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.
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 chickenin 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.