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    Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

    By 123 Comments 30 Minute MealsChickenFreezer FriendlyInstant PotOn The Healthy/Lighter Side

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    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It’s a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. 

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    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It's a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. 

    I know. Instant Pot Shredded Chicken? We hardly need a recipe for that!

    It’s not even really a recipe.

    But since this here is not just a food blog full of delicious things for you — it’s also a collection of some of my favorite things — I get to say what goes here.

    And today? I’m all about non-recipe recipes.

    I mean, it’s kind of a recipe. The seasoning on this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is mild but so, so flavorful. It’s not too spicy or too salty or too peppery or too herby. It’s just right.

    And we all know that Instant Pot chicken breasts are one of my favorite things this year (check out these Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts, Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken Breasts, How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot if you were unsure!), so I’m keeping it.

    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It's a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. #chicken #dinner #recipes #instantpot #pressurecooker

    I came up with this recipe when I was testing a few grilled chicken recipes, and I ended up taking out 4 extra chicken breasts that I no longer needed to grill. We are preparing to leave on holidays, and so I didn’t really want any extra food hanging around in the fridge that might spoil while we’re away.

    I decided to dream up the ultimate Instant Pot Shredded Chicken and stash it in the freezer for our return — best idea ever!

    We now don’t have to worry about what we are going to eat the day after we get home when we’re still feeling like two zombies who “vacationed” with 3 kids 6 and under.

    I can guarantee you we will not regret it!

    How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken:

    I know that this is such an easy recipe that most of you probably don’t need tips on how to make shredded chicken, but there are a few things that I think are key so I’m going to drop some hints anyway!

    Do with them what you will 😉

    • Make sure you add enough liquid. The liquid is what makes for a tender, flavorful shredded or “pulled” chicken. Broth adds so much more flavor than water, and more liquid = more moisture in your chicken!
    • Season well. You don’t want to go overboard, but keep in mind that meat is best seasoned during the cooking process and not after (as is pasta, grains, vegetables, the list goes on). You will drain most of the liquid afterward, so you will not be consuming the full amount of salt, etc. as is listed in the recipe.
    • Breasts or thighs? You can use either boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or throw some of each in all together! Thighs have a richer flavor, and breasts are leaner. You choose.

    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It's a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. #chicken #dinner #recipes #instantpot #pressurecooker

    How to shred chicken:

    There are a couple ways to shred the chicken once it is cooked. Chicken breasts coming out of your pressure cooker are pretty much falling apart without you having to do anything, so you don’t need to get fancy.

    I prefer to use two forks, because I’m lazy and I’m not into extra dishes. They do a fine job!

    A lot of people will use a hand mixer or stand mixer to shred chicken, but I think it’s overkill. Who wants a huge stand mixer bowl to wash just for a few chicken breasts? Maybe if you’re doing a few pounds at once, it would be worth it.

    Be sure to shred the chicken breast in the liquid (or at least some of it!) as it the chicken will reabsorb some of the broth and seasoning as you are pulling it, and it will give you the best results by far!

    Staring with frozen chicken breasts?

    I recommend adding 3-4 minutes to the cook time.

    See my post here on cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot.

    Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?

    Don’t have an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker? Check out my Crockpot Shredded Chicken!

    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It's a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. #chicken #dinner #recipes #instantpot #pressurecooker
    Print Pin Recipe

    Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

    This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is perfectly moist, perfectly seasoned, and it freezes perfectly for your weekly meal prep! The easy way to cook Instant Pot chicken breast for shredding, from fresh or frozen! It's a healthy addition to soups, salads, pastas or sandwiches throughout the week. #chicken #dinner #recipes #instantpot #pressurecooker
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Keyword instant pot chicken breast, pressure cooker, pressure cooker chicken breast, pressure cooker shredded chicken
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 13 minutes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 69kcal
    Author Ashley Fehr

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
    • 3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

    Instructions

    • Place broth, seasoning salt, Italian seasoning and pepper into the Instant Pot inner pot. Stir.
    • Add the chicken breasts (no trivet necessary!) and put the lid on.
    • Turn valve to sealing, and select Manual (or Pressure Cook), high pressure for 10 minutes (they will be cooked at 7-8 minutes, but a couple extra minutes makes them fall apart tender). It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down. 
    • Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (i.e., don't touch it!). 
    • Open the lid and drain about half of the liquid. Shred the chicken breasts with the remaining liquid in the pot, and serve as desired. To freeze, let cool to room temperature before placing in freezer bags.

    Notes

    *This recipe was tested in a 6 quart Instant Pot. Different models may have different suggestions for minimum liquid requirements.

    Nutrition (this is an estimate)

    Nutrition Facts
    Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 69 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Cholesterol 36mg12%
    Sodium 292mg13%
    Potassium 234mg7%
    Protein 12g24%
    Vitamin A 15IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.7mg1%
    Calcium 5mg1%
    Iron 0.3mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel -- I love to see what you're making!

     

     

     

     

    Comments

    1. 5 stars
      I’ve gone back and referenced this recipe more times than I can count. My family uses shredded chicken for so many things (enchiladas are our favorite) that we usually just have frozen chicken breasts ready, on-hand in our freezer. I was nervous about putting frozen chicken breasts straight in the instant pot the first time I tried this recipe, but I was hopeful because it would cut down my cooking time significantly. Thankfully, they came out perfectly! Not under-cooked or super dry but tender and moist. Thank you so much for a simple, versatile and straightforward recipe! It’s a life saver!

      Reply

    2. 4 stars
      I cooked two chicken breasts which weighed a little over a pound for 10 minutes in the instant pot with 2 cups of broth and I actually think I may have almost overcooked it. The chicken is kind of moist but also kind of dry/tough. It’s hard to explain. They both reached a temperature of 170-175 though, so maybe that’s why. Everyone saying theirs is undercooked did not do it right.. or had massive chicken breasts.

      Reply

      • Hi Rachel, it definitely depends a lot on the size of your chicken breasts! I don’t think 170-175 is so far past recommended that it should be tough. How was the texture once you shredded it?

        Reply

    3. If the instant pot takes 10 minutes to pressurize, 8 more minutes of “cook” time, and 10-15 minutes of natural pressure release, we’re already at 28-33 minutes between when I press buttons and when I open the lid. Advertising a 13 minute cook time is a bit disingenuous

      Reply

      • The cook time is 13 minutes. When looking at an oven recipe, the time to preheat the oven is not included and this is the same. I try to include that information in the recipe instructions to be helpful, but it is not part of the cook time.

        Reply

    4. 5 stars
      I’m new to Instant Pot (mine’s a knockoff, didn’t want to spend too much in case it didn’t work for me) and used your recipe mostly for the instructions. Breast meat tastes like cardboard to me, so we always use dark meat– I used 2 lbs of thawed chicken leg meat (no bones), and the marinade I froze the meat with (mostly soy sauce, orange juice, and garlic), added a little more liquid and followed your IP instructions.
      After 10 mins “natural release”, I finished with manual release and opened it up. MAGIC, basically instant shredded chicken! Yielded total of 3 cups of liquid (some of it must be “chicken juice”) that I can use for making sauces.

      Thank you so much for your very clear instructions.

      Reply

    5. I see so many instant pot recipes with these short cook times and I don’t understand. Every time I use my instant pot, in order to get tender shreddable meat, I have to cook things for at least an hour on high. I’ve never had anything cook faster than that. My instant pot always take forever to natural release. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but when I made this recipe, the chicken took like at least 45 minutes to get super tender.

      Reply

      • Hi Nicole! That doesn’t sound right at all. I would worry about your lid not being sealed, or maybe needing to replace your sealing ring. It shouldn’t take 45 minutes for chicken breasts in any Instant Pot.

        Reply

    7. 4 stars
      It came out good the second time, but the first time the chicken was tough. I think I needed to open the valve and let it release that way – because the natural way it was over 30-minutes and the valve still hasn’t dropped, so I manually released it and it was way overcooked.

      Reply

      • Generally you never want to do a quick release with meat as it can dry them out. I’ve never had the natural release take 30 minutes with something like this though, so I’m wondering if that has something to do with why they were overcooked. But yes, after 10 or 15 minutes of natural release I think it is usually fine to open it.

        Reply

    8. 5 stars
      Such an easy and tasty recipe! I add this chicken to just about anything, soups, pasta, salads, it’s perfect quick weeknight meaL staple.

      Thanks!

      Reply

    9. I’d like to double the amount of chicken (to 8 chicken breasts or even more). Do I then also double the broth and all the spices? How long should I cook it (not frozen)?

      Reply

            • I have 4 LG. Breast..Total weight 4.58 lb. …. So I should increase the seasoning but not the liquid? I have a 6qt….also am at 6500 feet..does altitude matter?

            • I think if your chicken breasts are that large you will likely want to increase the cook time and the seasoning. I’m not experienced in pressure cooking at high altitude so I’m not sure if that will affect your cook time as well

    10. 5 stars
      I made this last night, and boy!! Was it good! I used double the broth and it came out fantastic! Thank you so much for providing such a good, easy, and fast recipe!

      Reply

    12. I’ve scoured the web for an answer about tough chicken. You can find good cooks recommending anywhere from 5 minutes to tender breasts up to 20 minutes. It may be the difference in cookers or size of breasts or some weird combination incluing altitude… I can’t figure it out but…

      Nowadays I’m stacking six large breasts (total five pounds) on two separate trivets inside the pot so the superheated steam can access all the breasts.

      Cook time: 23 minutes, turn off the cooker, let sit for NPR about 10 minutes. The breasts have come out tender and easy to fork apart, but I don’t like the texture. I think today I will try covering with broth and no trivets (Thanks Rebel!).

      The link below will take you to an example of how I use chicken breasts and no-sugar-added fruit to maintain my weight range goal… at age 75.

      BTW – I wouldn’t use metal forks inside my cooker which has non stick surface. The metal can scratch and eventually mar the non stick surface.

      …

      Reply

    13. What is the ideal weight for the 4 chicken breasts? Feel like a lot of the “toughness” feedback in the comments could be resolved by better understanding what weight to start with.

      Thank you!

      Reply

    15. I know it’s not a recipe but for new instant pot users, I was looking for how long to cook. This was great! Thank you

      Reply

    19. 5 stars
      Thank you for such an easy, delicious recipe! We eat shredded chicken in so many different recipes!

      Reply

    21. Hi! I’m cooking pulled chicken for a teacher luncheon and have to make A Lot!!! If I double the recipe
      do I double the cooking time or does it stay the same no matter how much meat is in the pot?

      Thank You!

      Reply

    22. 5 stars
      This was my first ever Instapot recipe and i am so happy with how it came out! I shredded the chicken in the pot with the juice and even poured a little over the meat before putting the portions in the fridge. I was doing this for meal prep but had a little serving to try because it just smelled so good! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us!

      Reply

    23. 5 stars
      This worked flawlessly! I have the bigger instant pot, so I used one can of chicken broth (about 2 cups) and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cheaper than buying a rotisserie and it still comes out moist and flavorful! I used Flavor God seasoning in Chipotle and will use the shredded chicken in keto quesadillas on low carb tortillas. Very easy and delicious!

      Reply

      • 3 stars
        I tried the 10 minutes on high like the recipe says and the chicken breasts are only about half way cooked. If you choose the “meat” setting on the Instant Pot, it automatically does 35 minutes. 10 minutes seemed too good to be true, and I guess it is. I’d love to hear your thoughts…

        Reply

        • 10 minutes is definitely not too good to be true, but it will depend a little on the thickness of your chicken breasts. I’ve done it time and time again, and they’re always great for me!

          Reply

        • You need to also let it naturally release. It takes a about 10 minutes to get pressurized, 10 minutes to cook in high pressure and then 20-25 minutes to release naturally. So it’s cooking for 45 minutes essentially. No chance they’re undercooked if you do it the way the recipe says! Our chicken breasts were about 2-3″ thick in some spots and they were overcooked on some.

          Reply

    28. 5 stars
      This is such a timesaver! I love making up a batch and freezing the shredded chicken for quick meals. I’ve substituted cumin and chili powder for the Italian seasoning, and that’s yummy for Mexican dishes.

      Reply

    29. 5 stars
      Turned out absolutely perfect! Second time using instant pot!! I did sprinkle a bit of Tastefully Simple Spinach and Herb over frozen breast before I cooked them…then shredded the chicken for chicken salad 🙂

      Reply

    30. Do you have the “Keep Warm” function on when you are doing the natural pressure release or do you have it completely off?

      Reply

    31. 5 stars
      Hey Chelsea I haven’t had any problems with my chicken breast just like Ashley said I cook mine for 10 minutes and let it release on it’s on and the chicken comes out tender I don’t buy any of my meats or chicken from Walmart

      Reply

    33. Chelsea, you may be using larger chicken breasts than Ashley and your cook time may need to be increased by a few minutes! I know if I buy chicken breasts from a store like Sprouts, they’re nearly twice the size as my costco organic ones 🙂 Usually, tough chicken breasts are just in that funky space before they reach the shreddable stage. Was your chicken a bit challenging to shred? If yes, it definitely needs some more time. You can return to the pressure cooker or cook on the stove (low and covered) at that point to monitor more closely. I hope this helps!

      Reply

    34. I’m very confused by your instructions. It may be because I am new to instapot but the summary says 13 minutes total but your instructions read more like 30 minutes? Can you explain more clearly?

      Reply

    35. When you say to turn it off when it’s done- do you mean press cancel and then just set a kitchen timer to ten minutes? Or is it ok to let it be on the “keep warm” setting and let the pressure cooker count up to 10?
      Also, if after ten minutes of natural release the valve hasn’t gone down can I quick release it or should I just wait “at least” ten minutes.

      Your directions say to open the lid after 10 minutes natural release but my valve is still up— do I quick release first or is it safe to just open it now (can you tell which step I’m on ha ha)

      Reply

      • Hi Chelsea! I turn it right off because I feel like the pressure will release more quickly if it’s not on keep warm. In my experience, ten minutes has been lots and the needle is usually down by then but if you did a larger batch it can take longer! If you want to be on the safe side, you could let it go 5 more minutes and see if it drops.

        Reply

        • Thanks for your response!

          I have a six quart instant pot. I did two large chicken breasts. I let it go 10 minutes natural release on warm- then turned it off and it took two minutes to drop down on its own.
          Unfortunately I have to say that even after shredding and letting sit in the juices it was so tough tough tough that I had to toss it out.
          Did you mean ten minutes to cook? The top of the website says “8 min to cook” but then your actual instructions say 10.
          I’ll try one more time, but I’m starting to lose hope that the instant pot can do chicken breasts. Also feeling very guilty about the amount of chicken I’ve thrown out in January!

          Reply

          • Hi Chelsea! I’m so sorry to hear that! Honestly, I make chicken breasts 90% of the time and have never had to throw them out. I have noticed though that not all chicken is equal in texture to begin with (I once bought frozen chicken breasts from Wal Mart — I will never do that again!). I find that some chicken breasts just have a strange texture regardless of how well they’re cooked. I am not sure what else to say that could help, but I wish you could find success with the recipe as its my favorite way to do chicken breasts! Let me know how it goes next time 🙂

            Reply

      • Hi,

        Thanks for posting. Roughly how many pounds was your 4 chicken breasts? I am looking at the 4 chicken breasts I got and they are 3 lbs. Is your 4 chicken breasts 3 pounds?

        Reply

    36. 5 stars
      I just purchased a Instant Pot and used this recipe for my first venture. Absolutely fantastic! When I drained half the liquid, it turned out to be amazing chicken broth, bonus! Thanks so much for the step by step instruction and the wonderful recipe!

      Reply

    37. 5 stars
      I use this recipe often! I throw frozen stir fry veggies on top and cook for same amount of time…great for fajitas!

      Reply

    38. 5 stars
      It is cool to make this recipe. Thanks for your suggestion. I am going to try this at this weekend for my friends to try. And will be back with reviews and ideas.

      Reply

      • You shouldn’t need to add more time but you may want to add a few minutes if it is very full. I would double the seasoning and maybe double the broth, depending on how juicy you want it 🙂

        Reply

    40. Hi, just wondering what the serving size is for 69 calories? I know there are 8 servings but is it 8 cups or 1/2 a cup per serving? Thank you.

      Reply

    41. I have an 8 qt and am new to instant pot cooking. If I doubled the amount of chicken do you increase the cooking time? Thanks

      Reply

    46. What size Instant Pot was this recipe made with? I find that is important with my 8 qt because if I don’t add enough liquid things tend to burn. Please include this in your recipes. Thank you for sharing! I’m excited for this.

      Reply

    50. Seriously perfect timing! I was planning on cooking a pot of chicken tonight! Smells like a yummy one.

      Reply

        • I need serious help with shredded chicken. I’ve tried several times and every time my chicken is tough and chewy. I have an 8 qt insta pot, I used 1 cup broth, seasonings, two large boneless chicken breast not frozen. I used manual high pressure for 12 minutes with instant release. Terrible! I then tried again. This time I used the same ingredients and pressure but only used 6 minutes. The chicken wasn’t quite cooked so I added another 4 minutes and still tough. I kept adding 4 minute increments and still had tough chicken at a total of 30 minutes. I want to give up! Do you have any suggestions? The pot seems to be working fine and the ring is fine.

          Reply

          • This recipe and many others for cooking meat in the instant pot suggest a natural pressure release (in other words, don’t turn the knob and make the steam come out; just wait for the pressure to release on its own.) This takes 10-15 minutes most of the time and for some science-y reason affects the tenderness of your final product. It sounds like you’ve been manually releasing the pressure, which by many accounts makes the meat tough.

            Reply

          • Hi Stephanie! I’m so sorry to hear that 🙁 I would recommend waiting until the pressure has released completely before opening the valve — you might find you get better results! (Although if I’m being honest, I’ve done it both ways and have had tender chicken both ways)

            Reply

            • 4 stars
              Operator Error!! I just tried this chicken recipe and it is cooked but it’s tough. Ugh. I flipped the dial to release the steam. Sounds like that was a mistake. Can I cook more to tenderize it?

            • Unfortunately I don’t think cooking more would make it more tender. I would chop it up and serve it with some sauce or throw it in soup — the broth from soup would help to moisten it and make it better!

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