Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Spice up your lunch routine with this delicious and easy Chinese style Instant Pot shredded chicken. Packed with protein and flavor, it is the perfect healthy meal option. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Instant pot shredded chicken takes 5 minutes to put together and it’s a perfect item to have in your fridge or freezer on a busy week. Cooked in a savory and fragrant brown sauce, the chicken is juicy and tender with a rich taste.

This chicken is super versatile in the ways you can serve it or use it in other dishes. You can serve it over steamed rice as a quick and light lunch. You can top it on your Soy Sauce Noodle Soup, Scallion Oil Noodlesor Sesame Noodles to turn a side dish to a main dish. Or use it to cook Bang Bang Chicken, Cold Chicken Noodles, Sichuan Chicken in Red Oilor Korean Noodle Soup.

Instant pot shredded chicken with bok choy over rice — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 33

Ingredients for Instant pot shredded chicken

Oyster sauce is your best friend

Oyster sauce is an essential ingredient in the Chinese pantry. It is a thick, dark brown liquid condiment that has a sweet, salty, and deeply savory flavor. It is made from oyster essence or oyster extract, with a few other ingredients, such as sugar and cornstarch. Oyster sauce is a key ingredient in many dishes such as chow mein noodles, lo mein noodles, char siu porkand chicken and broccoli.

This recipe uses oyster sauce as a main ingredient and a few other ingredients to create a fragrant and deep umami that enhances the chicken.

I highly recommend Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce and Megachef oyster sauce. You can also make the dish gluten free by using a gluten free oyster sauce.

All the ingredients you need

Chicken breast or thighs
Oyster sauce
I am willow
rice vinegar
Ginger
Garlic
Ground black pepper

How to cook instant pot shredded chicken

First, mix all the sauce ingredients and the aromatics together in your Instant Pot.

Mixing sauce ingredients — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 34

Now add the chicken and coat it with the sauce. Spread out the chicken with no or minimal overlap for cooking.

Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Once cooked, let it release naturally for five minutes, then use quick release. It’s important to use quick release here to prevent the chicken from overcooking.

Mix the chicken breast with sauce ingredients — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 35

Look of the dish once pressure is released — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 36

Finally, shred the chicken using two forks. You can either toss the shredded chicken with the brown sauce, or store the chicken separately and use it as a salad topping.

Shredded chicken breast on a plate — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 37

Instant pot shredded chicken in a bowl — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 38

How to serve Instant Pot Shredded chicken

As I mentioned above, the easiest way to use Instant Pot shredded chicken is to top it on steamed rice and add a spoonful of the brown sauce. You can also add some steamed vegetables on top. It makes a fast meal with no effort.

Since this recipe yields a nice savory tasting chicken, you can also use it in other dishes without the sauce. For example:

Add it to salad greens
Make it into a Mexican chicken bowl with salsa, rice, beans and guac
Make a chicken wrap, sandwich, or quesadilla.

You can also add the chicken to one of these simple noodle dishes to make it a main dish:

You can also use the chicken to make:

Shredded chicken breast with bok choy over rice — Instant Pot Shredded Chicken 39

Frequently asked questions

Why does chicken get rubbery in Instant Pot?

Chicken breast might become tough and chewy when cooked in an Instant Pot, because it’s very lean and is prone to overcooking.
The biggest cause of rubbery chicken is overcooking. I noticed that the 10 minute cook time works much better for larger chicken breasts (the ones I used were close to 1 lb (450 g) per chicken breast). If you use smaller chicken breasts, I would set the pressure cooking time to 7 to 8 minutes to prevent overcooking.

How to keep meat from drying out in an Instant Pot?

The best way to make sure your chicken always turns out soft and moist is to use chicken thighs. Since chicken thighs contain more fat, they will remain tender even if they’re overcooked a little. It’s also a cheaper cut, making it a perfect option for Instant Pot shredded chicken.

Why don’t you add any liquid to the Instant Pot?

I know that the makers of the Instant Pot say you should use at least 1 cup of liquid to cook any ingredients to prevent scorching. But we are using a combination of liquid seasonings here, and the chicken will release juice during the cooking process. I’ve tried this recipe many times. The bottom of the chicken might brown a bit, but it won’t burn.
If your Instant Pot gives you a burning warming, you can add 1/2 cup chicken broth to resolve the issue.

More easy Instant Pot recipes

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