Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 2 Ways + Meal Prep
Learn how to make juicy EASY Instant Pot Shredded Chicken! I give you the recipe for both spicy shredded chicken and plain shredded chicken and it is perfect for meal prep and make-ahead meals.
Suitable for Gluten-Free, Paleo and Keto diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Say hello to easy shredded chicken – the perfect chicken to put in chicken tacos, on salads, in soups, on pizza or next to a serving of rice or mac and cheese.
This flavorful Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe is made even easier thanks to the pressure cooker. With only 8 to 10 mins under pressure, your chicken breast will shred soooo easy peasy with a fork.
Related Recipe : Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.
Even better, I’m serving you up 2 Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipes: spicy and plain. ‘Spicy’ is flavoured with tomato salsa, taco seasoning and cilantro (lime optional) and ‘plain’ is simply flavoured with tomato salsa (use as mild or as hot of salsa as you’d like).
Why You’ll Love It
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken is a healthy dish that is packed with protein whilst being low in carbs and calories.
- It is the ideal meal prep recipe – whip up a big batch (or 3) on the weekend and enjoy it all week long.
- It also freezes well, so go ahead and make alllll the Instant Pot Shredded Chicken and stick it in the freezer for those times when you’re short on time but need a meal in a jiffy.
- It produces moist, flavorful chicken (especially moist thanks to the final step, which I’ll explain below.
- It goes with just about everything. See below for some of my favorite ideas.
Tools Needed
KITCHEN TOOLS, UTENSILS & APPLIANCES NEEDED
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, check out my disclosure.
Here are some of the items you will need to make these chicken breasts.
- I use and love the Instant Pot, my extra Instant Pot Insert, and sealing ring.
- You could get a 3 qt Instant Pot or 6 qt Instant Pot depending on family size.
- This cutting board is great for slicing or even shredding your chicken breasts.
- Use shredders or forks to shred your chicken.
- Use some tongs for lifting out the meat, or just carefully use your hands.
- Some measuring jugs or cups or measuring teaspoons will be handy too.
- Store leftover shredded chicken in these bowls with covers.
- And please check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer.
Ready to learn how easy it is to make shredded chicken in Instant Pot? Gather your ingredients and let me show you…..
How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken (Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken)
Note: These directions are for spicy shredded chicken. Full directions and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Add broth to Instant Pot insert and add chickens breast in the broth.
- Mix together, salsa, seasoning of your choice and chilis. (If making plain shredded chicken, you will skip this step.)
- Top chicken breasts with mix. (If making plain shredded chicken, you will top the chicken with the salsa only.)
- Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 8 mins (thin breast) or 10 mins (thick breast). (My chicken breasts were 4 cms/0.4 in thick and took 10 minutes.)
- Do a Natural Pressure Release, take out chicken and shred.
- Sauté the remaining liquid till it reduces in about half, switch off heat and add the shredded chicken back in. (This step adds additional moisture to your meat)
Prep and Storage
Prep ahead – This can be cooked up to a few days in advance and reheated. Store in the fridge for up to three days.
Double the amount and eat with everything – Make double the amount and freeze for some other time or save for another day. A quick weeknight supper solution!
Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.
- Let cool down then transfer into these very handy Ziploc freezer bags.
- Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
- Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for 3 months.
Meal Prep Combinations
Taking the time to meal prep at the beginning of the week is a great way to save time when it really counts on those busy weekdays. And this recipe really is the ideal meal prep ingredient. You can easily keep your family fueled throughout the week by packing healthy, wholesome and tasty lunches.
You really can pair with just about anything to create a wide variety of make-ahead meals that taste amaaaaaazing and are good for you too.
Here are just a few of my very favourite combinations to get you started:
- Chicken Pasta Salad: add Cold noodles + Pesto Sauce
- The Goddess Bowl: add Quinoa + Roasted Veggies + Green Goddess Dressing.
- Build-a-Burrito: add Corn Tortillas + Black Beans + Salsa (the kiddoes love this one!)
- The Zero Points Bowl: add (pictured below) Salad Greens + Cauliflower Rice + Tomatoes + Fat Free Yoghurt
- Soups. Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup or other chicken-based soups
- Chicken tacos (the spicy version is particularly good in tacos)
- Salads – Chinese Chicken Salad.
FAQs
How Many Chicken Breasts Will Make 2 Cups Shredded?
Many recipes call for 2 cups (250g) shredded chicken, so how many chicken breasts will make 2 cups shredded? 0.75 lb (340g) raw boneless skinless chicken breast should give you approximately 2 cups (250g) shredded cooked chicken breast.
How To Shred Chicken?
- Use forks – Simply transfer the cooked meat to a plate or bowl and use two fork to pull it apart and shred
- Use a mixer. Add into a bowl and use an hand mixer or use your stand mixer to shred it. Especially useful if you are doing big quantities.
Can You Use Frozen Chicken Breasts?
Yes you can. Just increase the cook time by about 3-4 minutes.
Seasoning Variations
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
For more chicken recipes why not try these below
- Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken.
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken.
- Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.
- Instant Pot Hibachi Chicken.
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.
Serving Suggestions
Pressure cooker shredded chicken is soooo versatile and can be served with a wide variety of sides for a complete meal. Here are a few ideas:
- Potatoes (Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes or Easy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes)
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Rice – 4 Ways (white rice, brown rice, Jollof rice and Mexican rice)
Weight Watchers Points
For both spicy and plain shredded chicken breast, there are:
- 0 Blue Plan Smartpoints per serving.
Thank you for reading my pressure cooker shredded chicken recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 2 Ways
Ingredients
For spicy chicken:
- 180 ml 0.75 cup chicken broth
- 3 large chicken breasts about 500g/1.1 lbs
- 235 ml 1 cup tomato salsa
- 1 tbsp seasoning of choice
- red pepper flakes to taste
For plain chicken:
- 180 ml 0.75 cup chicken broth
- 3 large chicken breasts about 500g/1.1 lbs
- 235 ml 1 cup tomato salsa
Instructions
For spicy chicken:
- Add broth to Instant Pot insert.
- Add chicken breast in the stock.
- Mix together, salsa, seasoning, coriander, lime zest (and red pepper flakes if using).
- Top chicken breast with mix.
- Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 8 mins (thin breast) or 10 mins (thick breast).
- Do a NPR and take out chicken and shred.
- Sauté the remaining liquid till it reduces in about half, switch off heat and add the shredded chicken back in.
For plain chicken:
- Add broth to Instant Pot insert.
- Add chicken breast in the broth.
- Top chicken breast with salsa.
- Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 8 mins (thin breast) or 10 mins (thick breast).
- Do a NPR and take out chicken and shred.
- Sauté the remaining liquid till it reduces in about half, switch off heat and add the shredded chicken back in.
Notes
- This serves 6 if you are serving it with other food (tacos, salsa, avocado, etc). If you want it to be the main component of your meal, it will serve 3-4.
- To freeze, simply place it in freezer-safe bags or containers until needed.
- The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure and the time for the natural pressure release.
- 0 Blue Plan Smartpoints per serving
- Potatoes (Easy Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes or Easy Instant Pot Baked Potatoes)
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Rice – 4 Ways (white rice, brown rice, Jollof rice and Mexican rice)
I saved the leftover juices and made a soup later with shredded cabbage and diced chicken. It was amazing!
The instructions include coriander and lime zest, but they are not in the ingredient list. Amounts?
This is a great, easy, multi use recipe!!! I have made it 5 times!!! It is a versatile dish that can be used in tacos, casseroles, salads, wraps, etc… I keep a bowl in the refrigerator for quick meals!
This sounds great but could you tell me what you mean by “chili to taste” what kind of chili are you speaking of?
This is second time I have made this recipe… Thank you for it. It is so versatile and I have used it in Taco’s, as an entree, on a salad, as a wrap and as a base in a stuffed pepper casserole. All that from one recipe!!! I love the flavor and so easy to do. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I am from the UK, please can you tell me what the salsa is that you use in this recipe, so that I can replace with something equivalent.
wow, this dish looks delicious, i also want to try it, thank you for sharing the way.
I need to get myself an Instant Pot! They look so handy and make things so easy!
Gotta love how quick and easy the Instant Pot makes cooking chicken – love the spicy version!
that sounds delicious. thanks for sharing!
I love how easy this looks and that it has so many uses. Definitely worth the extra step to get more moisture in the chicken as that can be a challenge with chicken breast.
This sounds like such an easy recipe and one that my family would love. I’ve never made pulled chicken before (we usually do pulled pork) but this would be so much lighter and healthier.