This super easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe is going to become the hero you never knew you needed on the week nights. It’s a one pot, easy to make, and can go with almost anything chicken.
We love this recipe year round, but especially at the start of a new school year. It’s a juggle. You are trying to figure out the new schedule, how everything will work. The pick ups, the drops offs. You need to know that you can have something on the table that requires little time, thought and stress.
Enter the Instant Pot.
What is Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe is an easy way to make chicken quick and delicious. There are definitely weeks where we have so much going on that planning dinner is just too much. This recipe was made for days like this.
A boneless chicken breast is transformed in this recipe, bringing to life a delicious dinner that tastes like you spent hours preparing it. In reality, you are throwing chicken into this magic pot, adding a few seasoning, a little liquid and walking away. That is it!
The best part is you can even use frozen chicken! You read that correctly. This recipe works perfectly with frozen chicken. This recipe can become your secret weapon. By having chicken breast or boneless thighs in the freezer you can come home, toss them into the instant pot, and have dinner on the table in 45 minutes. This is a miracle.
We Have a Love Affair With Instant Pot
No, this is not an ad for an Instant Pot, but hey Instant Pot if you’re offering, we are not saying no. Seriously, it really is a great buy. It takes the place of your slow cooker. Because guess what- it can slow cook for you on top of the other 145 dreamy functions it can perform. The Instant Pot was sent to us from the kitchen fairies above, and we should all start making room in our storage cabinets to hold its wonder.
This shredded chicken has become a staple. If I know the week is going to be extra crazy, I make it on Sunday because then I just have chicken on hand all week for quick meals and nights where I’m too exhausted or over run to start a meal from scratch.
Cristy
Other Ways to Make Your Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
We wanted to keep the recipe simple. It’s delicious as is, but also it’s a great starting point to build additional flavor to. For example you can get a little taco seasoning and use it for Taco Night. We find it’s usually better to make it as simple as possible or however you like it to be more of a blank canvas for whatever you are in the mood for during the week.
But, if you have something on hand that you want to throw in there to mix it up, go for it! You can make this your own by adding things you like to eat. You can add Mojo, Paprika, Red Peppers, Green Peppers, or anything that you are in the mood to eat. That is the beauty of this Recipe.
It’s an easy process but can yield so many different delicious results.
Things You Can Do With Your Shredded Chicken:
- Quesadillas
- Chicken Vaca Frita
- Taco Night (as we discussed)
- Lentil Soup
- Avocado Soup
- Nachos
- Lettuce Wraps
- Easy protein on a salad
- Chicken Salad
- Chicken Soup
- Rice and Beans
You get the picture. It can come in pretty handy and is really so versatile. Below are the directions to make it in the Instant Pot here is a quick how to for slow cooker…
How To Slow Cooker
Rinse the chicken under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Pour half the olive oil over the chicken, and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder onion powder, and sazon.
Place the chicken in the Slow Cooker. Pour in the chicken broth, add in the onions and garlic with your seasonings and lime juice (or your prefered seasonings). Set it to slow cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6.
Either Way You Can’t Lose
Shred it with two forks and you can serve that night with some Perfect White Rice or some roasted veggies and if you have a lot leftover turn them into Empanadas!
You can store the rest and take it out as needed to keep dinner quick and easy all week.
Try Some of Our Other Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot: Shredded Chicken
Course: EntreeCuisine: CubanDifficulty: Easy10
servings5
minutes40
minutesIngredients
2 lbs boneless skinless breast chicken
1 ½ tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves
An onion cut in large pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
I tablespoon Sazon
½ a lime
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Rinse the chicken under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel. Pour the olive oil over the chicken, and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Place the chicken in the Instant Pot. Pour in the chicken broth, add in the onions and garlic with your sazon and lime juice.
- Make sure your Instant Pot is set to seal, and then hit the Poultry Button. It will take about 15-20 minutes later you are done.
- If you’re in a rush you can let out the steam. Just move the seal to “Venting” and make sure to move your hand. If you are like us, you probably had to leave, so you can leave it and come home to it later in the day and the steam will just have worked its way out slowly and on it’s own.
- When you’re ready to eat, shred it. You can use two forks. It comes apart so easy.
- Serve it with rice, over lettuce on a salad or use it for Vaca Frita de Pollo!
