Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast is incredibly easy to make! You can make juicy and moist shredded chicken in your Instant Pot with practically little effort! This shredded chicken is super versatile and perfect for meal prep!
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast
I love making shredded chicken breasts in the Instant Pot because it’s literally so simple! Sometimes when you make shredded chicken it can dry out, but my method ensures you’ll have tender chicken. Perfect for your weekly meal prep!
This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe is so versatile! Pressure cooking makes meal prep a breeze! You can even make shredded chicken thighs in the Instant Pot and shredded chicken from frozen chicken in the Instant Pot too!
I love using shredded chicken breast to make this Keto Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole and this Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole.
Cooking chicken breast in Instant Pot have the tendency to become dry when they are cooked and this is because they are a lean cut of meat. You can combat this by using chicken broth, stock or chicken bone broth when cooking.
After the chicken breast has been shredded you can add back in some of the chicken broth to ensure it stays moist.
This Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is easy, especially so if you’re new to using a pressure cooker! All basic ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store! You can even buy an Instant Pot at most stores now!
Why you’ll love making shredded chicken breast in your Instant Pot
- Quick and easy recipe – make super moist shredded chicken in less than 30 minutes with very minimal ingredients and barely any hands on time!
- Perfect for meal prep – shredded chicken is great for meal prep! Make tacos, casseroles, salads and more with leftover shredded chicken
- High protein and low carb recipe – 1 cup of shredded chicken has about 32g of protein and 0g carbs – also note that cup size varies depending on how packed or how finely shredded the chicken is. Check out my post about chicken breast nutrition.
Shredded Chicken Breast Nutrition (per 3oz cooked)
- 147kcals
- 0g carbs
- 3.8g fat
- 26.3g protein
I tend to follow more of an IIFYM style of keto diet where I eat mostly whole foods and eat processed foods in moderation.
So with chicken breasts being high in protein and low in fat, I would pair it with a low carb vegetable such as broccoli our cauliflower. I’d then top the vegetables with a high fat sauce like a creamy cheese sauce.
Or you could put a higher fat sauce on the chicken like a pesto and then have a side of nuts. Or super simple you could sprinkle some melted butter and parmesan cheese on top of the low carb vegetables.
Ingredients to for Shredded Chicken Breast
- Chicken broth or chicken bone broth
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
First make sure your inner steel pot is in the Instant Pot (I wish I was joking – I’ve heard so many horror stories of people forgetting to do this step). Then add 1 cup of chicken broth or chicken stock, bone broth or water to the bottom of the pot and add in salt and pepper.
Next add in the raw chicken breasts to the broth or liquid (these were some big juice chicken breasts around 2 pounds of chicken). 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 8 minutes. After 8 minutes you will want to do a 5 minute “natural pressure release.”
PRO TIP: NEVER use quick release when cooking any kind of meat! It’s a sure fire way to make your meat come out tough!
After the 8 minutes is up, the timer automatically starts counting. Once it gets to 5 minutes, do a “quick pressure release.” This means that you will be (almost) instantly removing all of the pressure by moving the nob on the lid to “open.”
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 from the steel insert, leaving about 1/4 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.
Tips for making shredded chicken in a pressure cooker
- If you’re not going to eat all of the chicken, store leftovers in a glass airtight container along with some of the remaining liquid. This ensures when you heat it up that it will still be moist and not dry out.
- This recipe is super versatile! Add in some of your favorite spices such as Italian seasoning, rosemary, sage, garlic powder to switch things up!
- If you don’t have fresh chicken breasts, you can also use frozen chicken breast. Just add 3-4 minutes to the cook time.
- Love using leftovers by just adding in some keto BBQ sauce and making shredded BBQ chicken or chicken tacos.
How to Shred Chicken Breasts (2 different ways)
Shredding chicken with forks
This method takes some time but it requires only 2 forks and no small appliances. Simply take 2 forks, stab them into the cooked chicken breast.
Then drag the forks away from each other and then chicken will start to become shredded. Repeat this process until all chicken breasts are shredded.
Electric hand Mixer Method
Using an electric mixer to shred chicken is my favorite and in my opinion the easiest way to shred chicken breasts! Make sure you have the thicker metal inserts and not the whisk insert in the hand mixer.
Then place the mixer on top of the chicken breast and then turn it one. Use a medium level for best results. On high speed you might end up fling chicken all over your kitchen! Fun fact I’ve done this before!
You can also shred chicken in a stand mixer if you don’t have a hand held mixer.
Recipes Using Shredded Chicken Breast
- Creamy Salsa Chicken Recipe
- Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
Shredded chicken breast is great for meal prep! Simply add 3-5oz of shredded chicken into a glass container and top with a few tablespoons of your favorite low carb sauce. You can also add a 1/3 cup shredded chicken to a pan pita, add your favorite veggies and then top with 1-2 tablespoons of dressing.
Low Carb Sauces
- Keto Barbecue Sauce
- Franks Buffalo Sauce
- Alfredo Sauce
- Paleo Teriyaki Sauce
Low Carb Vegetables Recipes to make this a meal
If you’re wanting to make low carb shredded chicken meal prep meals, pair them with any of the following keto vegetables.
- Air Fryer Broccolini
- Roasted garlic parmesan asparagus
- Blackstone Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
- Broccoli and cheese casserole
- Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash
- Instant Pot Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Parmesan Asparagus
More Chicken Breast Recipes to try!
- Instant Pot Chicken and Mushrooms
- The Best Blackstone Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Shawarma Tacos
- Best Blackstone Chicken Breasts
- Air Fryer Blackened Chicken Breast
FAQs
SAMs and Costco have shredded chicken or pulled chicken that you can buy in bulk, typically 2 pound containers.
Typically reserving some of the cooking liquid or storing the shredded chicken in a bit of chicken stock or broth will help keep the shredded chicken moist
This keto instant pot chicken breast recipe cooks for 8 minutes under high pressure and then 5 minutes natural pressure release. It also typically takes between 10-15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breasts
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Instructions
- First make sure your inner steel pot is in the Instant Pot. Then add 1 cup of chicken stock/bone broth/water to the bottom of the pot and then add salt and pepper.
- Next add the raw chicken breasts to 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 8 minutes. After 8 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 from the steel insert, leaving about 1/4 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Can I use frozen breasts?
Yes just cook it for a few minutes longer
This was great, I made a big batch to put on my lunchtime salads during the week.
How much longer for frozen chicken, and if using thighs how long?
I’ve done 11 minutes with frozen chicken breasts. I’ve never Ade frozen chicken thighs before though
If you don’t want dry chicken, pull them out and let them rest 15 minutes before you shred. It helps a lot.
I used to make shredded chicken in a slow cooker but this method is so much quicker! It was perfect for using in other dishes.
Gosh I love my Instant Pot. Great way to get the chicken fork tender to shred in no time.
Yes! I use it whenever I can to speed up meal times!
Flavor and texture of this chicken was perfect! We doubled it and used it for recipes throughout the week. I love that the meat didn’t dry out. It was excellent in chef salads and in chicken and noodles!
YUM! Glad your family enjoyed it!
Thank you for helping me shred my chicken, I used it for salads and sanwhiches.
So glad it worked for you!