20-Minute Instant Pot Pulled Chicken - Making a PSMF pulled chicken recipe in an instant pot is not only insanely easy but super delicious! Only 20 minutes is all it takes to create super juicy and moist chicken! Eat it plain on top of a salad for a high protein meal or add some keto sauces for a quick and easy weeknight Carnivore dinner idea!
PSMF Chicken Recipe
PSMF stands for "Protein-Sparing Modified Fast," which is a type of diet designed for rapid weight loss while preserving lean body mass. PSMF typically involves consuming a very low-calorie diet primarily composed of protein, with minimal fats and carbohydrates. It is often used under medical supervision for individuals with obesity or those preparing for surgery.
A PSMF recipe, therefore, would focus on meals that are high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates, and generally limited in total calories.
If you want to read more about PSMF (and how it compares to a Carnivore diet), check out this post!
Since I just started my 30-Day PSMF and Carnivore Diet Challenge, I knew I needed to come up with some quick and easy healthy chicken recipes that would come in handy throughout this diet challenge.
Whether you use my Quick Chicken Brine or my Dill Pickle Chicken Brine or neither, you can make this quick pulled chicken recipe in under 30 minutes!
If you are looking for a PSMF cook book, check out Maria Emmerich PSMF Cookbook on Amazon.
Why you will love this Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
This quick pulled chicken recipe has several things that you will love about it:
- Fast - You can use either fresh or frozen chicken breasts and they will be ready to be pulled in under 30 minutes
- Versatile - Add some sauce for a BBQ version or add it to a salad for some extra protein
- PSFM Recipe - Chicken is a staple if you are trying a PSMF so having a PSMF chicken recipe that can come together in a pinch is super convenient
- Carnivore Recipe - Although boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not one of the top carnivore recipes as they do not contain enough fat, all you have to do is add some Homemade Keto Big Mac Special Sauce, or some Carnivore Mayo (recipe coming soon!) and you converted a PSMF recipe into a Carnivore-friendly recipe!
Healthy Chicken Recipe Ingredients
You only need some basic ingredients for making this keto pulled chicken:
- Chicken - You will need boneless and skinless chicken for this recipe. You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs. If you chicken meat is very thick, slice it in half to create thinner fillets
- Water - You will need approximately 1 cup of water. To speed up the process, feel free to heat the water up in the microwave for 2 minutes. The hotter the water, the quicker the steam will be created in your instant pot and the faster the end result! You can also replace the water with any type of broth for some added flavour.
- Seasoning - For carnivore and PSMF chicken recipes, stick with just salt and pepper. Otherwise, feel free to use any seasoning that you wish to give the chicken a little extra flavour.
Quick Pulled Chicken Recipe Instructions
This basic keto pulled chicken recipe is so easy that it will quickly become your go-to healthy chicken dinner when you are in a pinch for time!
Prepare the Pot
- Add the water and salt (or any other seasoning) to the bottom of the pressure cooker
Add the Chicken
- Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper
- Place the chicken in the pot, in the liquid
Pressure Cook
- Seal the pressure cooker
- For thawed chicken, set the pressure cooker to "HI" and the timer for 14 minutes - once timer is done, manually relase the pressure
- For frozen chicken, set the pressure cooker to "HI" and the timer for 16 minutes - once the timer is done, manually release the pressure
Pull the Chicken
- Using two forks, pull the chicken to create shredded chicken. You can either do this in the pot with the liquid or remove the chicken from the liquid.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
How do you know when the chicken is cooked?
Cooked chicken will reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. However, if you do not have a meat thermometer, no worries! If you can easily pull your chicken, then your chicken is fully cooked!
Should you allow chicken to rest before pulling it?
Yes. It is always best practice to let any meat rest before slicing or pulling. This ensures that the moisture remains in the meat so if you have an additional 10 minutes, it is recommended to let the chicken rest for that time before pulling it.
What is the easiest way to pull chicken?
I always use two forks or my hands (if the chicken is cool enough!) to pull my chicken. However, I have used my hand held mixer as well to pull the chicken. Using a hand hand mixer works well but requires more cleaning than I like!
What type of Instant Pot do I use?
I actually do not have an Instant Pot but rather use my Ninja Foodi All-In-One. However, any type of pressure cooker should work the same for this recipe.
What does a P:E ratio mean?
That ratio is generally expressed as the percentage of protein energy in the diet, that is, the ratio of protein energy to total dietary energy
What is considered a good P:E ratio for a PSMF?
A food with a P:E ratio of 1.0 or higher is considered to have a relatively high protein density.
What is the P:E ratio of this quick pulled chicken recipe?
The P:E ratio is calculated at 3.82. You can use this calculator if you change some of the ingredients to calculate your recipe P:E ratio.
More Keto Ninja All-In-One Recipes
Looking for other keto Ninja All-In-One recipes like this? Try these:
More Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting recipes
These are some of my favourite quick and easy PSMF recipes:
20-Minute Instant Pot Pulled Chicken - Frozen or Fresh
20-Minute Instant Pot Pulled Chicken - Making a PSMF pulled chicken recipe in an instant pot is not only insanely easy but super delicious! Only 20 minutes is all it takes to create super juicy and moist chicken! Eat it plain on top of a salad for a high protein meal or add some keto sauces for a quick and easy weeknight Carnivore dinner idea!
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 lbs 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the water to the bowl of the pressure cooker. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the bowl and seal the lid (make sure the knob is on "seal" and not "vent" if you are using a Ninja All-In-One)
- Set the cooker on "HI" and the timer for 14 minutes for thawed chicken and 16 minutes for frozen chicken.
- Once time is up, manually release the pressure.
- Remove the chicken and pull it using two forks. You can then add your favourite sauce to the chicken or drizzle some of the remaining liquid from the pressure cooker over the chicken.
Notes
- I use a Ninja All-in-One on the pressure cooker function
- you can replace the water with chicken broth or any other type of broth.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: PSMF, Carnivore, Keto, Paleo, Whole30
- Diet: Low Calorie
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz cooked chicken
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 0
- Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 33
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