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This Instant Pot shredded chicken is a weeknight dinner lifesaver! This simple method makes juicy, flavorful chicken that’s perfect for meal prep or adding to recipes. We love it for topping tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, salads, and more.
Why we love this recipe
Hello and welcome to our new favorite weeknight dinner (really!): Instant Pot shredded chicken! The back story: Alex has been looking for some ways to have easy meals ready in the evenings. He came up with the idea of pulling out our Instant Pot which had been gathering some dust in the corner.
He created this shredded chicken recipe which is so easy: it’s just a matter of “set it and forget it.” It comes out perfectly seasoned and juicy, with just the right flavor and texture! Our kids both love it and we use it for topping salads, tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and our son’s favorite easy dinner idea: walking tacos!
Featured reader comment
“This Instant Pot shredded chicken is a super easy and quick recipe: the chicken tastes so good and the seasoning is perfect! We had it in tacos with bean dip, some pico, and cheese. A fantastic dinner that is easily doable on a weeknight!” -Tanvee
How to make Instant Pot shredded chicken
Here’s our method for how to make shredded chicken in an Instant Pot. It makes for perfectly cooked, juicy shredded in just 25 minutes. Here’s what to do:
Step 1: Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and toss it with kosher salt and seasonings using tongs. Pour in the water and cover.
Step 2: Pressure cook on High for 12 minutes. (It takes about 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to “preheat” before the cooking starts.) Then Natural Release for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Open the lid and use a potato masher to shred the chicken. Or, place the chicken on a cutting board until cool enough to touch, then use your fingers to shred.
Storing leftovers
One important tip for this Instant Pot chicken: store the chicken in the cooking liquid until serving. This helps keep it nice and moist. If you’re serving it within a few hours, you can use the “Keep Warm” setting on the Instant Pot. Otherwise, refrigerate it for up to 3 days and reheat before serving.
Types of pressure cookers
You can make this Instant Pot chicken recipe in any type of pressure cooker. Alex and I use the Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker, so this recipe is customized to this type and size of pressure cooker.
We can’t speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers and how they might be different for this recipe. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so adjust as necessary.
Ways to serve Instant pot shredded chicken
There are so many ways to use Instant Pot shredded chicken. The spices make it savory and seasoned, and it can work in many different types of cuisines. Here are some of the ways we like to use it (and there are many more):
- Tacos: Build your own or replace the chicken in our chicken tacos.
- Burrito bowls: Try this quick burrito bowl recipe.
- Nachos: Try this sheet pan nachos recipe.
- Enchiladas: Use it in this chicken enchiladas.
- Main dish salads: Add it to a Mediterranean salad or Fajita salad.
- Chicken salad: Use it in tarragon chicken salad.
- Soups: Stir it into lemon chicken orzo soup, kale soup or cabbage soup.
- Quesadillas: Add it to an easy quesadilla.
More favorite chicken dinners
There are so many fun ways to enjoy chicken for dinner! Try some of our fan favorite chicken dinner ideas like:
- Make quick sophisticated chicken paillard or chicken piccata.
- Go for chicken thighs, baked chicken thighs, or honey garlic chicken thighs.
- Make Instant Pot shredded chicken, or for festive occasions bake French onion chicken.
- Mix up basics like baked chicken breast or pan seared chicken breast.
- Make creamy skillets like tarragon chicken, lemon garlic chicken or Tuscan chicken.
Dietary notes
This Instant Pot shredded chicken recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Frequently asked questions
It’s recommended! Allowing the pressure to release naturally for about 5 minutes helps the chicken retain moisture and become more tender. After the natural release, you can do a quick release to vent any remaining pressure.
Absolutely! Get creative with your seasonings. You can add seasoning blends like taco seasoning or other purchased blends to the pot. You can also cook the chicken in salsa or broth for extra flavor.
We like using a potato masher! If that doesn’t work for you, you can use your hands. A stand mixer can also work.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
This Instant Pot shredded chicken is a weeknight dinner lifesaver! This simple method makes juicy, flavorful chicken that’s perfect for meal prep or adding to recipes. We love it for topping tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, salads, and more.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Chicken
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin (or double; see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and toss it with the kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and smoked paprika using tongs. Pour in the water and cover with the lid.
- Cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes several minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.
- Wait for natural release: After the pot beeps, use the Natural Release method and wait another 5 minutes to let the pot cool down naturally (we set a timer). Then vent any remaining steam by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. (Never put your hands or face near the steam release valve when releasing steam.)
- Open the pressure cooker lid. Use a potato masher to shred the chicken (or, place the chicken on a cutting board until cool enough to touch, then use your fingers to shred the chicken). Store the chicken in the cooking liquid until serving (you can use the Keep Warm setting on the Instant Pot if desired). Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Notes
If you’re planning to use this shredded chicken in nachos, burrito bowls, or tacos, feel free to increase the cumin to 1 ½ or 2 teaspoons.
can this be done if you have frozen chicken?
I’m not sure, sorry!
The chicken is really good! The seasoning is perfect and you can layer the flavours wonderfully with other ingredients. We’re having it as tacos with your black bean dip as the base on the tortilla, then the chicken, some pico and some shredded cheese. A fantastic dinner that is easily doable on a weeknight!