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.
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.
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!
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?
- Instant Pot Pork Chops with Bacon Apple Glaze
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Herb Rub
- Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Don’t have an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker? Check out my Crockpot Shredded Chicken!
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
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
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
Mark says
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
Izabela says
Do you add extra time for frozen chicken?
Ashley Fehr says
I’ve included some tips for using frozen chicken in my post above 🙂
Kristine says
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!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your tips Kristine!
Taylor says
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?
Ashley Fehr says
The total time accounts only for prep time and cook time, but I try to include time it comes to pressure and natural release times in the instructions
Chelsea Clarke says
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)
Ashley Fehr says
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.
Chelsea says
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!
Ashley Fehr says
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 🙂
Joe Naz says
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?
Ann Schumaker says
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!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! That makes me ecstatic! Thanks for coming back to let me know 🙂
Bryce says
I use this recipe often! I throw frozen stir fry veggies on top and cook for same amount of time…great for fajitas!
Ashley Fehr says
That is a great idea! Thanks Bryce!
Tina says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear what you think!
Aleza says
I want to make a lot. If I double or triple the recipe do I need to add liquid or add time?
Ashley Fehr says
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 🙂
Seniz says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
It’s roughly half of an average-sized chicken breast — probably close to 1/2 cup shredded
Monica says
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
Ashley Fehr says
No, the cook time should remain the same but with the 8 quart you may want to add more water.
Susan De Salvatore says
MORE water? WHAT water?
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry, by water I meant liquid. You may have to add more broth if using a larger Instant Pot.
Erin says
How much cooking time if I cook from frozen rather than thawed?
Ashley Fehr says
I usually do 10 minutes for frozen chicken, but up to 12 would be fine, depending how tender you like it.
Jim says
What’s the cooking time for frozen chicken breasts?
Katie says
What should I use to cook the breasts if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
Ashley Fehr says
You could use a skillet or slow cooker, you’ll just have to adjust the cook time accordingly.
Sara says
Does the cook time change if I only want to cook one or two chicken breasts?
Ashley Fehr says
It doesn’t change, no. I hope you enjoy it!
Cecilia says
Hi how much water time if your making from frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
You will use the same amount of water if you’re cooking from frozen.
Jack says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a good point! I use a 6 quart Instant Pot, so the required amount of liquid may be different for an 8 quart. For a 6 quart it is minimum 1 cup.
Rosemary says
This sounds amazing and I will be making it tomorrow, can’t wait to taste it!
Ashley Fehr says
Let me know how it goes!
April says
I just got an instant pot and can’t wait to try this!
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Mike says
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s so delicious and so simple. I add a small can of pineapple juice to the complete recipe and it’s amazing. Toasted buns and some bbq sauce and everyone is very happy. Thank you for your recipes and your time.
Ashley Fehr says
Love the idea of adding pineapple juice! I love a good, sweet bbq chicken!
Kelly Mahan says
Really liked this idea. I have plenty of chicken here, definitely gonna give it a try!
Ashley Fehr says
Let me know how it goes!
Tenna says
Seriously perfect timing! I was planning on cooking a pot of chicken tonight! Smells like a yummy one.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tenna! Let me know how it goes!
Stephanie moniger says
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.
CJ says
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.
Ashley Fehr says
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)
Tracy says
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?
Ashley Fehr says
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!