Making Shredded Chicken or Pulled Chicken Breast in the Instant Pot is my favorite Meal Prep Trick for easy Casseroles, Sandwiches, Burritos and so much more!
Of course Chicken Breast can be prepared many many ways, but this is how I make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast. You can also make Shredded Chicken in your Crock Pot. Make sure to check out that recipe too!
I like to season my chicken, it just gives it extra great flavor. A little salt and pepper goes a long way and of course some crushed garlic too! You don't have to stop there, Italian Seasonings are also perfect to add too.
For the Instant Pot or any Pressure Cooker you will need some liquid. I use either water or chicken broth. The chicken will pick up the flavors from the broth so I use it whenever possible.
Cooking times can vary when using the Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker. Depending on if you are using Chicken Tenders or a thicker Chicken Breast will determine the cooking time.
I buy my Chicken Breasts in bulk, so that is what I use. Makes perfect sense, right? So use what you have and adjust the time as needed because of the thickness of your chicken.
For Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breasts, I will do 3-6 breasts for 18 minutes Manual High Pressure (Pressure Cook) with a 20 minute Natural Release.
For Chicken Tenders cook for 6-8 minutes with a 10 minute Natural Release.
What is the difference between Pulled Chicken and Shredded Chicken?
Instant Pot Pulled Chicken and Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast are the same thing.
Ultimately you are cooking chicken and pulling or shredding with a fork to separate. Pulled Chicken can be used in a wide variety of recipes from casseroles, enchiladas, to salads.
Quick Tip:
Buying those large fresh packages of chicken can see overwhelming, trust me. I will use some for grilling and some to make pulled chicken to meal prep for another day.
It's so simple to get started and then I always have cooked chicken in my freezer for when I need it too.
Meal Prep
Prepping for meals is a game changer. Shredded chicken is something I use every week and making a larger batch just makes sense because I can freeze it so easily in specific portions for later use.
Once the chicken is cooked and shredded I measure out, typically in about 3 cup measurements which is what works perfectly for my family.
How to use Shredded Chicken
Oh the possibilities are endless... Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use Shredded Chicken with
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas
- Sweet Salsa Chicken Salad
- Chicken Stuffed Cream Cheese Croissants
- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
- Hawaiian Haystacks
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts
- 1 Cup water or Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tbs Crushed Garlic
Instructions
- Place water or Chicken Broth in Bottom of Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Place Chicken in Instant Pot on Trivet
- Sprinkle Salt and Pepper over Chicken Breasts
- Sprinkle crushed garlic on chicken
- Close Instant Pot Lid and check to make sure pressure valve is closed
- Set on Manual (Presser Cook) High for 18 minutes
- Allow a 20 minute Natural Release
- Remove Chicken Breasts and one at a time shred chicken with forks
- Use in a meal, or package and freeze for later use
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
judy
whenever i cook chicken breasts they are tough. any suggestions
Devour Dinner
Hi Judy, I find when chicken breasts are thick they take a bit longer to cook especially when I had a number of them in the pot. Try adding additional time.
Dawn Gold
is there a trick to shredding? It never goes well for me. IDK if it's my MS or I'm just lousy at it.
Devour Dinner
Hi Dawn, some like to use a hand mixer to shred chicken. I find when I cook Chicken in the Pressure Cooker if I allow a full natural release it tends to be easier to shred. Sometime it helps if I cut up chicken breasts into smaller pieces too. Hope this helps!
Danny
How much additional time should I add for frozen chicken breasts? And do you notice much of a difference using broth as opposed to water? Thank you in advance!
Devour Dinner
Hi Danny,
When cooking with frozen meat you should not need to add additional time. However, it will take longer to pressure up because of the frozen meat. I prefer to use broth but when I don't I do make sure I add salt, pepper, garlic and often time some Italian seasonings to my chicken for flavor. That's a personal preference for sure!