Instant Pot Frozen Shredded Chicken Breasts

Making frozen shredded chicken breasts in the Instant Pot is one of my favorite Instant Pot Recipes! It is simple and effortless. No need to plan ahead for these frozen chicken breasts. It will turn out delicious every time.

I love making these for dishes like Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole, Enchiladas Rojas, and Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole.

If you ever have extra fresh chicken breast that you don't want to go bad. Pop them in the freezer, and then you can use them to make shredded chicken without having to thaw them!

Why you'll love this Instant Pot Frozen Shredded Chicken Breasts

Great meal prep - frozen shredded chicken breasts in the Instant Pot is great for your weekly meal prep and is easy to store.
Keto and Low Carb - with NO total carbs and 24g of protein per serving. This is great for the Keto Diet and Low Carb diets!
Simple and quick - this recipe is done in less than 20 minutes and you can make it last minute too!

Ingredients

Frozen boneless chicken breasts
Water or cup of chicken broth

Tips & Tricks

It is important to not forget to add the cup of water. The Instant Pot requires liquid to create steam.

DO NOT skip the natural release step. This step is important to ensuring that the Instant Pot frozen chicken in instant pot to shred remain moist and juicy.

Tools to make this easy recipe

The Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen tools! If you've never used an electric pressure cooker before, don't worry it's super easy. It cuts down the time but leaves the moisture for juicy chicken. You can even cook a whole chicken in it!

How to make Instant Pot Frozen Shredded Chicken Breasts

First make sure your inner steel pot is in the Instant Pot. Then add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pot.
Next add the frozen raw chicken breasts to the bottom of the Instant Pot. For this recipe there is no need to use a trivet. After that place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the lid is set to sealed.
Then hit “manual” make sure it is on “high” pressure. Next set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you will want to do a 5 minute "Natural Pressure Release" and then a "Quick Pressure Release" (manually releasing the rest of the pressure).
Be careful when you do this as to not burn yourself by the steam being released. Once the pressure is removed you will be able to remove the lid of the Instant Pot.
Now the chicken should be fully cooked and have an internal temperature of 165F. Drain most of the broth/water from the steel insert, leaving about ¼ cup in the pot with the chicken.
Finally you can shred your chicken either with 2 forks or with an electric hand mixer. Be sure to incorporate it into the remaining liquid.

raw frozen chicken breasts — place frozen chicken breasts in instant pot with water

How to Season

I purposely didn't add any seasonings to this recipe. That's because I used this shredded chicken to make casseroles. But, if you were going to season this shredded chicken breasts, I would add salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

If you're making shredded chicken tacos for taco night, try throwing on some taco seasoning for flavorful chicken. There's so many different recipes you can make with shredded chicken!

Stovetop Directions

If you do not have an Instant Pot then you can boil these frozen chicken breasts on the stove top.

In a dutch oven, add the water. Next add in the frozen chicken breasts. Cook covered on high medium heat for 20-25 minutes.

Check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. Chicken is done when the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

Remove chicken breasts and shred chicken with two forks or you can shred with a electric hand mixer.

You can even make this Shredded Instant Pot Chicken Breast I your slow cooker.

Substitutions

If you do not have frozen chicken breasts to shred then you can always substitute with chicken thighs or even chicken tenders. If you don't want to use water, you can use chicken stock, chicken broth or even chicken bone broth.

What to serve with Frozen Shredded Chicken Breasts

Serve this shredded chicken with Blackstone Green Beans, Air Fryer Broccolini or Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash. Or you can use the shredded chicken to make this Creamy Salsa Chicken Recipe, chicken salad or even add it to this Pink Sauce Pasta.

How to store

Depending if you're making a big batch of not, store leftover shredded cooked chicken breasts in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

How to reheat

Remove the lid from the container and microwave on high for 1 to 1.5 minutes or until chicken is warm. You may also transfer the chicken to a microwave safe dish to warm up.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

Below are some of my favorite recipes using chicken. Chicken is really the most versatile protein in my opinion.

cooked shredded chicken breasts in a white bowl

FAQs

How long to cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot?

Cook frozen chicken for 10 minutes on high pressure

How to cook frozen chicken in Instant Pot?

Place frozen chicken in the instant pot with 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.

Can you cook frozen chicken in instant pot?

Absolutely! It is my favorite way! Make shredded chicken from frozen chicken breasts in no time at all!

How to cook frozen chicken in instant pot to shred?

Place frozen chicken in the instant pot with 1 cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Place chicken in a bowl and shred with two forks or an electric hand mixer.