Description
This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe offers a quick, flavorful, and tender shredded chicken perfect for a variety of dishes. Using simple seasonings like lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs, the chicken is pressure-cooked to juicy perfection and shredded easily for use in tacos, salads, sandwiches, and more.
Ingredients
Scale
Liquid Base
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
Chicken and Seasonings
- 4 fresh or frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
- Prepare Instant Pot: Place the trivet inside the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water or chicken broth to create the necessary steam for pressure cooking.
- Season the Chicken: Arrange the chicken breasts on the trivet and evenly sprinkle them with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and lemon zest to infuse flavor.
- Add Aromatics: Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the chicken, then add the smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprig, and rosemary sprig into the pot for fragrant seasoning.
- Seal and Cook: Secure the Instant Pot lid by twisting it to lock and set the steam release valve to the “sealing” position. Select the High Pressure cooking mode and set the timer to 14 minutes if using frozen chicken breasts or 12 minutes if using fresh chicken breasts.
- Pressure Release: After the cooking cycle completes, allow the pressure to naturally release inside the pot for 10 minutes to ensure tenderness. Then carefully turn the steam release valve to “venting” to manually release any remaining pressure.
- Shred the Chicken: Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot and place them in a bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Optional Flavor Boost: For extra flavor, squeeze the remaining half of the lemon over the shredded chicken and toss with approximately 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid for added moisture and taste.
Notes
- Use chicken broth instead of water for a richer flavor.
- If using frozen chicken breasts, increase cooking time to 14 minutes.
- Natural pressure release helps keep chicken tender and juicy.
- Shredded chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Add more herbs or spices as desired to customize the flavor.
