Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Name: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Ingredients: 1–2 lbs boneless (skinless chicken breast); 1 cup water or broth; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon ground pepper; 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (optional)

By Brittany Mullins

3.82

Published Oct 03, 2021

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How to make flavorful shredded chicken in the Instant Pot! You only need five ingredients and it cooks in just 10 minutes.

I’ve already shared how to make shredded chicken in the slow cooker but since getting my Instant Pot, I have been hooked on making shredded chicken in there!

Shredded chicken in a shallow bowl. A fork rests inside the bowl.

I love making shredded chicken as part of my meal prep for the week. It’s so easy to make and can be used in a ton of different ways! I’m sharing a bunch of ideas below but let’s start with how to make shredded chicken…

Here’s What You Need

boneless, skinless chicken breast – the main ingredient! I like to look for high-quality, organic chicken breasts.
water or broth – makes sure that your chicken doesn’t dry out during cooking.
sea salt and pepper – a little seasoning!
apple cider vinegar – this is optional but I do like adding it to help tenderize the meat.

Chicken breasts layered inside of an Instant Pot.

How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot

Add ingredients – Place the chicken breasts in the Instant Pot along with the liquid, sea salt and pepper.

Pressure cook – Put the lid on, make sure the steam valve is sealed and cook for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. When the chicken is done cooking, use a towel or tongs to quick release the pressure by opening the valve. Be careful not to burn yourself from the steam!

Shred chicken – Remove the chicken and shred with two forks or place the chicken breasts into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to shred the chicken.

Chicken breasts that have been shredded in a bowl.

The Best Way to Shred Chicken

Once the chicken has finished cooking let it cool down a bit. I recommend shredding the chicken once cooled, but not cold. It’s much easier to shred warm meat rather than cold. You can shred…

with two forks – place cooked chicken on a plate or shallow bowl and use two forks to pull apart pieces of the meat.
with your hands – sometimes it’s easier to use your hands to pull the pieces apart! Just be sure the chicken is cool enough to touch.
with a mixer – just place the cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer on low to break the chicken into pieces. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. This is a big time saver, especially if you’re shredding a large quantity.

Shredded chicken in a shallow bowl resting on top of a striped dish towel. A fork rests inside of the bowl.

Ways to Use Shredded Chicken

There are so many different ways to use shredded chicken in recipes! Here are some of my favorites:

BBQ Chicken – Add BBQ sauce to your shredded chicken and enjoy on a sandwich or salad.
Chicken Salad – I have a delicious greek yogurt chicken salad recipe. Another option: curried chicken salad or almond butter chicken salad.
Stir Fry – Toss shredded chicken into a stir fry for a delicious, protein-rich meal.
Tacos or Fajitas – Tacos just got so much easier with pre-cooked chicken! Add taco seasoning and salsa to your shredded chicken and enjoy in tacos or as a taco salad. I love using it for my chicken enchiladas too!
Soup – Add shredded chicken to pretty much any soup for added protein and flavor. I love adding chicken to veggie and broth based soups like my white bean chicken chili.

Can You Use Frozen Chicken?

I can’t be the only person that is about to start making dinner and then realizes that I forgot to defrost the meat! Lucky for us, you can cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot!

Make sure your frozen chicken breasts aren’t stuck together – if they are just defrost them for a bit in a bowl with cool water. Arrange the chicken breasts along the bottom of the pot, season with salt and pepper and add 1 cup of liquid, I like to use chicken broth. Pressure cook for 10-12 minutes and then let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes before quick releasing the rest. Check the temperature of the chicken. If it is not 165ºF, pressure cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Can You Freeze Shredded Chicken?

Yes! This is a great meal planning hack – shred your chicken ahead of time and freeze for the week (or weeks!) ahead. Pro tip: portion out your chicken rather than putting a whole bunch in one freezer container, that way you can just take out the container or ziplock and add the meat as you need it to your soup, skillet or sauce.

A close up of shredded chicken in a shallow bowl resting on top of a striped dish towel. A fork rests inside of the bowl.

More Shredded Chicken Recipes to Try

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3.82 from 11 votes