Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast

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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!

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!

Chicken breasts are super lean and have the tendency to become dry when they are cooked. You can combat this by using chicken broth 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 an easy recipe, especially good 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!

Chicken Breast Nutrition (per 3oz cooked) using cronometer

• 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.

Step by step images on how to make shredded chicken breast in an Instant Pot

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.

RECIPE TIPS

• 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)

2 forks method

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.

My favorite recipes that use shredded chicken breast

• Creamy Salsa Chicken Recipe
• Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken
• Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole 
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Shredded chicken breast is great for meal prep! Simply add 3-5oz fo shredded chicken into a glass container and top with a few tablespoons of your favorite low carb sauce.

Low Carb Sauces

• Keto Barbecue Sauce
• Franks Buffalo Sauce
• Alfredo Sauce
• Keto Teriyaki Sauce

Low Carb Vegetables Recipes to make this a meal

• Broccoli mash 
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower Rice

If you like to meal prep and need some inspiration, check out my 2 week keto diet meal plans for only $9.99! They use a bulk meal prep technique and are meant to save time and money!

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3.5 from 12 votes

Print

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breasts

Prep Time

2 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

 

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to make shredded chicken breasts in an instant pot, instant pot shredded chicken, instant pot shredded chicken breasts

Servings: 6

Calories: 175 kcal

Author: Lara

Ingredients

• 1 cup Chicken broth or water or chicken bone broth
• 2 pounds Chicken breasts
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper

Instructions

1. 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.
   
2. 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.
   

3. 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).

   
4. 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.
   
5. 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.
6. 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.
   

Recipe Notes

If you’re not going to eat all of the chicken after its cooked, make sure to place it into a glassed air tight container a long with some of the remaining liquid. This ensures when you heat it up that it will still be moist and not dry out.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breasts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 175 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 97mg32%

Sodium 706mg31%

Potassium 591mg17%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 32g64%

Vitamin A 45IU1%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 10mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.