Instant Pot Chicken Breast (Fresh Or Frozen) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

Probably the #1 staple I make ahead all the time is big batches of this Instant Pot chicken breast to use for other recipes. (I meal prep my barbacoa beef, pulled pork, and Instant Pot chicken legs too, but let’s be real, chicken breast is by far the most essential.) I used to pull out my slow cooker for this, but back in 2017 Idiscovered that it’s somuch faster to make shredded chicken breast in my Instant Pot. And I don’t think I’ll ever make it another way again. Let me show you why you need this recipe…

Why You’ll Love My Instant Pot Chicken Breast

• Fastest way to make shredded chicken – The prep is as easy and care-free as my slow cooker, but it only takes mearound 10 minutes (okay, plus some time for the Instant Pot to pressurize). It’s convenient not to have to plan so far ahead!
• Perfect flavor and texture – It’s juicy, it’s flavorful, it’s amazing whole but also shreds effortlessly. There’s so much I love about this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe. You can even use a similar method to make Instant Pot turkey breast (though I don’t shred that one).
• Time chart for any quantity – Whether you’re making a big batch or just a pound, my handy time chart that has you covered. I went through pounds and pounds of chicken to test it out, ha. And now I actually reference it myself when I make chicken breast in my Instant Pot!
• Works with fresh or frozen chicken breast – Yep, you can cook frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, too! I’ve done it both ways with no issues, you just need to adjust the cook time.
• Versatile for meal prep – Of all my healthy Instant Pot recipes, I make this one the most because it’s such a staple in my freezer. There are so many ways you can use these Instant Pot chicken breasts afterward — see my list of ideas below!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for my Instant Pot shredded chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Chicken Breast – I always use boneless skinless chicken breasts, though you can also use my Instant Pot chicken recipe for boneless chicken thighs. Either fresh or frozen chicken is fine — both work great.
• Italian Seasoning – This is optional, but I love my Italian seasoning in this. It gives the chicken so much flavor and goes with almost anything I’d use it for. Feel free to omit if you want a more neutral taste.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I only add a small amount of salt, because the chicken broth (below) has some. If your broth is very low in sodium, I recommend adding more.
• Chicken Broth – The Instant Pot requires a minimum of 1 cup of water or liquid for the pressure to build. Plus, liquid makes your chicken moist and juicy. While you can use water, I much prefer broth for flavor. You can use store-bought chicken broth, my homemade chicken broth, or even bone broth.

How To Cook Chicken Breast In The Instant Pot

This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Combine everything in the Instant Pot. Place the chicken in the bottom of the Instant Pot first. (I don’t use the trivet here.) Season it with Italian seasoning (or any other spices you like), salt, and pepper. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the chicken. Don’t stir.
2. Pressure cook the chicken. Close the lid and select the either the “Poultry” or “Manual” setting (for high pressure). Set the time based on the amount of chicken you have — use my time chart below.
3. Release the pressure. Let the pressure naturally release for at least 5 minutes. After that, you can turn the valve to “vent” for quick release or continue natural pressure release. (I have notes on this below.)

4. Shred the chicken. I have a few different ways to shred chicken — see your options below. (As you can see, I’ve got lots of details below, ha!)

How Long To Cook Chicken Breast In The Instant Pot?

Instant Pot chicken breast time depends on how much you’re cooking at once, and whether it’s fresh or frozen. My rule of thumb is to start at 4 minutes for 1 pound, and add an extra 1-2 minutes for each additional pound. Add about 5 minutes to that time if your chicken is frozen.

After testing each weight amount (and over 20 pounds of shredded chicken later!), I’ve created this time chart, so you never have to guess:

• What these times mean: These are the times you enter on your Instant Pot, and do not include time it takes to build pressure.
• How to scale the recipe: My chart above includes a column for “# Servings On Recipe Card” — this is what you’d set on the recipe card (at the bottom of this post) in the Servings section, to scale the ingredients to the amount of chicken you have.
• Don’t scale the amount of broth: You always need 1 cup of chicken broth for Instant Pot chicken breasts, whether you’re making 1 pound, 5 pounds, or anything in between.
• A note on chicken breast size: My cook times are based on typical 8-ounce chicken breasts that I usually buy. If yours are larger,you may need to increase the time by a couple of minutes.

Shredding Methods

One of the things I love about Instant Pot chicken breast is how easy it is to shred it! You have a few options here:

• Two Forks – Use them to shred chicken breast directly in the Instant Pot. Hold a piece of chicken steady with one fork, then pull and tear away the shredded pieces with the other… and repeat. Sometimes I use meat shredding claws like this, which work the same way, but faster.
• Hand Mixer – This is my favorite method, because it’s so quick but the cleanup is still minimal. Drain some of the liquid temporarily (so it doesn’t splash all over you), then place the beaters into the pot and turn on the mixer to shred. If your hand mixer has a slow start feature, like this one I have, that helps to reduce splattering.
• Stand Mixer – A stand mixer works the same way as a hand mixer, except you’ll need to transfer the chicken into the mixer bowl.

Storage Instructions

• Store: If you’ll use the chicken this week, you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. I store it with the juices to retain moisture.
• Freeze: While I do keep a bit in the fridge when I need it, I always make a big batch of this Instant Pot chicken breast so that I can freeze it! After letting it cool, portion it out into zip lock bags (I recommend 1-pound portions for recipes) and freeze flat. Once solid, you can store the bags upright in the freezer for 3-6 months. Sometimes I use my vacuum sealer to make it last even longer without freezer burn.

Ways To Use It

There are probably a hundred ways that I use my Instant Pot shredded chicken breast. Here are some of my faves you can try:

• Casseroles – The #1 way I use shredded chicken is for my family’s favorite casserole, chicken bacon ranch casserole. You can also use it for my chicken Cordon Bleu casserole or chicken zucchini casserole.
• Salads – I always use this for classic chicken salad, but also for my other creamy ones, like Mediterranean chicken salad and avocado chicken salad. You can top your leafy salads, such as green goddess salad or Cobb salad, too.
• Soups – While you can totally cook chicken breast while your soup cooks, sometimes I toss in pre-made Instant Pot chicken breast for a time-saving shortcut. Try it in my spaghetti squash chicken soup or healthy detox soup.
• Sandwiches – Make them with one of my chicken salads (above), or mix the chicken with my sugar free BBQ sauce and melt cheese on top.
• Dips – Stir it into my crack dip or queso dip for added protein, or use your pressure cooker again to make Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.
• Mexican Dishes – If you make it with taco seasoning like I suggested above, my Instant Pot chicken breast recipe is perfect for tacos with fresh salsa, a quick burrito bowl, Mexican-inspired chicken stuffed peppers, or quick taco salad with my homemade salsa.
• Other Recipes – I use this chicken to make other recipes quickly, like chicken crust pizza, and stuffed poblano peppers.
• Side Dishes – If you want to serve your Instant Pot chicken breasts whole, make my roasted broccoli, sauteed green beans, or air fryer potatoes at the same time for easy sides.

• Instant Pot – This is the model I used for testing the cook times above.
• Hand Mixer – My favorite way to shred chicken breast fast! It starts slow, so it doesn’t splash broth everywhere.