Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is a wonder food when it comes to meal prep; not only does it require little to no effort, but it can be used in everything from salads and tacos to soups and stews. This fail proof recipe works every time for simple and tender chicken to add to almost any meal.
Chicken breasts are a staple North American dinner ingredient, but after so much baking, grilling and stir-frying these little guys can get rather tiresome after a while. The reason I enjoy this slow cooker shredded chicken so much is because it can be used endless ways and it helps to keep the chicken moist and tender. Depending on what I am going to do with it, I sometimes flavour the chicken during the cooking process by adding herbs, marinades and sauces directly to the slow cooker, but if I am looking for more variety I simply season it with salt and pepper to help keep my options open. I often use this slow cooker shredded chicken for lunch and add it to a big bowl of green, roasted potatoes and veggies for a flavourful and filling meal.
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
I used boneless and skinless breasts for this recipe, but chicken thighs work very well too. You can also use bone-in breast, the cooking will just take a little longer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Mains
- Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 4–6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker, spreading them out evenly, pour in water and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Some moisture will come out of the chicken during the cooking process so you don’t need much liquid.
- Once cooked, remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and place on a large cutting board. Using two forks, pull chicken apart until shredded into bite-size pieces.
- Once shredded, the chicken can be kept as is, or you can add any sauces or flavourings at this point. I like to mix it with some pesto, chimichurri or my piri piri sauce for extra flavour.
- Chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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another great recipe that lasted in the fridge for about 4 days. I would stick to the cooking time Steph recommended, I went an hour over and it was a little dryer than I wanted. Lesson learned!