Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is a quick and easy meal prep, made with simple ingredients and ready in less than 45 minutes!
This is one of my go-to recipes for meal prepping weekly lunches, because it’s quick to throw together and makes a lot of food. I use boneless chicken breasts, water, and spices, that’s it! Plus it’s all done in one pot, so you don’t have to worry about extra dishes. It’s perfect for busy weeknights!
If you loved this recipe, you will also love my Instant Pot Pork Shoulder, or my Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (perfect if you have more time in the morning than later in the day!)
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Meal Prep. This is one of my favorite recipes to meal prep, because it’s so incredibly quick and easy to make and takes almost no prep time. It also makes a ton of food, so you can make lunches for the entire week and pop them in the freezer to keep everything fresh.
Really Easy! This is insanely easy to make. You throw everything into the instant pot, set it, and let it do its thing. Then you use the electric hand mixer to shred the chicken in under 1 minute, and done!
Gluten Free. I love making things like this chicken recipe from scratch at home, because I can relax knowing it’s 100% gluten free.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken. I use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. White meat is leaner and perfect for meal prepping for the week. I use 2-3 pounds of chicken.
You can also use skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat, and set the pot for a 10 minute cook time instead of 15.
Spices. I used a simple combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper. You can use whatever spice combination you’d like, or leave them out and add a sauce when shredding the chicken instead.
Water. You need about a cup of liquid in the instant pot. I use plain water to make this quick and easy. You can also use a cup of chicken broth.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need an instant pot. When you shred the chicken, you will need either two forks, or an electric hand mixer.
How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Time needed: 35 minutes
- Add the ingredients and cook.
Place the raw chicken into the instant pot, sprinkle the seasoning on top, and pour the water into the pot. Place the lid on the instant pot and lock the lid in place. Turn the steam valve to the sealed position.
Pressure cook using manual pressure on High for 15 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, then the time will start. Once the time is up, let the pot naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure by turning the valve to the venting position.
- Shred the chicken.
Shred chicken either with two forks, or with an electric hand mixer. If you’re using forks, you can remove the chicken onto a plate, then add it back into the broth left in the instant pot before serving. You can be sure the chicken has finished cooking if it shreds easily and has an internal temperature of 165°F.
Recipe Variations
- Make this spicy by adding red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or chili powder. Or add a smoky flavor with some chipotle seasoning.
- You can make this with frozen chicken breasts, but increase the cooking time to 25 minutes. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F, and shred easily with a fork when done cooking.
- You can use any spice blend you’d like for this recipe. Other favorites in our house are my Homemade Ranch Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, and my Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- You can also make this recipe with boneless chicken thighs, but they are higher in fat so they will shred more easily. If you use the electric hand mixer to shred the chicken, use the slowest setting.
- Try adding some BBQ sauce for a shredded BBQ chicken! Or add a jar of salsa to the chicken before shredding, then serve over rice and black beans to make burrito bowls or shredded chicken tacos.
Recipe Tip! The chicken will create a really nice broth on the bottom of the pressure cooker. I like to leave the shredded chicken in the broth, to help keep it moist and also give it a nice flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
If your chicken turned out dry, it’s because it was over-cooked. Make sure you’re not setting the timer for longer than 15 minutes, and finish shredding the chicken when pressure is fully released, instead of letting it sit in the heat left in the pot. You can also use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, which will be less likely to have a dry texture.
Recipe Tip! If you want to add even more flavor, use chicken broth instead of water. I only use water to make this faster for meal prep, because you need some liquid in the instant pot to prevent burning. I also add the shredded chicken back into the delicious juices to keep the chicken moist.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Chicken Stew
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
Storage
Refrigerate leftover shredded chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze leftover chicken in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months.
Cooking Tips
- If your chicken thighs are larger, they might need a few extra minutes of pressure cooking time. The same is true if they’re on the smaller side, they may only need 10 minutes instead of 15.
- “Natural Release” means don’t touch the instant pot when the timer goes off. It will naturally release the pressure by itself. The amount of time a natural pressure release takes depends on how filled the pot is.
- A “Quick Release” means to flip the steam release valve into the venting position, to let the steam out, making the pressure release faster. A lot of steam will come out of the valve immediately, I use an oven mitt to do this!
- You can also shred the chicken by using the paddle attachment in your stand mixer.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup water
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Instructions
- Place chicken into the pot. Add the seasoning and water over the chicken, and place the lid on the instant pot and lock it in place. Turn the steam valve to the sealed position.
- Pressure cook using manual pressure on High for 15 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, then the time will start.
- Once the time is up, let the pot naturally release for 10 minutes, then flip the valve to the venting position to quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Shred chicken either with two forks, or with an electric hand mixer. If you're using forks, you can remove the chicken onto a plate, then add it back into the broth before serving.
Notes
- You can be sure the chicken has finished cooking if it shreds easily and has an internal temperature of 165°F.
- I had 4 large chicken breasts, which came out to 3 pounds of chicken.
- “Natural Release” means don’t touch the instant pot when the timer goes off. It will naturally release the pressure by itself.
- A “Quick Release” means to flip the steam release valve into the venting position, to let the steam out, making the pressure release faster.
- You can also shred the chicken by using the paddle attachment in your stand mixer.
Nutrition
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