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 Noodles, or 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 Oil, or Korean Noodle Soup.
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 pork, and 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 Soy sauce 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. 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. 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.
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:
Soy Sauce Noodle Soup Scallion Oil Noodles Sesame Noodles
You can also use the chicken to make:
Chinese Chicken Salad Bang Bang Chicken Cold Chicken Noodles Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil Korean Noodle Soup
Frequently asked questions
More easy Instant Pot recipes
Instant Pot Beef Curry Stew Asian Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup Instant Pot Whole Chicken Instant Pot Chicken Congee Instant Pot Eggs (Perfect Hard-Boiled & Soft-Boiled Eggs)
