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A big bowl of instant pot shredded chicken being served with a spoon.
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5 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Breast

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: One of the easiest things to cook and such a great way to create the building block for any meal. Your chicken can be seasoned with just about anything your heart desires and will always be perfectly juicy and moist.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Pressure Release Time7 minutes
Total Time32 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy chicken recipe, instant pot chicken recipe, paleo chicken recipe
Cooking Method: Instant Pot
Servings: 6
Calories: 279kcal
Author: Kari
Cost: $7

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 - 2 tbsp Seasoning of Your Choice If using a dry rub, fully coat chicken. If using salt and pepper, Herbes de Provence, or 21 Seasoning Salute, season generously. (You should only need 1 tbsp.)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ - 1 cup chicken broth This is optional, but if you have a tendency to get a burn notice on your Instant Pot, you should use this.

Instructions

  • Trim fat from chicken breasts.
  • Dry rub and marinate chicken for 30 minutes. (1 - 2 tbsp of dry rub depending on the amount of meat.)
  • If you are not using a dry rub, toss chicken in Herbes de Provence (or other seasoning) with 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl to coat fully.
  • Press the Saute button on your Instant Pot and add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat olive oil for 30 - 60 seconds. The Instant Pot heats pretty quickly as the metal bowl is very thin.
  • Add your chicken breasts and let them sear for about a minute.
  • Flip your chicken over so each side has a light sear.
  • Press the "Keep Warm/Off" button or just "Off" if you have a newer Instant Pot.
  • It has been brought to my attention that a lot of people are experiencing a "burn" issue when they are cooking chicken in their Instant Pot. If this has happened to you, place your seared chicken on a trivet or sling over 1/2 - 1 cup of chicken broth.
  • Turn your vent to the closed position and press the poultry button.
  • It should take approximately 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and 15 minutes for the chicken to cook. Your results will vary based on the temperature of your chicken, your home, and your altitude.
  • When the timer goes off, you can manually release the pressure or as I prefer, wait for it to release on its own. This should take 5 - 10 minutes. Make sure you press the "Keep Warm/Off" button before you do either of those things to speed the process along.
  • Carefully remove your chicken from the Instant Pot and shred. It will be hot.

Notes

I have gotten some feedback from readers, so I wanted to add a few notes:
If you are worried about getting a “burn” notice when cooking chicken, you can “deglaze” the bottom of your pot with 1/2 - 1 cup of chicken broth after searing your chicken, then cook the chicken on the trivet in your Instant Pot. If you cook it directly in the liquid, it will be really juicy, but can come out kind of bland.
I don’t ever use liquid when cooking chicken - I have always thought that the extra liquid sucked the flavor out of the chicken. My Instant Pot is a 6 quart DUO from 2012. I don’t know if that has anything to do with my results, but I never ever get a burn notice - not once. I’ve cooked chicken this way 2 - 3 times a week since 2012 and have not ever had an issue. *shrug*  Since it seems to happen a lot to others, I’m going to recommend that you add liquid and cook on a trivet if you have ever experienced that.
The other issue that has been brought to my attention is the long cooking time. Yep, 15 minutes is a long time. BUT, this makes the chicken fall-apart tender and loaded with flavor. We love to eat it this way, but if you don’t, you can certainly reduce the cooking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Protein: 48g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 839mg | Vitamin A: 70IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.8mg