Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Total Time
25 mins
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Rating
4.7 out of 5 stars
(54)
Ingredients
6-8 servings
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken stock (or water)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
How would you rate this recipe?
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the ingredients. Add the chicken breasts, seasoning and chicken stock to the bowl of your pressure cooker. Give everything a brief toss to combine, then arrange the chicken breasts so that they are spread out in an even layer.
Step 2
Pressure cook. Cover and set the pressure cooker lid valve to “sealing.” Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, followed by a 5 minute natural release, followed by a quick release (carefully flip the valve to “venting”) to release whatever pressure remains.
Step 3
Shred. Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the chicken. Give it a thorough toss with the remaining juices in the pressure cooker.
Step 4
Serve or store. Serve the chicken while it’s nice and warm. Or transfer it to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (If freezing, I recommend portioning the chicken in small storage containers or storage bags, so that you have the option to thaw and use small portions rather than having to thaw the entire batch.)
Step 5
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Use different seasonings:
In place of the paprika/garlic powder blend, feel free to instead use a few teaspoons of
Use frozen chicken:
To use frozen instead of fresh (thawed) chicken, just add 2 extra minutes to the high pressure cook time.
Add a bay leaf:
I always love the extra flavor of bay leaf with chicken, too. Just nestle one bay leaf in with the chicken, then discard after cooking.
Add diced tomatoes:
If you would like to mix some diced tomatoes into the chicken, just add in 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes with their juices and use 2/3 cup (instead of 1 cup) chicken stock.
