Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8 servings

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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. 

instant pot shredded chicken in pressure cooker.

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.

Plus, there are so many delicious shredded chicken recipes that I know we’ll never run out of ways to use it.

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.

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 flavorful pressure cooked Shredded Chicken is one of my favorite meal prep hacks to have stashed in the freezer. Make a double batch, divide it up into smaller portions and dinnertime is that much easier!

I can guarantee you we will not regret it 😉

No Instant Pot? Check out my Crockpot Shredded Chicken and my stovetop Shredded Chicken instead!

Ingredients Needed:

ingredients needed for instant pot shredded chicken.
  • Chicken broth: I prefer to use low sodium broth and adjust my seasonings as desired. If your broth is salted, you may want to omit the salt and season at the end of the cook time. Vegetable broth also works great!
  • Italian seasoning: A simple blend of herbs that adds subtle, versatile flavor
  • Seasoning salt: My secret weapon! Seasoning salt includes a variety of other herbs and spices that give this pressure cooker shredded chicken a hit of flavor. You can use salt and add in paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
  • Pepper: to round out the flavor profile
  • Chicken breasts: boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs are preferred for this recipe. Any bone-in cuts of meat do require a longer cook time.
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How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken:

Yes, it’s simple — but here are a few step by step photos to guide you! You can find the detailed instructions down in the recipe card.

  1. Combine broth and seasonings — this helps to ensure everything is evenly distributed.
  2. Add the chicken to the instant pot.
  3. Put the lid on and pressure cook — it will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.
  4. When the cook time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally (be patient!). Then open the lid and shred the chicken.

Tips and Tricks:

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!

  • 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.
tongs picking up instant pot shredded chicken from bowl.

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!

bowl of shredded chicken in front of instant pot.

Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken FAQs

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Absolutely! Boneless chicken thighs will cook in about the same amount of time as breasts. You can even use a mix of both!

How do you store leftover shredded chicken?

Shredded chicken can be store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Just be sure it is in an airtight container so it does not get freezer burnt.

Do I put the chicken on the trivet?

Some people do, but I do not. I think that the chicken gets even more moist and more flavorful sitting in those delicious juices.

Why is my chicken dry?

Overcooking chicken can dry it out quickly, especially when we are using white meat. That’s why I recommend a shorter cook time than some — with the time to build and release pressure, 10 minutes cook time is plenty for a few chicken breasts.

What can I make with shredded chicken?

This chicken is great for meal prepping because it can be turned into so many different meals! Here are a few of our favorites:

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?

You might want to start with The Best Instant Pot Chicken Recipes! Then check out these other favorites:

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JUICY Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

4.83 from 115 votes
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!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Time to build and release pressure 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Servings 8 servings
Calories 69cal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  • ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 lbs of chicken)

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 Information

Calories: 69cal | Protein: 12g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 234mg | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Keywords instant pot chicken breast, pressure cooker, pressure cooker chicken breast, pressure cooker shredded chicken

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

  1. Joel Blackwell says

    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.

  2. Ben says

    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!

    • Ashley Fehr says

      My chicken breasts usually weigh 9-10 ounces, but it is likely the thickness that most impacts cook time, so it will depend a little on the shape as well.

  3. Connie says

    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

  4. lauren kelly says

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

  5. Stacey says

    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!

  6. Matthew says

    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!

  7. Candace says

    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!

    • Logan says

      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…

      • Lisa says

        Yes to good to be true! Needed more time. Possibly because my chicken breast was a thicker cut.

      • Ashley Fehr says

        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!

      • Lundy says

        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.

  8. Kara says

    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.

  9. Antonia says

    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 🙂

  10. Melissa says

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

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