Benefits Of Making Chicken In An Instant Pot
There are a lot of positives to making any food in the instant pot, but here are some of the reasons I LOVE to cook chicken in the instant pot:
Win-win-win-win!
Cooking chicken in the instant pot can also help reduce food waste and save money. I dont know about you, but I always forget about my frozen chicken in the freezer! Then by the time Ive thawed it, Ive forgotten about it again, and the chicken ends up rotten in the garbage.
Recipe Ingredients And Variations
Youll surely be amazed by the flavor combination of these easy and simple ingredients:
- Chicken Breasts Our basic ingredient here! Low in fat and lots of protein.
- Salt A basic ingredient that intensifies all other flavors. its also used for preserving, brining or simply as a light garnish.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper peppers distinct flavor somehow pairs well with just about any savory food.
- Olive Oil an aromatic oil perfect for all types of meats and veggies.
- Onion This veggie is great served fresh with its tangy flavor. I personally love it slightly caramelized for a bit of sweetness. Heres an easy guide to cut your onions.
- Roma Tomatoes Also known as plum tomatoes, this ingredient gives a distinct tangy freshness
- Garlic A go-to for just about every chicken dish to bring out the flavor
- Chicken Broth Basically the water where the chicken was boiled and simmered. It has a lot of flavors and its also filled with oils and collagen.
Want to tweak the recipe a bit? Well, of course, you can!
You can also use different seasonings like these ones below:
Or make it simple by just only adding salt and pepper instead.
How To Shred Chicken Breasts
Shredding chicken breast by fork:
Probably the easiest and most commonly used technique is to shred the meat by hand. Once the chicken is fully cooked in the pressure cooker, remove it onto a plate. Then, simply hold one fork still in the center of your chicken and use a second fork to pull the shreds apart.
Use the liquid from the pot to mix some with the meat, to make it juicy and flavorful.
Shredding chicken breast by hand:
Once the meat is fully cooked in the pressure cooker, remove it into a plate. Using both hands, start tearing apart the chicken breasts and shred into small pieces.
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Why This Shredded Chicken In Instant Pot Works
- SO SO easy and basically hands-off.
- The chicken ends up perfectly cooked every time.
- Juicy, tender, and flavourful chicken ready to be used in all kinds of recipes.
- Fantastic for meal prep. Make a lot and use it throughout the week.
- Freezer friendly which means you can make a big batch and freeze some for later.
- Such a versatile ingredient used in so many ways from soups, salads, casseroles, and wraps.
How To Actually Shred The Chicken
Once you’ve opened your Instant Pot, you can drain the remaining water and leave the meat in the pot. Now grab two forks and pull that chicken apart. It should be nice and juicy and pull apart beautifully.
If the old fashion way doesn’t suit you, you can also use a hand-held emersion blender or a Kitchen Aid blender, but that seems like unnecessary clean up to me.
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What If Chicken Breasts Are Not Cooked Fully
A cooked chicken breast should have an internal temperature of about 165 degrees F before safe to consume. Once you have cooked it in the pressure cooker, we recommend you measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer.
If the internal temperature is less than 160 degrees, place the chicken breasts back inside, and cover the lid. Cook for another 3-5 minutes on high pressure.
How To Cook Chicken In Instant Pot
Not only can you cook fresh chicken in instant pot, but you can also cook frozen chicken in it. In fact, pressure cookers are great for cooking food from frozen.
To cook chicken in instant pot, first of all, clean the chicken and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Season the chicken and if you have time, put it in the fridge to marinate.
Cook- Saute and pressure cook for the stated cooking time.
Serve and enjoy.
The above is a general guide and the below recipes have their own different cooking instructions so follow the unique instructions.
Also Check: Why Does My Instapot Say Burn
Shred The Chicken In The Stand Mixer
While you dont have to use a stand mixer, it makes shredding the chicken super quick and easy.
- Remove the chicken from the pot. Strain the broth and reserve for other recipes.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Turn the machine on low and shred the chicken until your desired texture. This should take 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can shred the chicken by hand with a fork.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Recipe Variations
Shredded Salsa Chicken great for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads and bowls, nachos, wraps, etc.
Replace the water or broth with 1 cup of your favorite salsa, standard spicy tomato, salsa verde, roasted chipotle, pico de gallo, etc. Once you remove the chicken, if the liquid is too watery, you can reduce the salsa by setting the Instant Pot to saute then press adjust until the light over less is lit. Cook until the sauce is thickened, a few minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from burning or sticking. Remove the pot from the pressure cooker and set aside on a hot pad or trivet. Add back the shredded chicken.
BBQ Pulled Chicken great on your favorite salad, sandwich or wrap.
Swap the water for 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce plus 2 tablespoons of water or broth. Add 2 minced garlic cloves or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. At the end, remove the chicken and on the Instant Pot, hit saute then press adjust until the light over less is lit.) Cook until the BBQ sauce thickens, a few minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from burning or sticking. Remove the pot from the pressure cooker and set aside on a hot pad or trivet. Add back the shredded chicken.
Buffalo-Style Shredded Chicken great on your favorite salad, sandwich or wrap.
Hawaiian Kalua Chicken delicious with shredded cabbage, over cauliflower rice, a salad or veggies
To the Instant Pot add 1 tablespoon liquid smoke and use Hawaiian Salt instead of standard sea salt.
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Tips For Making Chicken In Instant Pot
What About Using Frozen Chicken
Im so glad you asked! Ever find yourself at 6pm staring into your refrigerator and freezer and wondering: What can I cook for dinner, and quick? Im pretty sure weve all been there, and its no fun. But on those nights, our Instant Pot has become our best friend, for being able to whip up a quick and delicious dinner.
Something magical happens when the frozen chicken breast is cooked in the Instant Pot because it comes out as the most tender, juicy, and flavorful chicken weve ever had. And now that we know that, there is no going back. Read all about cooking frozen chicken in your Instant Pot. Weve done extensive testing on this one!
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How To Make Using Frozen Chicken
- Follow the recipe instructions below, but cook on high pressure for 10 minutes instead of 8. Thats it!
- Note: you will need to skip searing the chicken, so you will have some loss in flavor that said, if you forget to thaw your chicken, this is certainly still a workable option.
- Chipotle Chilis. My other mega-flavor tip for next-level shredded chicken tacos.The chipotle chilis give the chicken a deep, smoky flavor that makes it taste as if youve been cooking it for hours low and slow, instead of 8 minutes in the pressure cooker.
- Avocados. Add a creamy, cool factor that balances the shredded chickens spice.
Recipes To Make With Shredded Chicken
If youre looking instant pot chicken breast recipes once you have a big batch of instant pot shredded chicken, I have a whole list of recipes for you. Here are some to get you started:
Cook Time: Total Time:
Learn how to make simple instant pot shredded chicken with either fresh or frozen chicken breast. This recipe is so quick and makes it easy to whip up a batch of shredded chicken whenever you need it!
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 can chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
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Instant Pot Pulled Chicken Ingredients
Here are the basic ingredients to make shredded chicken in the instant pot. Scroll down for full chicken quantities and instructions.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: Boneless chicken thighs will work great here, too.
- Fine Sea Salt& Black Pepper: Flavor that chicken! You can also spice it up by using a Taco Seasoning or a Cajun Seasoning.
- Garlic Granules: You may know it also as garlic powder. It adds great flavor!
- Chicken Broth or Water: Personally I recommend using chicken broth as it will result in the most flavorful shredded chicken, but you can use water, too!
More Collection Of Recipe
I hope you like these instant pot chicken recipes as much as we do. If you find this post helpful, rate it 5 stars and leave me a comment below. I love reading from you.
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Read Also: How To Cook Tamales In Instant Pot
Does Cook Time Change If I Have A Smaller Or Larger Instant Pot
- No matter which size model Instant Pot you have, the number of minutes you select on the Instant Pot remains the same.
The capacity of each Instant Pot and the amount of time the differently sized pots take to come to pressure will vary, but youll always set it for the same number of minutes, regardless of its size.
If you have a different brand other than Instant Pot and are wondering how long to cook chicken in a pressure cooker, the times listed above should still be accurate for other electric pressure cooker models.
Instant Pot Chicken Cooking Time
This kind of depends on what you’re working with! But typically a range of 10-15 minutes will do the trick depending on how you like your chicken.
We like how our chicken turns out when we set the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Then let it natural release for 10 minutes.
The neat thing about the pressure cooker is that it is pretty intuitive and will make sure it’s hot enough to cook the chicken before the timer starts. When cooking frozen chicken, you don’t have to adjust the time, since the pressure cooker does it for you. Magical, right?
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Should You Shred Chicken Warm Or Cold
There is no wrong or right. You can shred the chicken when it is cold but I like to shred the chicken when it is still warm.
The meat is a little bit easier to handle.
Have fun trying this shredded chicken recipe!
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Shredded Chicken For Every Meal
Shredded chicken is such a great meal-prep staple especially when its made in the Instant Pot. We often cook and then shred enough chicken for the weeks lunches and then season and pair them with something different each day.
Think shredded BBQ chicken + sautéed broccoli + rice shredded curry chicken + sautéed pea pods + quinoa shredded chicken with fajita seasoning + sautéed peppers and onions + avocado + a tortilla for tacos or enchiladas or even over greens as a salad!
You get the drill. And now that were able to make Instant Pot shredded chicken, its a real game changer. Ready in under 20 minutes , and truly a one-pot endeavor.
Also Check: How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In Instant Pot
Can You Freeze Shredded Chicken
I’ve found these methods to be the best way to freeze shredded chicken breast:
- Up to 7 days in reusable silicone bags or disposable plastic zip-top bags.
- Up to 90 days using a vacuum-sealer food storage system.
Any longer than these times/methods, shredded chicken breast runs the risk of freezer burn and becomes dry if held in the freezer too long without being vacuum sealed. This is because it’s so lean and doesn’t have the fat to protect it from becoming dry quickly, unlike dark meat.
How To Make Shredded Chicken In A Crock Pot/slow Cooker
Same idea as above, you simply fill the pot with about an inch of water at the bottom of the pot, then add the chicken and cook on high for 3 hours and on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Which option is better?
Personally, I like the Instant Pot because faster is better in my books, but the results are pretty much the same.
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Are Chicken Breasts Or Chicken Thighs Better
This comes down to preference. There are those who swear by one or the other, but the truth is it just depends on what you like and how you want to prepare your meat!
Chicken Breasts As a great source of lean protein, chicken breast has less calories and fat per ounce than chicken thighs. With chicken breast, you get a lot of meat and can easily find boneless, skinless chicken breast almost anywhere. It’s usually pretty darn cheap, too!
ChickenThighs They tend to be a little more fatty, but its the good kind of fat! Chicken thighs are also are usually a bit more moist than chicken breasts. Since they are dark meat, chicken thighs are also kind of known for being much more flavorful before you season them!
Ingredients Needed For Shredded Chicken In Instant Pot
- boneless skinless chicken breast – It’s the leanest cut of chicken, therefore SO easy to overcook…especially in the Instant Pot. I’ve done a lot of testing to dial in the right mix of pressure cooking time and natural pressure release. Let’s just say, you’ll love how tender and juicy Instant Pot chicken breast can be when you make this recipe.
- salt and pepper – these are the most basic seasonings for chicken breast, but feel free to add your favorites!
- chicken broth or water – I’ve tested both…many times. To be honest, I love it either way and, if they were side by side, I might not even know the difference. I tend to use the chicken broth and since this recipe only calls for 1 cup, I love to use this chicken base because I can mix it by the cup. Brilliant!!
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How To Store Instant Pot Chicken
- Leftover cooked, shredded, or diced Instant Pot chicken can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight.
- Shredded Instant Pot Chicken is IDEAL for meal prep. Make a big batch at the beginning of the week, divide into individual containers, then use it all week long.
Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken Faq
How long do I cook chicken in an instant pot?
You can cook 1 lb of chicken int he instant pot for 14 minute son high pressure. If the chicken is frozen I do 18 minutes on high pressure. For each pound of chicken, I increase cook time by 1-2 minutes.
Can you overcook chicken in an instant pot?
Typically its very easy to over cook chicken, but in the instant pot it is difficult to do. Pressure cooking really locks in the flavor and moisture of chicken. I wouldnt cook 1 lb of chicken past 20 minutes in the pressure cooker, but if you do, it probably wont even be over cooked!
Why is my chicken dry in an instant pot?
If your instant pot chicken is dry, you may have over cooked it. Dont worry you can fix this! Stir your cooked chicken with 1/2 cup of chicken broth and store it with excess broth. The chicken will absorb the liquid and get a moist texture. Next time, try cooking your chicken for 14 minutes on high pressure.
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