The easiest way to make Shredded Chicken! This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is the ultimate meal prep timesaver. Just 2 minutes of hands on time and 10 minutes in the Instant Pot….and you have tender, juicy, fall apart shredded chicken breast for all your favorite shredded chicken recipes!

Shredded chicken in an Instant Pot with two forks.


Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Here’s the thing with shredded chicken breast….or any chicken breast for that matter….it tends to get really dry after it’s been cooked, cooled and then cooked again. So, shredded chicken in recipes is an excellent way to keep some moisture in the chicken by mixing it in a sauce or cheese or more sauce. You get the drift.

But what was so CRAZY about this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe was that it stayed incredibly moist, juicy and tender all on it’s own! Like you can totally just eat it out of the container without barbecue sauce or salad dressing or anything. We couldn’t believe how flavorful it was and, well, it should be because I gave those chicken breasts a little love when they went into the pot.

Shredded chicken breast in a white bowl with a blue and white fork.

How To Make Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot

Making shredded chicken breast in a pressure cooker or your Instant Pot is super easy to do. You don’t even really have to mix anything together….just dump it in the pot, lock the lid in place and cook!

  1. Place the thawed chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot.
  2. Pour the chicken stock over the chicken breasts.
  3. Add the italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and butter. (The butter is optional here but it add amazing flavor!)
  4. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to sealing.
  5. Select Pressure Cook (or manual) and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. (It will take approximately 10 minutes to come to pressure before cooking)
  6. Once the cook time is finished, allow the pressure to release naturally…DO NOT TOUCH IT. This will take about an additional 10 minutes.
Cooked chicken breasts in stock at the bottom of an Instant Pot.

If you didn’t have time to thaw your chicken breasts, you can still make this shredded chicken in the Instant Pot. You will just need to add 4 -5 minutes to the cooking time in order to thaw and cook through your chicken.

If you don’t own an Instant Pot or pressure cooker….this is the one I own and LOVE!

How To Shred Chicken

You have a couple of options when it comes to shredding chicken….you can shred chicken by hand using two forks OR you can shred chicken in a blender or mixer.

I prefer to shred chicken by hand because it’s pretty easy to do since your chicken breasts will be fall apart tender by the time they’re finished cooking. Just take two forks and shred the chicken by holding the chicken breast with one fork then pulling, or shredding, the meat with the other fork until all the chicken is shredded. 

Be sure to shred the chicken breast in the broth because the chicken will then absorb more of the flavors and hold onto the moisture. 

Alternatively, you can just get in there with your bare hands and shred the chicken breasts with your hands. This method is equally effective but you will have to allow the chicken to cool significantly until it’s cool enough to handle.

Lastly, you can shred your chicken in a blender (it will be more of a minced texture than shredded) or a mixer. Both of these methods seem a bit excessive to me and it’s just one more dish to clean so I’m not a huge fan UNLESS you’re looking to make a very creamy chicken salad. Then have at it!

Shredded chicken in the bottom of an Instant Pot with two forks.

Tips For Making Shredded Chicken

  • Be sure to have enough liquid in the Instant Pot before cooking your chicken. Too little liquid will cause your chicken to dry out and burn.
  • Don’t forget to season the chicken well. I like to use an Italian Seasoning blend along with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. But if you like it spicy, feel free to add some cayenne or chili powder. 
  • Shred your chicken while still warm….or hot. Cold chicken breast is much harder to shred. It still can be done but it’s not quite as easy.
  • Don’t have chicken breasts….this recipe works well for shredded chicken thighs, too!
Shredded chicken breast in a white bowl with a fork on a blue and white striped napkin.

Recipes Using Shredded Chicken

Our FAVORITE recipes using Instant Pot Shredded Chicken:

More Instant Pot Recipes

WANT MORE easy recipes? Follow us on Instagram to see the behind the scenes and what we’re cooking up next!

Shredded chicken in an Instant Pot with two forks.

Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Easy Shredded Chicken Breasts made in the pressure cooker or Instant Pot in minutes!
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Pressure Cooker

Instructions 

  • Place the thawed chicken breasts in the bottom of the pot.
  • Pour the chicken stock over the chicken breasts.
  • Add the italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and butter. (The butter is optional here but it add amazing flavor!)
  • Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to sealing.
  • Select Pressure Cook (or manuaand cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. (It will take approximately 10 minutes to come to pressure before cooking)
  • Once the cook time is finished, allow the pressure to release naturally…DO NOT TOUCH IThis will take about an additional 10 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and drain 1/3 of the liquid.
  • Shred the chicken in the pot and serve as desired.

Notes

Shredded Chicken Breast can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Shredded chicken can be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Calories: 100kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 334mg, Potassium: 262mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 89IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Dinner, lunch, meal prep
Cuisine: American