chicken shreds easiest when it is warm.
- Add some of the cooking liquid back to the shredded chicken for moisture and flavor.
