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    Home ยป Keto

    Perfectly Cooked Shredded Chicken In The Instant Pot Or Oven

    Published: Sep 7, 2018 Updated: Jul 21, 2020 By: Cassidy Stauffer May earn from affiliate links.

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    pinnable image of shredded chicken with text

    An easy how-to for making perfectly cooked, shredded chicken in the oven or Instant Pot for use in any recipe calling for shredded chicken.

    overhead shot of shredded chicken in a white bowlShredded Chicken

    Having a good shredded chicken recipe to use in recipes such as my Paleo And Keto Chicken Salad, soups, stews, casseroles, or for meal prep is essential.

    In the past, I skipped over recipes that called for cooked chicken because it seemed like so much work. Especially if I only had frozen chicken on hand - but no more!

    I have 2 methods below that will outline how to make perfectly cooked shredded chicken in the oven or in the Instant Pot that is fast, easy, and make dinner a breeze.

    No more skipping recipes that call for shredded chicken! Plus, in both methods, you can use frozen chicken - woot woot!

    Shredded Chicken In The Oven

    This is my fool-proof method for perfectly cooked, shredded chicken in the oven that's REALLY easy!

    It still takes about 45 minutes to an hour to go from frozen to perfectly cooked in the oven, but it's crazy easy and always turns out perfect. Here's my method:

    First, take the chicken out of the packaging and place it in a very large bowl or container. Then cover chicken with cold water for 20 - 30 minutes or until thawed.

    Uncooked Chicken Breasts

    Then, place chicken in a small baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Add ยผ C of water and cover with foil or oven-proof lid. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 -35 minutes or until cooked through.

    It will look really unappetizing when you first take it out of the oven but hang in there with me!

    Transfer the chicken to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the chicken on medium-high until perfectly shredded 🙂 If you don't have a stand mixer, just shred with 2 forks. That's it!!!!

    Perfectly Cooked Shredded Chicken

    Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

    Ever since I bought an Instant Pot, my cooking world changed forever - it's AMAZING!!! Instant Pot cooking is the easiest and fastest way of cooking by far, and shredded chicken is no exception.

    First, when making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot I always use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, not breasts.

    I find that chicken thighs in the Instant Pot turn out really moist whereas chicken breasts are on the drier side - especially if you're adding them to a dish that will be cooked again.

    But if chicken breasts are what you want to use that's fine too!

    All you do is add about a cup of chicken broth or water to the Instant Pot.

    Then, season the chicken with salt, pepper, or any seasonings that you like and add to the Instant Pot.

    Cooked Chicken In Instant Pot

    Close the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. And don't worry if your chicken is frozen. The only difference is that it will take longer for your Instant Pot to come to pressure.

    Once the time is up, press "Cancel" and turn the valve to venting. Once the pressure is released, remove chicken to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks.

    Return to the Instant Pot and toss with the liquid to keep the chicken moist. No one wants dry chicken!

    overhead shot of shredded chicken in a white bowl

    Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes?

    Check out my Instant Pot Keto Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Instant Pot Keto Pulled Pork, and Beauty And The Foodie's Low Carb Instant Pot Chicken Salsa Queso Soup

    If you’ve tried this Shredded Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!

    Craving more? FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or E-Mail to see more delicious food and find out what I’ve been up to!

    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    overhead shot of shredded chicken in a white bowl

    Perfectly Cooked, Shredded Chicken

    An easy how-to for making perfectly cooked, shredded chicken in the oven or Instant Pot for use in any recipe calling for shredded chicken ๐Ÿ™‚
    4.88 from 24 votes
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    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    CALORIES :179kcal
    Author: Cassidy Stauffer

    Ingredients

    Oven Ingredients:

    • 3 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts - or as many as will comfortably fit
    • Salt and Pepper - To Taste (or seasonings of choice)
    • ¼ C Chicken Broth (preferred) or Water

    Instant Pot Ingredients:

    • 3-4 Lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs - fresh or frozen (chicken breasts can be also be used)
    • Salt & Pepper - to taste (or seasonings of choice)
    • 1 Cup Chicken Broth (preferred) or Water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Oven Method:

    • If frozen, place chicken in a sealed, waterproof baggie and remove any air. Place in cold water until thawed, about 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to keep the water under 40 degrees.
    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    • Remove chicken from water and place in a baking dish. Season both sides with salt and pepper, pour in the water and cover with foil or lid.
    • Bake for 25 -35 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken, or until chicken is cooked through.
    • Transfer chicken to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high until perfectly shredded. If you do not have a stand mixer, transfer chicken to a large, shallow bowl or cutting board and shred with 2 forks. Store chicken in an airtight container with the liquid to keep moist. 

    Instant Pot Method:

    • Pour the chicken broth or water into the Instant Pot.
    • Season the chicken with salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you prefer and place in the Instant Pot.
    • Secure the lid and seal the pressure valve. For chicken thighs or small chicken breasts, cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. If using large chicken breasts, either cut in half or increase cooking time to 18 minutes.
    • For chicken thighs: Once Instant Pot is done cooking, manually release the pressure by turning the valve from "sealing" to "unsealed". For chicken breasts: Allow Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes. Then, release the rest of the pressure manually by turning the valve from "sealing" to "unsealed".
    • Transfer chicken to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment OR use a hand-held mixer to shred the chicken directly in the instant pot! Start on low, then increase speed and beat on medium-high until perfectly shredded. If you do not have a mixer, transfer chicken to a large, shallow bowl or cutting board and shred with 2 forks. Store chicken in an airtight container with the liquid to keep moist.

    Add Your Own Notes

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    Video

    Notes

    • Find the link to the full video here: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Video
    • Nutritional Information is calculated using 2 Lbs. of chicken thighs from the Instant Pot method.
    • Chicken can be stored, tightly covered, or in a baggie for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. 
    • Store the meat with the liquid to keep the chicken moist.
    • Cooking in chicken broth adds flavor to the chicken, but water can be substituted.
    • When making shredded chicken in the Instant Pot, I prefer chicken thighs over chicken breasts. I find that chicken thighs in the Instant Pot turn out really moist whereas chicken breasts can sometimes come out on the drier side if even slightly overcooked. However, feel free to use whichever you prefer. 
    • If you use frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, the cooking times remain the same, it will just take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.33lbs of chicken | Calories: 179kcal | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 370mg | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1.2mg

    NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber - Allulose - Xylitol

    Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols, xylitol, and allulose are included in the total carbs and fiber.

    Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my

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    3.1K shares
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    Cassidy is a certified keto and intermittent fasting health coach and a mom of two teenagers, one of whom has autism and epilepsy. For the well-being of her family, she serves up easy, kid-approved recipes that are gluten-free and keto with many dairy-free and paleo options. She's passionate about creating healthy, allergy-friendly food that's just as good as the original!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Simfy says

      August 28, 2024 at 7:38 pm

      This has been the best shredded chicken recipe I have foundโ€ฆ So simple. I used them in quesadillas, but they were tasty just as is too!:)

      Reply
    2. April Embrey says

      March 27, 2021 at 10:31 pm

      5 stars
      I love your website! I feel like you thought about everything - I was excited when I saw the button to keep the screen from going dark, but then the ingredient multiplier and unit of measurement change SUPER AMAZING!

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Cassidy Stauffer says

        March 28, 2021 at 1:23 pm

        Oh my goodness, thank you SO much!!! I'm happy you like it๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

        XO,
        Cassidy

        Reply
    3. Caroline Edmundson says

      May 17, 2020 at 8:53 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I used an enchilada spices to coat the chicken (as I was making a deconstructed taco salad), and definitely recommend using Chicken broth as opposed to water. Will definitely be making this again.

      Reply
      • Cassidy Stauffer says

        May 17, 2020 at 12:54 pm

        Thank you so much Caroline! Yeah, I like the chicken broth better too ?

        -Cassidy

        Reply
    4. Jess M. says

      January 06, 2020 at 7:42 pm

      5 stars
      So easy with KitchenAid mixer, thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Cassidy Stauffer says

        January 07, 2020 at 2:03 pm

        Yeah, I love using my kitchen aid for this - it's so much easier! Glad you liked it ๐Ÿ™‚

        -Cassidy

        Reply
    5. Shelby milburn says

      November 30, 2018 at 8:35 pm

      How does it change using thawed chicken

      Reply
      • Cassidy says

        December 01, 2018 at 2:46 am

        You can use fresh or frozen chicken for the instant pot method, it will just take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure for frozen chicken. For the oven method, if you use frozen chicken it will take around double the time to cook, but I've never tried this method so I can't give you details on how long to cook it or how it will turn out. Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

        Reply
    6. Angelika says

      May 04, 2014 at 12:45 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for posting this! While this may sound like the simplest thing any cook should know how to do, I actually had to Google "perfect shredded chicken" before I started on my thawed chicken breasts because I didn't want to mess them up! Who would have thought about the stand mixer... Great idea! Using the forks is TEDIOUS work (in my opinion.. I'd rather be doing something else, ha!)

      Reply
      • Maryellen says

        March 07, 2021 at 6:38 am

        5 stars
        Yes using forks is tedious. My hands got tired!! Great recipe though. The chicken broth and taco seasoning make a great coating. I mixed my own Ranch Dressing. Itโ€™s much better than the bottle.

        Reply
    7. Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says

      December 20, 2013 at 3:03 am

      Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Hope your week is great!

      Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

      Reply
    8. Rachel R. says

      December 12, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      5 stars
      You don't have to thaw it! I cook mine - for a meal (don't know why I never thought to do it this way when I need shredded chicken) - for 45 minutes at 375 straight from frozen. You just have to make sure they're frozen *separately* and not in one big lump. ๐Ÿ™‚ I never remember to take something out to thaw, either, so I had to figure out SOMETHING!

      Here's the way we season them to eat as-is:
      http://titus2homemaker.com/2013/12/rosemary-baked-chicken/

      Reply
    9. Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says

      December 12, 2013 at 3:14 am

      What a great tutorial! I just started a weekly Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable through my blog, and I would love it if you linked up this recipe. Iโ€™m trying to expand resources for the AIP community. Hereโ€™s the link: http://www.phoenixhelix.com/2013/12/11/paleo-aip-recipe-roundtable-6/

      Reply
    10. Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says

      December 05, 2013 at 2:51 am

      5 stars
      Awesome tips Cassidy! I love making homemade enchiladas and all too often realize I am out of shredded chicken. Can't wait to put your suggestions to use!

      Reply
      • Cassidy says

        December 07, 2013 at 3:12 pm

        Thanks Laura, I use this recipe at least once or twice a week now when making dinner, it's been a lifesaver ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cassidy! I'm a certified keto and intermittent fasting coach and am a mom of two teenagers, one of whom has autism and epilepsy. For the well-being of my family, I serve up easy, kid-approved recipes that are gluten-free and keto with many dairy-free and paleo options. I'm passionate about creating healthy, allergy-friendly food that's just as good as the original!

    More about me →

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