This post will help you get meals on the table fast all week long.
I show you how to easily cook and shred chicken and give you a dozen great recipes to use the chicken in as well.
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I just love when I’ve planned ahead for the week and have all the dinners in mind I want to make.
Often that doesn’t happen, but let’s pretend it happens every week.
Okay?
This is my new TIME SAVER.
Cook the chicken you need all at once.
Sounds simple enough, right. But what if you haven’t planned out your weeks’ meals and just want to incorporate chicken into most of your meals, great! That is where my TIME SAVER tip really comes in handy.
I cooked 6 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts in my pressure cooker in 22 minutes. Yes, you heard me right, they were all finished cooking and ready to be added to the many many options of meals I was about to make this week.
This idea is great for the weeks when you will be CRAZY at dinnertime.
IF you don’t have a pressure cooker… Place the chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. If the chicken is really thick, filet it so it’s thinner and cooks quicker.
I have a 6 quart Presto Pressure Cooker here is a link to the one I have on Amazon.
UPDATE: using an electric pressure cooker- INSTANT POT
I now use an electric pressure cooker an INSTANT POT to be specific (this one). I purchased a 6 quart Instant Pot 9 in 1. It’s simple to use and I’m happy it doesn’t need monitoring like the traditional stove top version I previously used. With the electric version, you do not need as much water as you’re able to seal the steam inside while it’s cooking. The stove top version releases steam continuously as it cooks. So for 3 lbs of chicken, only 1 cup of water is needed, if I cook more I typically add 1/2 cup more water. Since the electric version stores up the steam, it cooks quicker than the stove top version. For every 2-3 lbs of chicken, I set the pressure cooker to 6 minutes (it takes time to come to pressure so it’s always cooked when I release the steam) for 4-6 lbs I set it to 10 minutes. You can quick release or allow the pressure to come down on its own for the chicken. The chicken cooks best if it’s the same size, so if you have very large or thick chicken breasts, cut them in half lengthwise before putting them in the instant pot.
I place 6 pounds of boneless skinless chicken into my pressure cooker with 4 cups water. The water is just coming over the cooling rack in the pressure cooker, that way the chicken isn’t sitting in the water and I have plenty of chicken stock when I’m done.
It takes 10 minutes for it to come to the proper pressure and I cook it for 12 minutes with the pressure regulator rocking high.
I then place all the chicken into my KitchenAid mixer and turn it on high for about 30 seconds and it is then all shredded. No standing there with two forks shredding it until my hands hurt anymore.
Now want some meal ideas for all this chicken,
Shredded chicken would go in any of these meals nicely….
To make it easy I package 2 cups of shredded chicken into quart sized plastic bags. They can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator until your ready to use it.
Don’t forget you will also have 4 cups of chicken broth, you can use it to add to sauces…
soup…
or even a
the options are endless and I will have a few new recipes with shredded chicken to share with you soon!
Another GREAT post on cooking chicken for the week is my post on How and Why I cook chicken for the week all at once.
Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious says
September 20, 2012 at 9:51 amSmart! Thanks for the pressure cooker advice!
leslie says
September 20, 2012 at 11:03 amOhhh Diane….What a great idea. I love that you use your mixer to shred the chicken. Brilliant!
I sooo need to get a pressure cooker
Valerie says
September 20, 2012 at 11:09 amSo I don’t have a pressure cooker (although it I love the quick cooking idea) but shredding the chicken with the mixer? Mind. Blown. I’m putting that one with “why didn’t I think of that”. 🙂
Lauren @ Part Time House Wife says
September 20, 2012 at 11:53 amShut UP!!!!!! I just bought 6lbs of chicken an hour ago! I NEED a pressure cooker and LOVE the idea of using the KitchenAid! Hello!!! Genius!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
September 20, 2012 at 12:38 pmWhoa! Look at all of these great tips!
Ok… i thought that broth was actually a margarita. For a moment. Gross 😉
Laura Pokas says
September 20, 2012 at 1:12 pmGreat post! I will be using the KA trick to shred the chicken next time I cook up a batch. Having the chicken done ahead makes such a difference in meal prep and it is so moist in the pressure cooker.
I will be adding chicken lettuce wraps to the list of meals.
Laura Pokas says
October 5, 2012 at 2:14 pmWow — what a dream it was to shred the chicken from my new pressure cooker with my Kitchen Aid. Thanks for a life changing post 🙂 My son said the shredded chicken would be great on a chicken Caesar because you’d get chicken in every bite instead of just a few. Tonight it’s chicken tacos and chicken enchilada soup.
Diane says
October 5, 2012 at 2:43 pmso glad you liked the tips, the possibilities are just endless with this chicken.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
September 20, 2012 at 1:56 pmI need to start cooking ahead like this!
Jeanette says
September 21, 2012 at 4:57 amI have lots of kitchen appliances, but one that I don’t have is a pressure cooker, although I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’d love to get one – thanks for sharing how you use it make chicken!
Carolyn says
September 21, 2012 at 6:12 amOkay, I never would have thought to use my kitcheaid to shred my chicken. Brilliant!
JulieD says
September 22, 2012 at 4:12 amWow, that’s so awesome, using the pressure cooker and the KitchenAid stand mixer to shred the chicken!! Thanks for these amazing tips!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
December 2, 2012 at 5:20 amThis is an awesome idea. Which mixer paddle are you using to shred the chicken?
Diane says
December 2, 2012 at 1:52 pmI use the flat paddle to shred beef or chicken.The one in the photograph, I have two one white and one silver. The mixer comes with the white version.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
December 3, 2012 at 4:29 pmWell I see that now. I didn’t scroll to the top and was looking at the action shot. Thanks for the reply. Can’t wait to give this a try.
Carol says
December 2, 2012 at 8:33 amHi Diane-I have the same pressure cooker that you do and love it. Thanks so much for sharing the great idea and the fantastic sounding recipes to give that chicken a home.
I’m using my pressure cooker more and more these days-it sure is a time saver.
Diane says
December 2, 2012 at 1:51 pmGlad you liked the post Carol, yes I find it is a HUGE time saver too 🙂 I love chicken in Green Chile Sauce and just posted a quick pizza version https://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/11/green-chile-chicken-pizza.html
Laura says
March 7, 2013 at 10:46 amI just started doing this for a week’s worth of meals by cooking it over the weekend. How long would you say I can keep the shredded chicken in the fridge before I would need to start freezing it? TIA!
Diane says
March 7, 2013 at 11:41 amThe cooked chicken will lasts about a week. If I know I’m not going to use all of it in a week, I freeze it as soon as I realize this.
Amanda says
April 10, 2013 at 1:02 amWhen you say ” The water is just coming over the cooling rack in the pressure cooker, that way the chicken isn’t sitting in the water and I have plenty of chicken stock when I’m done.” do you mean you sit the chicken on the little grill rack looking thing that came with the pressure cooker for steaming? I have the newwave 5 in 1 pressure cooker.
Diane says
April 10, 2013 at 9:00 amyes, I placed the chicken on the rack.
Laura says
June 15, 2013 at 12:48 amI love doing this. I have a 6 qt electric pressure cooker and live how quick it does chicken (and roasts). We shred the chicken with the KA also. My kids used to hate being me shred but now they are mice than happy to user the KA to do it. I’ll have to try adding a little more water when I do my chicken to get plenty of stock. Thanks for the tip.
Preci says
October 12, 2013 at 5:46 pmDiane- I just cae aross your blog today on pinterest- I have a question for you- you say above that you place 6 pounds of boneless skinless chicken into my pressure cooker with 4 cups water. The water is just coming over the cooling rack in the pressure cooker, that way the chicken isn’t sitting in the water and I have plenty of chicken stock when I’m done.
What is a cooling rack – I have seen a trivet but putting 4 cups water will not keep the chicken above the water level.
secondly I dont have a kitchen aid – I have another electric grinder can i use it for shredding the chicken – that is a wonderful idear of yours
Diane says
October 12, 2013 at 6:17 pmHello, my pressure cooker has a rack it rests slightly above the bottom of the pan. It has holes in it.It’s ok if some of the water is touching the chicken and it will depend on the size of your pressure cooker and how wide it is as to whether or not the water will be on the chicken. I don’t think it’s curtail either way. If you use a pressure cooker, use your best judgement.
I’m not sure how the electric meat grinder would be as I haven’t used one. I prefer the chicken shredded not ground, you can shred it with two forks or slice it finely if you prefer.
Thanks for your questions, I hope my answers are helpful.
~Diane
Preci says
October 12, 2013 at 6:40 pmDiane I have a prestige pressure cooker which has a trivet and if you pour 1 cup of water in the cooker on the trivet the trivet would be below the water level and the chicken would be sitting in the water
is there a picture on the website of the cooling rack that you mentioned
thanks
Diane says
October 12, 2013 at 8:48 pmHere is a link to what the rack looks like http://www.amazon.com/Presto-85622-pressure-cooker-rack/dp/B000UM2BUK
Preci says
October 13, 2013 at 7:57 amHow many inches above the bottom of your cooker will the cooling rack rest my trivet touches the botto so the chicken will be submerged in the water
Diane says
October 13, 2013 at 12:14 pmI think it will be fine if they are in the water. My rack is about about an inch above bottom I believe.
Kelly says
February 16, 2014 at 2:36 pmHi Diane. I followed your instructions today and my chicken turned out great and shredding it worked perfectly! I couldn’t believe how quickly the KitchenAid shredded it. I had serious doubts that it would even work, but it worked like a charm. Thank you so much!
Diane says
February 16, 2014 at 4:37 pmKelly, I’m so glad you tried it and liked it. It really is a time saver!
Annette Schmidt says
March 18, 2014 at 1:58 pmThank you so much for this recipe. I have been using my pressure for decades, but have never made this. I am getting ready for a work team and needed shredded chicken breast and I usually buy it in the cans at Sam’s. What a money saver this is! Bought the chicken on sale, came right home and cooked the chicken in the pressure cooker (do you cool immediately or let the pressure drop on its own accord?) and then shredded! About half the cost of buying the cans!! I’m also cooking a pork loin and will try to shred it in the Kitchen Aid. Thank you so much for your wonderful ideas!!
Diane says
March 18, 2014 at 5:11 pmI cool the pressure cooker with water, it seems like I’m always in a hurry 🙂 and I do pork spare ribs in the pressure cooker and they are also a family favorite. Yes it is a HUGE money saver to buy, cook and shred chicken your self vs. buying it already done, and it tastes better too. Glad you liked it.
Amy C says
October 12, 2014 at 6:02 pmI also cook a whole (bone-in) chicken which is sometimes on sale really cheap, in my crockpot. It usually lasts us for two dinners and a lunch or two and it’s as easy as adding herbs, the chicken and either chicken stock and/or a little butter to the crock pot.
Laura says
October 28, 2015 at 9:13 pmWhat kind of a pressure release should be used? TIA
Diane says
October 29, 2015 at 7:29 pmI cooled the pot with water before releasing the pressure.
Linda says
February 7, 2018 at 4:10 pmWhat a great idea. I was given a pressure cooker pot but it is a small one. Do you have any recipes that I could use in the smaller pot, For example could I do this chicken recipe in my cooker.?
Diane says
February 7, 2018 at 5:00 pmwhat size is your pressure cooker? You can adjust most recipes to accommodate the size pressure cooker you have.
Linda says
February 7, 2018 at 8:09 pmit is the small 4 qt one. This all new to me and I know I can do a cornish hen, rice, vegetables . Thanks for answering.
Diane says
February 8, 2018 at 8:31 pmI think you’ll be able to put up to 3lbs of chicken breasts in a 4 qt pressure cooker with about 2 cups water to recreate the chicken I made in this post.
Here are some more recipes you’ll be able to make in a 4qt pressure cooker.https://www.createdby-diane.com/2015/11/green-chicken-or-turkey-chili.html
You can cut this recipe in 1/2 https://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/11/my-favorite-chili-recipe.html
Here are more recipes to use shredded chicken in https://www.createdby-diane.com/2017/08/slow-cooker-chicken-with-recipes.html
Chris says
June 29, 2018 at 2:58 amI am always making chicken and this will save me a TON of time, thanks so much, I see more recipes I’ll be using it in too.