Kitchen Tips: Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is the easiest way to shred chicken at home.  Just set it in your slow cooker or Crock Pot with a bit of broth and some spices for a few hours and it will shred into the juiciest, most tender shredded chicken ever!

OK I get it.  Shredded chicken is not very glamorous.

There’s no frosting, no sprinkles, no chocolate chips, and certainly no sugar.  Why are we even talking about this, again?

Because slow cooker shredded kitchen is a kitchen staple, and while it may be lacking in sugar, there’s a reason I want to share it with you today, and that’s because I’ve made this “recipe” no less than ten times in the past two weeks.  Seriously.

I’ve been working on a handful of savory recipes — some personal dinnertime favorites that I have held back from sharing for so long — and many of them call for shredded chicken.  Rather than insist that you buy and shred a rotisserie chicken or leave you wondering about the best way to shred your chicken at home, I thought it might be best if I just provide a recipe for this.

Don’t worry, this recipe is as short and sweet as they come, I promise.

How to Make Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

• Place chicken breast, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and spices in the basin of a crock pot.
• Cover and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
• Remove chicken breast and use two forks to shred.

Can you overcook chicken in the slow cooker?

• Yes, it is possible!  If the meat is cooked too long it could end up dry and not juicy and tender.
• The recommended times in my recipe are ideal for juicy shredded chicken, but if you use less chicken than the recipe calls for I would recommend checking it sooner.  Alternatively, if you use frozen chicken or more chicken than the recipe calls for, you may need to add additional time.

I’ve used this shredded chicken to make homemade chicken pot pie, my buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and my white chicken chili (recipes coming soon!)!

Alright, I hope you don’t mind the brief break from the sugar.  If you have any other questions about making shredded chicken, please leave them in the comments!

How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Crock Pot

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

How to make shredded chicken in your slow cooker.

Recipe from SugarSpunRun.com

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 3 lbs

Calories: 230

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast* (1.4kg)
• 1 cup chicken broth (235ml)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in the basin of your slow-cooker.
• Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
• Chicken is finished when internal temperature has reached 155F (68C) and it can easily be shredded with a pair of forks.  Remove chicken from crockpot and use two forks to easily pull apart and shred chicken.

Notes

*If your chicken breast is frozen it will need to cook longer -- you can test for doneness by trying to pull apart chicken and checking the center.

This recipe can be scaled to make more (or less) shredded chicken.

Cooked shredded chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.  It may be frozen for several months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup shredded chicken | Calories: 230kcal

Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!