Instant Pot shredded chicken is a staple for us. It's easy, juicy, and can be used in almost any savory recipe from soups, salads, and stews to tacos, wraps, or as-is!
Easy Shredded Chicken
I love this recipe because it's. so. easy. Place chicken breast in the Instant pot, pour in broth of your choice, add desired seasonings/herbs/spices, and cook. The cooking step is super easy too - it takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish because pressure cookers are amazing like that.
The end result is a lean, juicy protein that can be added to pretty much any recipe. This makes it a go-to meal prep recipe for us because we can use it in salads, sandwiches, bowls, etc. and use any flavoring we want! You can add some BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, Mexican spices.. the options are endless!
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Thighs
This recipe can also be made with chicken thighs instead of breasts! Follow the recipe as-is, just swap thighs for breasts. Chicken thighs have a little more fat so they may be even juicier than chicken breast!
Ingredient Highlights - Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Chicken breast - the star of the recipe! Chicken is a great source of protein and can be lower in fat when you use boneless, skinless breast.
- Broth - you can use any sort of liquid you want; water, chicken broth, veggie broth, beef broth, whatever will work! You just need to have a liquid so the pressure cooker works properly.
- Seasonings - add your favorite seasonings, spices, and herbs to give this shredded chicken recipe lots of flavor. You can add oregano, rosemary, and parsley for an Italian flavor, chili powder and cumin for a Mexican flavor, or ginger and garlic for an Asian flavor. This recipe is super customizable!
Recipe FAQ
Yes but since the pot uses liquid and steam to cook the meat, it's pretty hard to overcook. But no one wants dry chicken! It helps to leave the chicken in the liquid when you transfer it to whatever you're going to store it in.
I recommend ~10 minutes for chicken breasts, which is what I use in this Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe. If the pieces are smaller, you could cook it for ~6-8 minutes. If the chicken is frozen, I'd go closer to 10-12 minutes!
I would add at least 1 cup of liquid. If you want more flavor, I would use your favorite broth (chicken, veggie, beef, etc.) instead of water!
Other Recipes You May Like
- Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders
- Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad Recipe
- Spicy Peanut Noodles Recipe
- Festive Fall Salad
- Crispy Buffalo Tofu Bites
Rate & Review
If you made my Instant Pot shredded chicken, please rate and review my recipe below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!
PrintInstant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot shredded chicken is a staple for us. It's easy, juicy, and can be used in almost any savory recipe from soups, salads, and stews to tacos, wraps, or as-is!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 portions 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2-3lbs chicken breast (or thigh)
- 1 cup (316g) broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place chicken in Instant Pot. It's okay if the chicken touches but make sure the pieces are roughly the same size (this will ensure even cooking).
- Sprinkle seasoning over the chicken and pour in broth.
- Put on the lid, lock it, and seal the pressure valve.
- You'll know it's sealed when the red pin pops up and no air pressure is leaking out.
- Press Manual pressure (or "Pressure Cook") and set timer for 10 minutes.
- Pot will come to pressure first, which takes about 10 minutes, and then the timer will start.
- When timer beeps, open pressure valve on the lid carefully. I recommend putting an oven mitt on your hand and using the back of a study spoon to push the valve open. Steam will be very hot and come out quickly.
- If you used frozen chicken breast, you can do a "natural release," which is when you wait ~10 minutes to open the lid once the pressure has naturally been released.
- Once the red pin drops and all the steam has been released, open lid.
- Using a thermometer, check that the temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees.
- If it's under, re-seal and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Take chicken breasts out and place on a cutting board or plate.
- Shred with two forks or your hands (or place chicken in a stand mixer and turn on).
- Use the chicken in salads, soups, stews, tacos, sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps; whatever recipe you want!
- Save broth for storing the chicken (or soups/stews!).
Notes
- Storing the leftover chicken in the broth will keep it juicy.
- Store chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Chicken will freeze well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 273
- Fat: 1
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 72
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