According to the latest statistics, chicken is the most consumed meat in the world. It is widely consumed across the world. A large variety of dishes containing chicken as the main ingredient is prepared. Unique chicken dishes are made in some cultures, places, and communities. Many chicken dishes are popular throughout the world. They are served even in restaurants and other types of eateries.
One such dish is instant pot shredded chicken, which is loved by many people. You can make it with only a few ingredients. The recipe for this dish is also simple. If you want to eat chicken without putting much effort into cooking, then this dish is perfect for you.
What is Instant Pot Shredded Chicken? How to Make It?
Table of Contents
Instant pot shredded chicken is both tasty and healthy. As you can guess from the name, you can make this chicken dish in an instant pot, which is a multicooker that performs various functions, such as pressure cooking, rice cooking, warming, and steaming. Thus, along with the ingredients and recipe, the appliances required to prepare this dish are also simple. Now, let’s see how to make this delicious chicken dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth or Water
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
Recipe
- Take an instant pot and place chicken breasts inside it.
- Add bay leaves, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and paprika to the pot.
- Pour the broth or water over the chicken and seasoning.
- Toss all the ingredients so that all the chicken pieces get seasoned.
- Cover the instant pot with the lid and set the valve of the lid to ‘sealing’.
- The sealing position makes the pot hold all the pressure inside it.
- Press the ‘Manual’ or pressure cook button and set the timer to 10 minutes.
- The timer will begin once the pot starts to come to pressure.
- When the cooking time is over, turn the instant pot off.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Set the valve of the lid to ‘venting’ to release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid of the instant pot and give the dish a nice toss.
- Insert the fork into the chicken to see if the chicken is cooked or not.
- Remove the broth from the pot and transfer the chicken to a utensil.
- Shred the chicken by using two forks and serve the shredded chicken warm.
You can refrigerate the chicken if you don’t want to serve it. Transfer the chicken from the instant pot to the sealed container for refrigerating it. The instant pot shredded chicken will remain good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in a deep freezer for up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: Substitutes for Ingredients
It’s important to mention some points about the ingredients here. As you know, we have stated in the list of ingredients that you can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs. You can even use both of them to make this dish. You can use either fresh chicken or frozen chicken based on your convenience. Similarly, you also have a choice in terms of boneless chicken or bone-in chicken. Usually, boneless chicken is preferred as it gets cooked quickly.
As far as the broth is concerned, you can take either chicken broth or vegetable broth. You can even take water if you don’t have the broth. But this dish will become more flavorful and nutritious if you add broth instead of water. The seasoning required for this dish is minimal.
However, you can make the instant pot shredded chicken dish more elaborate by adding other spices and condiments. You can even use special seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, and Cajun seasoning. You need to discard the bay leaves once the chicken is cooked. Bay leaves give a strong aroma to the dish.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: Nutritional Value
The shredded chicken dish prepared with the recipe mentioned here will provide your body with nutrients like protein, fiber, sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, carbohydrates, vitamin A, and vitamin C. But it will also give cholesterol and fat.
So, it’s best to consume instant pot shredded chicken (or any other food, for that matter) in moderation. It’s a known fact that chicken and other types of meats are great sources of protein. If you are suffering from protein deficiency, you can get rid of it by eating dishes that contain chicken or any other meat. There are many health benefits of eating chicken, such as muscle growth, bone strengthening, weight loss, and brain development.
Conclusion
You must have observed that making shredded chicken in an instant pot at home is extremely easy. You can prepare it swiftly when you have unexpected guests or visitors.
