Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Posted: 08/31/20
Updated: 02/02/23
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This shredded chicken is seriously juicy and tender, made in the Instant Pot. With a secret for making this better than your average shredded chicken, it’s quick, easy, and loaded with flavor. This is my favorite way to make shredded chicken, and my hack for shredding makes it faster than ever! Perfect in any recipe that calls for shredded chicken, like chicken salad, casseroles, soups, and more.
This easy shredded chicken with a super savory seasoning uses a secret ingredient for the absolute juiciest chicken you’ll ever eat. Cooking it in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker makes it the easiest chicken you’ll ever make! This chicken is absolutely perfect for other recipes and is even great for freezing. And check out the top tips for my hack on how to shred chicken with basically no effort!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
Chicken broth or stock – The secret ingredient! Cooking in broth and adding more after cooking helps make this the juiciest shredded chicken you’ll ever eat.
How To Make It
- Stir together the seasonings in a small bowl and season the chicken on both sides.
- Pour the broth in the Instant Pot’s cooking pot and place the trivet over, then add the chicken on top of the trivet.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes, then natural release for 5 minutes.
- Drain the pot (but save the liquid!).
- Shred your chicken (see the top tips for how to). Add in some of the reserved broth and toss. Keep adding as much broth as you like for super juicy chicken!
Chef’s Tips
- You can shred your chicken with two forks, or use my easy hack! Use a hand mixer directly in your Instant Pot to shred your chicken. I actually love to use this same method with the paddle attachment on my stand mixer. So easy!
- There are tons of recipes you can use this shredded chicken in, including my Buffalo Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw, or Shredded Chicken Salad.
More Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Southwestern Egg Roll in a Bowl
- One-Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
- Marry Me Chicken
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Blackened Chicken
- Easy Chicken Recipes for Dinners with Few Ingredients
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
This super easy shredded chicken made in the Instant Pot has a secret ingredient for the juiciest chicken ever!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2-4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
Instructions
- Stir together seasonings in small bowl. Pour broth in cooking pot and place trivet over. Season chicken on both sides. Place on trivet.
- Cook manual high pressure for 10 minutes, then 5 natural release.
- Drain pot, saving liquid, remove trivet. Shred using one of the methods in the notes. Add in a 2-4 tbsp of reserved broth and toss. Add more as desired to make shredded chicken super juicy.
Notes
- How to shred chicken: Use 2 forks or use a hand mixer directly in your Instant Pot to shred your chicken. You can also use this same method with the paddle attachment on a stand mixer.
- Recipe suggestions: Buffalo Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw, or Shredded Chicken Salad.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 91kcal, Protein: 14g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 734mg, Potassium: 281mg, Total Carbs: 3g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Net Carbs: 2g, Vitamin A: 17IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
This recipe was so helpful in using my instant pot to make shredded chicken. It was delicious and tender.
Yay- we’re so glad to hear it helped! Thanks for sharing, Katie. 😊
Can I use frozen chicken?
You may want to start with this recipe, here: https://40aprons.com/instant-pot-frozen-chicken-breast/, then follow the shredding steps in this recipe. 🙂 Hope this helps!
I still don’t have an instant pot – what would the settings be for a crock pot?
Try this recipe but swap the salsa for chicken broth if you don’t want a Mexican-inspired dish.
I used to spend a ridiculous amount of time shredding chicken but not anymore. The stand up mixer hack really works. This is a great, versatile recipe to use when making a large batch of any recipe that calls for shredded chicken. Thanks!
Glad to help Deni!