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    Home » Main Dish Recipes » Chicken » Keto Pulled Chicken

    Keto Pulled Chicken

    5 Ingredient RecipesDairy Free RecipesGluten & Grain Free RecipesLow Carb & Keto RecipesTrim Healthy Mama Recipes

    Published: May 19, 2021 by Taryn

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
    Print Recipe Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image for keto pulled chicken

    Keto Pulled Chicken is a must-have recipe for all occasions. You only need 4 ingredients to make keto shredded chicken, and it can easily be made in your Instant Pot. You’ll get juicy chicken that can be eaten as is or added to your favorite recipes. It’s a wonderful gluten-free, grain-free, and low carb diet dish too!

    close up of keto pulled chicken in a glass bowl

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    Have a few keto recipes that require cooked chicken but aren’t sure how you want to cook the chicken? You aren’t alone, so I wanted to share how I prepare keto shredded chicken for those types of dishes. You can seriously add this chicken to so many low carb keto diet meals; it’s one I would keep nearby because you are going to want to make it again and again.

    Cooking the chicken in the pressure cooker is a real treat too. Cleanup is a breeze, and you only dirty a couple of dishes. Plus, it’s FAST and leaves the meat juicy and flavorful too. Another great thing is it’s next to impossible to overcook it in the Instant Pot following these directions.

    plate with keto pulled chicken on lettuce wraps

    Ingredients Needed

    Making this Keto Pulled Chicken is so simple, and you only need these ingredients.

    • Chicken Thighs - For best results, you will need to use boneless skinless thighs. Otherwise, you are going to have to worry about digging bones out before shredding the meat.
    • Garlic Powder - To add a little bit of flavor, I like to use garlic powder. You could swap it for any other seasoning that you like too.
    • Salt & Pepper - A little bit of salt and pepper enhances the flavor of the meat and can easily be adjusted to fit your taste.

    chicken thighs in instant pot

    How To Make Keto Pulled Chicken

    This is probably the easiest pulled chicken recipe ever. I love that I barely have to put in any effort, and it turns out perfectly every time I make it.

    chicken thighs in instant pot
    All the liquid you see is the natural juice released from the chicken - you do not need to add water - only using the natural cooking liquid gives the chicken more flavor!

    Step One: Place the chicken thighs in the instant pot. Then turn it to manual high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow it to complete a natural release for 15 minutes, then finish with a quick release.

    cooked chicken thighs in large bowl

    Step Two: Take the chicken out of the pressure cooker and shred it with two forks. Add to all your recipes that need shredded chicken and enjoy!

    shredded chicken in a large bowl

    Could I Use Chicken Breasts?

    Yes, but I don’t recommend it for this recipe. Typically, cooking chicken breasts in the pressure cooker can lead to rubbery or dry chicken unless it’s part of a casserole or something like that. But to just cook the breasts and shred them, it’s not going to end in moist juicy chicken the way the thighs do. Because breasts are so lean, they don’t have as much fat or moisture in them when cooked this way.

    What’s The Best Way To Shred Chicken?

    There are several methods that work for shredding chicken. I like to take meat shredding claws or a couple of forks and pull them apart. It tends to work really well and pressure-cooked chicken thighs are so tender they fall apart with little effort.

    However, you could also toss the cooked meat in your stand mixer and use a paddle attachment. It will shred FAST, so you need to keep a close watch on it, so it doesn’t turn to mush. If you ever accidentally overshred chicken it works great in my gluten free keto chicken nuggets.

    All of these methods work well, so it’s just a matter of what you prefer and how much effort you want to put into making keto shredded chicken.

    Can I Use Frozen Chicken?

    Yep! You actually can use frozen chicken. You don’t even need to thaw it before starting. This is fantastic for those nights when you don’t know what to make, and you pull the meat out of the freezer at the last minute. You will need to add 4 minutes to the cooking time to ensure that it cooks entirely. Other than that, I think you will be very impressed with the results.

    keto shredded chicken in a glass bowl

    Can I Make Keto Pulled Chicken in a Crockpot?

    Yes, you can make this in a crock pot or slow cooker. Just add the chicken and seasonings and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.

    What Do I Do If The Chicken Isn’t Fully Cooked?

    Cooking times can vary a little bit based on the amount of meat you are cooking and your actual device. If you find that you take the lid off and it’s still not done, you will need to cook it for an additional 3-4 minutes. Be sure to check the temperature with a digital thermometer, and it needs to be 165 degrees.

    How Can I Use Shredded Chicken?

    There are tons of ways you can serve this keto pulled chicken. Here are some ideas for low carb recipes that I think you will enjoy.

    • BBQ Pulled Chicken - Add some sugar free bbq sauce on top and dig into delicious bbq chicken!
    • Mexican - Mix it into chicken enchiladas, tacos, or any other Mexican-style dish.
    • Salad - Toss some in your salad for some extra protein.
    • Breakfast - Add it to some scrambled eggs for flavor and to help fill you up.
    • Lettuce Wraps - Adding some shredded chicken to lettuce wraps is one of my favorite lunches. I add a few extra veggies, some cheese, and sauce or dressing.
    • Chicken Nuggets - I shred this extra fine using my KitchenAid and then make these kid-friendly low carb chicken nuggets!
    close up of a hand holding a lettuce wrap with keto pulled chicken
    My easy lunch with this pulled chicken - lettuce wraps with carrots, celery, blue cheese crumbles, and ranch.

     

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    close up of keto pulled chicken in a glass bowl

    Keto Pulled Chicken

    Keto Pulled Chicken is a must-have recipe for all occasions. You only need 4 ingredients, and it can easily be made in minutes.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 2 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 17 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 204
    Author: Taryn

    Ingredients

    • 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • Add the chicken to the stainless steel liner of the Instant Pot.
    • Cook the chicken on the manual at high pressure for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes.
    • Remove the cooked chicken from the Instant Pot. Shred in a large bowl using two forks or barbecue claws. Slowly add in some of the cooking liquid until the chicken is moist. You don't want it swimming like soup, you just want to add enough to moisten all the chicken thoroughly.
    • Season with additional salt and pepper or add sauce as desired.

    Notes

    To Reheat: Warm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
    To Freeze: Place in a freezer bag and flatten it out to remove air. Freeze flat; then, after it’s frozen, you can move it to make extra room in the freezer. It will last for up to 3 months.
    Liquid in Instant Pot: This works in my older Instant Pot without any added liquid which helps brown the chicken. In my newer Instant Pot, I do get a burn warning. If your Instant Pot gives you a burn warning add 4 ounces of water or chicken stock.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup (approx) | Calories: 204 | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 32.8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 161.6mg | Sodium: 442.3mg | Potassium: 422.9mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 41.5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 16.3mg | Iron: 1.4mg
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    Comments

    1. Michelle says

      July 12, 2021 at 11:31 pm

      I love this so easy and quick so tasty too so versatile ! Ive made ariund 6 times now and use it wuth your other chicken recipes ! So good as bbq or byself wrap with fixings / use this prep so can use in your chicken recipe cookbook casserole! Love how easy ans tasty is ! Every time if use or made it tag it on Instagram this is definitely winner !5 stars

      Reply
    2. Kate Queen says

      May 19, 2021 at 6:08 pm

      This recipe sounds fantastic, but NO WATER? I didn't know you could get pressure without having some water. I went on a Google search for cooking chicken without water in the instant pot. The search results were all over the place. I want to try this recipe. Can you tell me how it works without water? Does the pot get to full pressure? Does it take a little longer to come to pressure? Does the chicken stick to the bottom of the pot?

      Reply
      • Taryn says

        May 19, 2021 at 8:42 pm

        No water. I promise it works. The chicken releases natural juice and cooks in its own juice without that being watered down with actual water. I have not tested if it takes longer to come to pressure with this method but I guess that is possible. I cook chicken with this method about once a week. Including time to come to pressure and then natural release it takes about an hour.

        Reply
        • Kat Woods says

          May 20, 2021 at 7:55 am

          Do you get a "burn" notification?

        • Taryn says

          May 20, 2021 at 9:13 am

          Never

        • Kate Queen says

          May 27, 2021 at 6:46 pm

          Great! Thanks for the tips 🙂
          I will give this one a try!

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