Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
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Whenever you’re looking for juicy, flavorful shredded chicken to add to soups, tacos, sandwiches, salads, and so much more, turn to this Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken recipe! It’s easy to make in a Crock Pot with just 3 ingredients and it can be used in a variety of different ways, which makes it perfect for meal prep.
Why this recipe is the best
I’ve made a lot of shredded chicken in my life. Growing up we’d use an old-school pressure cooker (before Instant Pot existed!) to pressure cook chicken, then shred it. We would add the shredded chicken to enchiladas, casseroles and soups.
As an adult, and buffalo chicken expert, I’ve made a lot of shredded chicken in both a slow cooker and Instant Pot to toss with buffalo sauce. I also add it to soups, tacos, and so much more!
Needless to say, I’ve had decades of experience making shredded chicken, and I’m excited to share all of my tips with you today for making juicy and flavorful chicken in a slow cooker!
- My homemade chicken seasoning adds so much flavor! A lot of shredded chicken recipes simply call for two ingredients, chicken breasts and chicken broth, or even worse, just water! While this will work, the chicken will have no flavor. Instead, I formulated the most delicious chicken seasoning recipe with pantry staple spices that will add so much flavor to the chicken!
- The chicken is juicy! I have perfected the chicken to broth ratio, so it’s not swimming in the broth, but the chicken also doesn’t dry out while it’s in the slow cooker. This results in perfectly juicy chicken every time!
- It’s easy to make, and incredibly versatile. This recipe takes 5 minutes to prep, then the Crock Pot does the rest of the work. After it’s cooked, just spend another 5 minutes shredding the chicken and it’s good to go! You can meal prep the shredded chicken over the weekend then use it in different meals every day of the week.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this slow cooker shredded chicken recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless or bone-in chicken breasts – fresh bone-in chicken breasts, or boneless skinless chicken breasts will both work for this recipe. They will both cook in the same time, but using chicken breasts with the bone in will add more flavor, as the chicken slow cooks on the bone. This recipe calls for 2 pounds of chicken breasts, which will equal approximately 4 cups of shredded chicken after it’s cooked. You can easily double this recipe if you want to meal prep a bunch of chicken for the week.
- Chicken broth – I recommend purchasing, or making, a high-quality chicken broth or stock. I found this Custom Culinary Chicken Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and absolutely love it. You can order it online. It’s a little expensive for chicken bouillon, but oh my gosh the flavor is so good.
- Chicken seasoning – It only takes 5 minutes to whip up this easy 7 ingredient spice blend that adds so much flavor to this shredded chicken recipe. If you don’t have the chicken seasoning, I recommend using 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon garlic powder to season the chicken.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Season the chicken. Rub the chicken breasts on all sides with the chicken seasoning and add them to a slow cooker.
- Slow cook the chicken. Pour chicken broth around the chicken in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred the chicken. After the cooking time, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the chicken. Use immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also store the cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When storing the chicken, I recommend storing it in the broth to keep it nice and juicy. If you’re using the chicken immediately, you don’t need to toss it back in the broth. In fact, you can strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, then use it in another recipe that calls for chicken broth.
More seasoning options
The possibilities with this slow cooker shredded chicken recipe are endless! You can use it in a variety of different ways. You can also season it in a variety of different ways. Here are some examples of different ways you can season it.
- Instead of chicken seasoning, season the chicken with taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. This is perfect if you plan to use it in Mexican recipes, like tacos, enchiladas, or burrito bowls.
- To spice up the chicken, use my famous chicken wing seasoning, instead of the traditional chicken seasoning. This is perfect if you’re planning to use the chicken in recipes with buffalo sauce.
- Season it with Italian seasoning, instead of chicken seasoning, if you plan to add it to pasta dishes, or Italian recipes.
- Replace the chicken seasoning with bbq seasoning if you plan to make the chicken into bbq chicken sandwiches.
Ways to use it
Make a double batch of this Crock Pot shredded chicken, then use it in different recipes throughout the week. Seriously, there’s so many ways to use it, you’ll want to meal prep this chicken every week!
- Salads – use it to make a classic chicken salad with a creamy dressing or CPK copycat bbq chicken salad.
- Tacos – use the chicken in these recipes for 10 minute chipotle chicken tacos, chicken tinga tacos, or cheesy green chili rolled chicken tacos. It’s also great for making air fryer chicken taquitos or 15 minute chicken tostadas.
- Buffalo chicken – use the chicken to make a buffalo chicken cauliflower casserole, buffalo chicken taco ring, or buffalo chicken dip.
- Soups – add it to chicken gnocchi soup, chicken poblano soup, or chicken pot pie soup.
- Pasta – add the shredded chicken to garlic parmesan chicken pasta or buffalo chicken cheesy pasta.
You can also toss the chicken with bbq sauce, then serve it on toasted buns with pickles or coleslaw to make an easy and delicious bbq chicken sandwich.
It also makes really great enchiladas. Use it in your favorite recipe, or try this recipe for chicken enchiladas with creamy avocado sauce.
More chicken recipes
Here are a few other unique ways to use the chicken in different recipes!
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless or bone-in
- 2 tablespoons chicken seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on all sides with the chicken seasoning. Add them to a slow cooker.
- Pour the chicken broth around the chicken in the slow cooker. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.
- After the cooking time, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Use two forks, or meat claws, to shred the chicken. Use immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also store the cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- To double the recipe, simply click the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update.
- If you don’t have time to make the chicken seasoning, you can use 1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon garlic powder to season the chicken.
- When storing the chicken, I recommend storing it in the broth to keep it nice and juicy. If you’re using the chicken immediately, you don’t need to toss it back in the broth. In fact, you can strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, then use it in another recipe that calls for chicken broth.
- For different seasoning options and ways to use the shredded chicken, refer to the blog post above.
Nutrition Facts
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