Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is a virtually hands-free way to cook chicken breast for shredded chicken in under 30 minutes. Use fresh or frozen chicken breast for this pulled chicken recipe. Add bbq sauce and you have delicious bbq chicken sandwiches.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast, aka pulled chicken, is one of our favorite healthy meal prep ingredients (next to Instant Pot Chickpeas). Boneless chicken breast is a lean, low calorie choice for shredded chicken recipes.It's just too easy to put chicken breast in the Instant Pot, add liquid, a few seasonings, and press a button. Other than shredding chicken, this is a hands-free recipe and once it's done, you have a pile of pulled chicken to use for so many meals (soups, salads, and entrees).

4 ingredients needed for shredded chicken in Instant Pot

• boneless skinless chicken breast - It's the leanest cut of chicken, therefore SO easy to overcook...especially in the Instant Pot. I've done a lot of testing to dial in the right mix of pressure cooking time and natural pressure release. Let's just say, you'll love how tender and juicy Instant Pot chicken breast can be when you make this recipe.
• salt and pepper - these are the most basic seasonings for chicken breast, but feel free to add your favorites!
• chicken broth or water - I've tested both...many times. To be honest, I love it either way and, if they were side by side, I might not even know the difference. I tend to use the chicken broth and since this recipe only calls for 1 cup, I love to use this chicken base because I can mix it by the cup. Brilliant!!

How to make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot

1. Place chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, sprinkle seasoning, and add liquid.
2. Close lid, close pressure valve, and pressure cook 6 minutes high pressure, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR). Note: if using frozen chicken breast, add 2 minutes / lb to the total pressure cooking time.
3. Release any remaining steam, open lid, and insert a meat thermometer to confirm 165° minimum internal temperature. NEVER SKIP THIS FOOD-SAFETY STEP!
4. Transfer chicken to a plate, cover, and allow to rest five minutes.
5. Shred the chicken, pour the juices over it, and enjoy in all of your favorite recipes!

How long to cook chicken breast in the Instant Pot for shredded chicken

Instant Pot official says to pressure cook boneless chicken breasts 6-8 minutes per lb on high pressure. In our test kitchen, I have found that two 3/4 lb. breasts cook perfectly in 6 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release (NPR). Even if you increase the chicken amount, you can use the same pressure cook time. The NPR allows the chicken to hit the 165°F minimum internal temperature through carryover cooking and prevents the need to spew chicken juice all over my kitchen. Win-win!

How long to cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot

If using frozen chicken breast, add 2 minutes / lb to the total pressure cook time. The same rule applies for reaching the 165°F minimum internal temperature for frozen chicken breast.

What to do if chicken breasts don't reach 165°F minimum internal temperature

Many factors can cause this to happen and it just comes with the territory of cooking chicken. This is why we always use a meat thermometer. If, for any reason, your pressure cooked chicken breasts don't register 165°F on a meat thermometer inserted in the center, simply return chicken to the pot, close lid and pressure valve, and pressure cook on high for 1 minute, followed by a quick pressure release (QPR). Test the chicken again using a clean meat thermometer, If needed, repeat the process (this is very uncommon).

How to shred chicken for pulled chicken

shredded chicken

• Hand mixer: You can make shredded chicken using a hand mixer by placing the chicken breasts in a mixing bowl, and with beater attachments in place on your hand mixer, beat the chicken into shreds on low to medium speed.
• Stand mixer: Did you know your stand mixer can shred chicken? This is especially helpful if you're shredding several chicken breasts. Using the beater attachment, place the chicken breasts in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, and shred the chicken on medium-low speed until it reaches your desired texture.

pulled chicken

• 2 forks: Forks are easy tools to shred chicken and are pretty much always available. Simply lay the chicken breast on a cutting board or in a bowl, insert two forks into it, and pull apart repeatedly until you have a pile of shredded chicken. Pro tip: shred chicken against the grain if you want chunky shredded chicken, or shred it with the grain if you want finely shredded chicken. You can also use meat claws to pull chicken.
• With your hands: When the cooked chicken breast is cool to the touch, your bare hands make a perfect shredding tool because...they're always available. Simply use your fingers to pull the chicken strands apart as fine or as chunky as you like.

Can you freeze shredded chicken?

I've found these methods to be the best way to freeze shredded chicken breast:

• Up to 7 days in reusable silicone bags or disposable plastic zip-top bags.
• Up to 30 days in snap-lock glass containers.
• Up to 90 days using a vacuum-sealer food storage system.

Any longer than these times/methods, shredded chicken breast runs the risk of freezer burn and becomes dry if held in the freezer too long without being vacuum sealed. This is because it's so lean and doesn't have the fat to protect it from becoming dry quickly, unlike dark meat.

How to thaw frozen shredded chicken

Simply place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before you need to use it. If it's vacuum-sealed in smaller amounts (like 2-4 cups), you can drop the vacuum-sealed packets into cold water in the refrigerator and it will easily thaw in under an hour.

Easy shredded chicken recipes

Know what to make with shredded chicken? Here's a list of delicious dinner recipes to inspire you!

• Chicken tacos
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Soup
• Chicken Banh Mi Sliders
• Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice
• One-Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice
• Asian Slaw Quinoa Salad

Use shredded chicken as a meal prep ingredient to use in any recipes that require pulled chicken or cooked chicken. These incluse Mexican recipes, Asian recipes, chicken salad, salad topping for lunch, a protein for Asian slaw, or mixed with BBQ sauce for a pulled chicken sandwich…the sky’s the limit!

Recommended Tools

• 6 quart Instant Pot
• Tongs (to remove the chicken)
• Meat thermometer (optional but highly recommended for food safety)
• baking sheet or mixing bowl (for shredding chicken)
• meat claws

More Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Black Beans
• Instant Pot Chickpeas [Garbanzo Beans]
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Italian Sausage Soup with Orzo
• Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta in Lemon Cream Sauce