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GET IT NOWMy Instant Pot Chicken Breast Is The Best Way To Make Shredded Chicken
Probably the #1 staple I make ahead all the time is big batches of this Instant Pot chicken breast to use for other recipes. (I meal prep barbacoa beef and pulled pork too, but let’s be real, cooking chicken breast is by far the most essential.) I used to pull out my slow cooker for this, but back in 2017 I discovered that it’s so much faster to make shredded chicken breast in my Instant Pot. Let me show you why you need this recipe:
- Fastest way to make shredded chicken – The prep is as easy and care-free as my slow cooker, but it only takes me around 10 minutes (okay, plus some time for the Instant Pot to pressurize). It’s convenient not to have to plan so far ahead!
- Perfect flavor and texture – It’s juicy, it’s flavorful, it’s amazing whole but also shreds effortlessly. There’s so much I love about this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe. You can even use a similar method to make Instant Pot turkey breast (though I don’t shred that one).
- Time chart for any quantity, fresh or frozen – I went through pounds and pounds of chicken to test my handy time chart for you. And now I actually reference it myself when I make chicken breast in my Instant Pot!
I don’t think I’ll ever make shredded chicken another way again. Try these Instant Pot chicken breasts with me, and you might say the same!
How To Cook Chicken Breast In The Instant Pot
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Season the chicken breast in the Instant Pot. Place the pieces on the bottom (I don’t use the trivet here), and season with Italian seasoning (or any other spices you like), salt, and pepper. Pour chicken broth around the sides of the chicken. Don’t stir.
- Pressure cook the chicken. Close the lid and select the either the “Poultry” or “Manual” setting (for high pressure). Set the time based on the amount of chicken you have — use my time chart below.
- Release the pressure. Let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes. Then you can vent to quick release remaining pressure, or continue natural release. See my tips on this below.
- Shred the cooked chicken. I have a few different ways to shred chicken here.
My Recipe Tips
- Pour the broth around the chicken, not over it. This way, there’s enough liquid for the Instant Pot, but you won’t wash off the seasonings. You can use store-bought chicken broth, my homemade chicken broth, or even bone broth. Water works in a pinch, but is less flavorful.
- Feel free to customize the spices. I usually use Italian seasoning for my Instant Pot shredded chicken, because it goes with almost everything. But for Mexican recipes, I love it with my taco seasoning. You can also just add garlic powder, paprika, or individual dried herbs. At a minimum, I recommend salt and pepper, otherwise the shredded chicken tastes like nothing.
- For the most juicy, tender chicken, wait for natural release. Don’t worry, this is not required, and I do use quick release (after waiting 5 minutes) all the time. But I definitely notice a difference in tenderness and can shred the chicken more easily when I wait for the natural release to finish.
- Check that the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. I use this meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It almost always does using my time chart (below), but if not, put the lid back on for 5 minutes and wait to see if it does from the residual heat. If the temperature is still too low, seal again and pressure cook for another 2 minutes.
- You can also enjoy Instant Pot chicken breasts whole. I mostly make this recipe when I need shredded chicken, but you don’t have to shred it. You can totally serve it as a meal with your favorite side dish — or make my Instant Pot chicken and rice for a one-pot meal.
- Can you use this method with other cuts? Yes, it works with boneless chicken thighs, too. For bone-in, skin-on cuts, I recommend following my recipe for Instant Pot chicken legs instead.
How Long To Pressure Cook Chicken?
Instant Pot chicken breast time depends on how much you’re cooking at once, and whether it’s fresh or frozen. My rule of thumb is to start at 4 minutes for 1 pound, and add an extra 1-2 minutes for each additional pound. Add about 5 minutes to that time if your chicken is frozen.
After testing each weight amount (and over 20 pounds of shredded chicken later!), I’ve created this time chart, so you never have to guess. These times are for an Instant Pot this size, which I used to test.
| Amount of Chicken Breast by Weight | # Servings On Recipe Card | Cook Time (Fresh Chicken) | Cook Time (Frozen Chicken) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb | 5 | 4 minutes | 9 minutes |
| 2 lb | 10 | 5 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 3 lb | 15 | 6 minutes | 11 minutes |
| 4 lb | 20 | 8 minutes | 13 minutes |
| 5 lb | 25 | 10 minutes | 15 minutes |
- What these times mean: These are the times you enter on your Instant Pot, and do not include time it takes to build pressure.
- How to scale the recipe: My chart above includes a column for “# Servings On Recipe Card” — this is what you’d set on the recipe card (at the bottom of this post) in the Servings section, to scale the ingredients to the amount of chicken you have.
- Don’t scale the amount of broth: You always need 1 cup of chicken broth for Instant Pot chicken breasts, whether you’re making 1 pound, 5 pounds, or anything in between.
- A note on chicken breast size: My cook times are based on typical 8-ounce chicken breasts that I usually buy. If yours are larger, you may need to increase the time by a couple of minutes.
FYI: One pound of raw chicken will make 2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken.
You can make up to 5 pounds of chicken breast in the Instant Pot at once, if yours is 6 quarts like mine. I usually stick to no more than 4 pounds, as 5 pounds doesn’t always cook evenly.
Shredding Methods
One of the things I love about Instant Pot chicken breast is how easy it is to shred it! You have a few options here:
- Two Forks – Use them to shred chicken breast directly in the Instant Pot. Hold a piece of chicken steady with one fork, then pull and tear away the shredded pieces with the other… and repeat. Sometimes I use meat shredding claws like this, which work the same way, but faster.
- Hand Mixer – This is my favorite method, because it’s so quick but the cleanup is still minimal. Drain some of the liquid temporarily (so it doesn’t splash all over you), then place the beaters into the pot and turn on the mixer to shred. If your hand mixer has a slow start feature, like this mixer I have, that helps to reduce splattering.
- Stand Mixer – A stand mixer works the same way as a hand mixer, except you’ll need to transfer the chicken into the mixer bowl.
Instant Pot Chicken Breast (Fresh Or Frozen)
By
Instant Pot chicken breast is easy, juicy, and fast! Use my time chart to make it from fresh or frozen chicken, then enjoy whole or shred.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Place the chicken into the Instant Pot. Season with Italian seasoning (if you like), sea salt, and black pepper. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the chicken.
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Close the lid and select the either the "Poultry" or "Manual" setting. Set the time to 8 minutes for fresh chicken breast, or 13 minutes for frozen chicken breast — or use the time chart in the post above to cook other weights. (These times are for typical 8 ounce chicken breasts. If yours are larger, add a couple of minutes.)
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When the time is up, let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes. After that, you can turn the valve to "Vent" for quick release if you're in a hurry, or continue natural release for the most tender texture.
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Unplug the pressure cooker and use two forks to shred the chicken. (I prefer to do this right in the pressure cooker, mixing with the juices.) Drain if serving right away, or store with the broth to retain moisture.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Tips: See my recipe tips to help you get juicy, tender shredded chicken, ways to customize the spices, and how to cook if you prefer your chicken breasts whole instead of shredded.
- Scaling the recipe: Check out my handy time chart for cooking different weights of chicken, plus some tips on scaling up or down.
- Storage: If you’ll use the chicken this week, you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. I store it with the juices to retain moisture.
- How to freeze: While I do keep a bit in the fridge when I need it, I always make a big batch of this Instant Pot chicken breast so that I can freeze it! After letting it cool, portion it out into zip lock bags (I recommend 1-pound portions for recipes) and freeze flat. Once solid, you can store the bags upright in the freezer for 3-6 months. Sometimes I use my vacuum sealer to make it last even longer without freezer burn, or freeze in these cubes for perfect portions — each section is about a pound.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Freezer Meal System!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe
Ways To Use It
There are probably a hundred ways that I use my Instant Pot shredded chicken breast. Here are some of my faves you can try:
- Casseroles – The #1 way I use shredded chicken is for my family’s favorite casserole, chicken bacon ranch casserole. It’s perfect for my chicken Cordon Bleu casserole or chicken zucchini casserole as well.
- Salads – I always use this for classic chicken salad, but also for my other creamy ones, like Mediterranean chicken salad and avocado chicken salad. You can top your leafy salads, such as green goddess salad or Cobb salad, too.
- Soups – While you can totally cook chicken breast while your soup cooks, sometimes I toss in pre-made Instant Pot chicken breast for a time-saving shortcut. Try it in my spaghetti squash chicken soup or healthy detox soup.
- Sandwiches – Make them with one of my chicken salads (above), or mix the chicken with my sugar free BBQ sauce and melt cheese on top.
- Dips – Stir it into my crack dip or queso dip for added protein, or use your pressure cooker again to make Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.
- Mexican Dishes – If you make it with taco seasoning like I suggested above, my Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is perfect for tacos with fresh salsa, a quick burrito bowl, chicken stuffed peppers, stuffed poblano peppers, or taco salad with my homemade salsa.
- Side Dishes – If you want to serve your Instant Pot chicken breasts whole, make my roasted broccoli, sauteed green beans, or air fryer potatoes at the same time for easy sides.
136 Comments
Tanya Christensen
0I tried the recipe as written. I used a cup of chicken broth with two mostly frozen chicken breasts. I weighed them and used the chart to choose the correct timing. They burned on the bottom and the instant pot had to turn itself off.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tanya, I’m not sure why this would have happened. It sounds like you would need more broth if it all evaporated while cooking.
rezwan
0It is really helpful to have your contents, I am also trying.
Sharina
0Used this Instant Pot shredded chicken for our taco night, it was one of the best! Perfectly cooked and seasoned!
Erin
0The best way to make shredded chicken, IMO. Easy-to-follow recipe that turns out perfectly every time.
Maryam
0Great idea for meal prepping- I use this shredded chicken for tacos and burritos and for quick paninis and it is perfect every time!
Michele
0Great recipe. Love that you listed the times depending on the size and amount of chicken we will be using. Thanks.
Donna Ball
0I did one hefty chicken breast for 8 minutes and natural release. It was still red in a spot. Pressure cooked it for 4 more minutes with natural release and the meat was cooked and delicious. Just cooked it in water on trivet with salt.
dave
0My jobar pressure cooker does not have a quick release it has a knob air vent how do I set it up?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dave, Unfortunately, I don’t use that kind of pressure cooker, so I can’t say for sure how to set it up.
Carolyn
0A couple of questions, I went to make this recipe but reread my instant pot directions and (I have the Duo) it says a minimum of 2 cups of liquid is needed and the chart also says 8 minute cook time for 1 lb of chicken breast. Your recipe has 1 cup of liquid and 8 minutes for 4 lbs of chicken breast. Can you reassure me that I can follow your recipe without issues? (right now, I decided to put in 2cups of liquid and 2 lbs of chicken rather than 4 lbs and cook for 8 minutes but I’d like your guidance). Thank you.
Wholesome Yum D
1Hi Carolyn, This recipe has always worked for me, but I have a different Instant Pot. I would follow your particular appliance instructions. There shouldn’t be any issue with having more liquid and you can always drain the excess after cooking if you need to.
Melinda
0Thank you for the cooking chart! So very helpful!
Jeannie
0Great flavor, moist, tender. This is a perfect recipe for summertime in the desert.
Dianna
0Can you use bone-in chicken breasts? Will the pressure time be different with bone-in?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Dianna, Yes, you can use bone-in but you will have to add more time. I also find it more convenient to shred boneless ones.
Amy L Huntley
0This chicken is so tender and packed full of delicious flavor!
Bernice
0Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, I am looking for meal prep recipes to do some batch cooking. It’s always a good idea to have pre cooked chicken ready for a simple meal or even just a sandwich!
wilhelmina
0This is my favorite way to prep chicken breasts for the week. So easy and so versatile. I won’t ever go back!
Taylor
0This chicken is SO easy and turns out perfectly tender and delicious each time. I love to make a big batch on Monday and use it for different lunches and dinners throughout the weeks. It works great for salads, wraps, soups, tacos and much more!
Taryn
0Very helpful. It turned out great.
Donna Batrone
0The best! So easy to make and so useful for so many recipes!
Shelby
0This came out so juicy! I’ve been using as a meal prep recipe because it’s so simple too!
Erin
0Looks good.