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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

This is the easiest, no-fail way to make shredded chicken in your Instant Pot. And you can use it in so many different recipes!

Instant pot shredded chicken in rectangle glass container

What type of chicken is best for shredding?

I strongly prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe. Why? Because they are by FAR the easiest and most forgiving cut of meat to cook in the Instant Pot.

Chicken breasts are okay, but they are more likely to dry out if you do not get the cooking time *just* right.

If you have been looking at other Instant Pot shredded chicken recipes, you may notice that the cook times vary a WHOLE lot. Has anybody else noticed that?

Instant Pot official guidelines put chicken breasts somewhere in the range of 8 to 10 minutes, and chicken thighs from 10 to 15 minutes.

But! Some people let their chicken cook thirty minutes or more! That will make them fork tender; however they will technically be overcooked and will seem a little string-y in texture. 

Those chicken thighs, though.

Instant pot chicken thighs on white plate, in preparation for making Instant Pot shredded chicken

They come out tender and juicy every time I make them. And there is no need to overcook them to get them tender. What can I say? I love when results are reliably good!

Instant Pot shredded chicken on white plate with forks

Now another note about cook times in general. Since pressure cooking accelerates the cooking time, that sweet spot (where meat is tender, juicy and fully cooked) is a little bit harder to achieve. When the cooking time is accelerated, that window narrows.

Since chicken thighs are naturally juicy, they are pretty forgiving if you overcook a minute or two.

Chicken breasts? Not so much.

If I still have not convinced you, or perhaps you only have chicken breasts on hand, see the notes in the recipe card below for instructions on how to make Instant Pot shredded chicken with breasts.

Ingredients

Here is what I use to make my simple Instant Pot shredded chicken.

raw meat and seasonings on a white surface with label text overlay

As always, use the best quality ingredients that you have access to. 

Cook time

Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Use a trivet or steamer basket to put the chicken thighs on. 

raw chicken thighs in Instant Pot

Cook the chicken thighs on high pressure for 13 minutes, and then quick release the pressure.

Remove the cooked thighs from the Instant Pot.

Instant pot chicken thighs on white plate, in preparation for making Instant Pot shredded chicken

Shred the chicken with two forks.

Instant Pot shredded chicken on white plate with forks

Recipes that use Instant Pot shredded chicken

As for what recipes to use shredded chicken in? I have a bunch of great suggestions!

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links. Shopping through these links supports A Pinch of Healthy at no extra cost to you.

How to Make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

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Instant pot shredded chicken in rectangle glass container
5 from 6 votes
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

This is the easiest way to make shredded chicken in your Instant Pot. And you can use it in so many different recipes!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken, instant pot, shredded
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 142 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1.3 pounds raw boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon salt (I use about 1/4 teaspoon per thigh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper (I use about 1/8 teaspoon per thigh)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic (I use about 1/4 teaspoon per thigh)

Instructions

  1. Generously season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.

  2. Add 1 cup water to the Instant Pot

  3. Put the trivet in the pot, and place the chicken thighs on top of the trivet.

  4. Put the lid on the pot, lock and seal it; set the cook time to 13 minutes manual high pressure.

  5. After the chicken has finished cooking, use the quick release to release the pressure.

  6. Remove the chicken thighs, and shred with two forks.

    This is the easiest, no-fail way to make shredded chicken in your Instant Pot. And you can use it in so many different recipes! | APinchOfHealthy.com

  7. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or the freezer (airtight container) for up to three months.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

Cooking times were based on Instant Pot official guidelines. Actual cooking times may vary, based on the size and weight of your meat.

If you want to make this recipe with chicken breasts, just adjust the cook time to 8 minutes or so (this may vary with chicken breast size), and use the quick release. They may not be as tender and flavorful as the thighs, but it'll still work! If you want the fall-apart version, increase cook time to 30 minutes, and do a quick release. They will be fall-apart tender, but the texture will be more string-y. We do not prefer this version, but many people love it.

Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 142 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 112mg37%
Sodium 570mg25%
Potassium 296mg8%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 30IU1%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Instant Pot shredded chicken originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy November 30, 2016. It has been updated with new photos.

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Related posts:

  1. Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
  2. Instant Pot Oatmeal (pot-in-pot + regular methods)
  3. Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch (Instant Pot or stovetop)
  4. Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (Instant Pot or stovetop)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Baguio says

    Wow, this is really impressive and delicious.
    I’ve been out of idea on what to cook at home, until I bumped up into your content.
    I’d recommend this to my family and my friends.

    Thank you so much!

    Reply

  3. chienfou says

    I am trying to figure out why it says cook time 18 minutes in the top of the recipe but then cook for 13 minutes in the body of the recipe (step 4). Is that to allow for the warm up time of the instant pot, or is that a typo/math error due to the 5 min prep time?

    Reply

  4. Jane Hall says

    Made this last night so I could have the chicken thighs already shredded to make enchiladas today. Only thing I did different was to add three Knorr low-salt chicken pods to nine cups of water… just figured I’d make the chicken AND broth at the same time (I go through a lot of chicken broth and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone, lol).

    Reply

  5. Austra Freeman says

    First of all, i hope you’re feeling better! My Instapot says to add at least 18oz of water to create enough pressure. So that’s over 2 cups of liquid. how is everyone using only 1 cup? Also, my trivet looks different from yours. My chicken thighs were sitting in the water almost totally submerged. Also I had 1.5 lbs and I cooked high pressure 14 minutes and they seemed a tad under-cooked. The meat thermometer went over 165 while still in the instapot, but as soon as I got them out i stuck another thigh and it was maybe 140. They had that smell of under-cooked chicken. However they shredded very nicely and I just warmed them up in the microwave. I will say it was my first experience with thighs and they were a little oily for my taste. that’s after I spent quite a bit of time trimming as much fat as i could. i see what you’re saying about breasts being rubbery though.
    next I’m making hamburger soup!

    Reply

      • austra freeman says

        Hi There! my instapot is a duo and it’s the medium size – not the smallest and not the largest. the hamburger soup was a huge hit!!!

        Reply

  6. Erin b says

    5 stars
    PERFECTLY COOKED!!! I did a cup of corona light placed the chicken on the trivet, cut up an onion, added garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cooked to your instructions, shredded and put under the broiler for yummy carnitas. this is the first time the chicken hasn’t been mush – thank you!!!

    Reply

  7. Mary Lou Garcia-Pereda says

    5 stars
    I’m so glad I found this!! I love using this method to make my chicken salad. I actually season the thighs as indicated and use BTB chicken base, with crushed garlic and minced ginger (2 flavors I love!) to increase the health benefits for me.

    Reply

  8. Melanie C Webb says

    5 stars
    AMAZING!!! I’ve tried instantpot chicken breasts for shedded meat for enchiladas, but they were rubbery. The thighs were perfect…..just the way you described. I’ll never go back!

    Reply

  10. vanessa says

    Wondering why the cooked chicken breasts have some natural release time but the shredded chicken has quick release.

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Hey Vanessa! Great question. Chicken thighs are more forgiving and can totally handle a quick release and still shred all nice and tender.👌🏻 You could do them with some natural release. It’s just a little quicker to do the QR. Hope that makes sense!

      Reply

  11. Rachel says

    5 stars
    Doubled the recipe and it still came out perfect. This is my new go-to shredded chicken recipe. I used it a buffalo chicken casserole and my guests loved it. Thanks!

    Reply

  13. Lisa Gendotti says

    Large batch adjustment….I’m new to using the instant pot and still trying to figure out adjustments for larger batches. I have the 8qt and would like to do 3 lbs of thighs. Can you suggest how to adjust the recipe for this?

    Reply

    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      Hi Lisa! I am not 100% sure about that. I am actually considering buying an 8 quart myself, just to test recipes because I get so many questions from people about 8 quarts. Purely guessing, I would think you can use the same cook time. I have done 2 lbs in the 6 quart without any issue, so I am guessing the 8 qt could handle 3 pounds. Hope that helps! Let me know if you try it.

      Reply

  15. Heidi Fogle says

    I have found that this shreds amazingly well with my paddle attachment on the KitchenAid mixer. I saw on Youtube that some use regular beaters and a hand mixer, even. Wow! in less than a minute, while still warm from deboning, I had amazing shredded chicken!

    Reply

  16. tch0rt says

    Have you tried this method with frozen thighs? I’m curious how long it would take. I just got my InstantPot and I’m still figuring everything out. Cooking meat from frozen is one of the biggest reasons I got a pressure cooker instead of just another rice cooker.

    Your culinary goals seem pretty well aligned with mine (ie: Cook the meat, don’t destroy the meat) and you seem to have a good handle on this recipe. 🙂

    Reply

    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      Yes, and it does work most of the time. I will say that the results are more reliable with thawed ones. But! If you go frozen, make sure they are separated out in individual pieces. One solid block of multiple chicken thighs will not cook all the way through. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  18. Melodious says

    Thank you for your suggestions and tips! I am also a longtime fan of chicken thighs. Now I have an easier method to make chicken salad for workweek lunches. I just love my Instant Pot, and I’m buying some of those containers via your link. I was just thinking I needed some more, so seeing your link was a great reminder and a small way of thanking you for your post all in one.

    Reply

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