crockpot Shredded Chicken
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If future you could use a little help with dinner, this Crockpot Shredded Chicken is the recipe to keep on standby. It turns out tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned every time. I love adding it to soups, casseroles, and pasta dishes. I also freeze it in two cup portions so I always have some to grab in a pinch!
Recipe Snapshot: Crockpot Shredded Chicken
- Cooking Level: Easy
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: About 6 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
- Yield: Approximately 4 cups of shredded chicken
- Main Ingredients: Chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried minced onion, and simple seasonings
- Flavor: Savory, well-seasoned, and easy to customize
- Best For: Meal prep, freezer meals, soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, salads, and sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Size: A 6-quart or 8-quart slow cooker
- Why You’ll Love It: It’s almost completely hands off, freezes beautifully, and gives you four cups of ready to use chicken for quick meals.
One batch, so many dinners.
This was one of the first recipes I ever shared on The Skinnyish Dish, and all these years later, I’m still making it often! It’s my go to, all-purpose shredded chicken for soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, salads, sandwiches, and whatever else I can think of!
If you’re tired of buying rotisserie chickens only to realize there isn’t as much usable meat as you hoped, this is such a good option! Two pounds of chicken breasts makes about four cups of shredded chicken, and you can portion it out for multiple meals.
Need it faster? Try my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken instead.
Hope you love it! Xo-Star
Featured Comment
“This chicken is so easy to make, absolutely delicious, and is incredibly versatile to use… It’s a staple for me!”
– Corey A.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts or a mixture of breasts and well trimmed chicken thighs. Using some thighs will give the shredded chicken a slightly richer flavor.
- Chicken broth: The chicken cooks directly in the broth, which helps keep it tender and gives you flavorful cooking liquid to add back after shredding. You can also use 1½ cups of water with 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon.
- Dried minced onion: This adds plenty of onion flavor without any chopping. You can substitute onion powder or one small sliced fresh onion.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, celery salt, and black pepper make up the base seasoning. I add smoked paprika and oregano for my everyday shredded chicken, then leave them out when I want a more neutral flavor.
How to Make Shredded Chicken in a Crockpot
- Add the chicken and seasonings: Place the thawed chicken breasts in the Crockpot. Sprinkle the dried minced onion, garlic powder, celery salt, black pepper, and optional seasonings evenly over the chicken.
- Pour in the broth: Add the low-sodium chicken broth and lightly stir everything around the chicken.
- Cover and cook: Cook on LOW for about 6 hours or HIGH for about 4 hours. The chicken is ready when it is fully cooked (165°F) and pulls apart easily.
- Shred the chicken: Transfer the chicken to a large bowl with about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Let it cool for a few minutes, then shred it with two forks. Use a hand mixer if you prefer finely shredded chicken.
Star’s Helpful Tips
- Save the cooking liquid: Add about ½ cup of the liquid to the chicken before shredding. This keeps it juicy and adds flavor back into every piece.
- Let the chicken rest: After removing the chicken from the Crockpot, let it sit for a few minutes before shredding. This gives the juices time to redistribute through the meat so they do not run out as soon as you pull it apart. It also makes the chicken much easier to handle.
- Choose your texture: Two forks will give you larger, more natural pieces. A hand mixer works quickly if you prefer very finely shredded chicken.
- Check for tenderness: The chicken is ready when it pulls apart easily. If it still feels firm or fights back, cover the Crockpot and let it cook a little longer.
What to Make With Shredded Chicken
Having cooked shredded chicken ready in the refrigerator or freezer is one of my favorite dinner shortcuts. These are some of the easiest ways to turn it into another meal:
- Salads: Chicken Salad with Grapes, Dill Pickle Chicken Salad, Southwest Chicken Salad, or this easy Chicken Macaroni Salad.
- Soups: Chicken Pot Pie Soup or Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Casseroles: Tater Tot Topped Chicken Pot Pie or Loaded Chicken Bubble Up Bake
- Quick dinners: Buffalo Chicken Pasta, Chicken Street Tacos, or Easy Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Wraps
- Other favorites: Use it to make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip for parties or game day, throw it in some loaded baked potatoes, toss it with a bagged salad kit for a super easy lunch, or make easy chicken quesadilla.
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Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
Storage: Place the cooked and shredded chicken with some of its juices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: I like to freeze shredded chicken in portions with one to two cups each. Add the cooled chicken and some of its juices to a freezer safe container or freezer bag. If you are using a bag, squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing it. I am a big fan of my vacuum sealer because it helps prevent freezer burn. The chicken will keep for 3 to 4 months in the freezer and even longer when vacuum sealed.
Reheating: Make sure to thaw chicken in the fridge before using. I usually add the shredded chicken directly to recipes and let it heat up that way. If you want to reheat just the chicken, add a couple tablespoons of broth or water to a pan over medium low heat. You can also use the microwave, but it’s not my favorite method.
crockpot shredded chicken faqs
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don’t forget to tag @theskinnyishdish on Instagram and use the hashtag #theskinnyishdish so I can see my recipes in the wild and share it with my followers! Thanks for visiting! -Star
Crockpot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken broth (or 1½ cups water + 2 tsp better than bouillon)
- 2 tbsp dried minced onion (or 2 tsp onion powder or one small onion sliced)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts, broth, dried minced onion, garlic powder, celery salt, black pepper, and optional seasonings to the Crockpot. Lightly stir everything around the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 6 hours or HIGH for about 4 hours. The chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and pulls apart easily.
- Transfer the chicken to a large bowl with about ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Let it rest for a few minutes so the juices can redistribute.
- Shred the chicken with two forks or use a hand mixer for finely shredded chicken. Stir everything together and add a little more cooking liquid if needed.
Do you put the shredded chicken back into the left over juice in the crock?
Nope! You can add a little juice to the chicken to if you think it needs it, but I personally don’t.
This chicken is so easy to make, absolutely delicious, and is incredibly versatile to use (Chicken Salad, add any seasoning profile you want — Mexican, Buffalo, etc). It’s a staple for me!
Would LOVE to have a list of all your recipes that I can use this in. Thank you!!
Silly question but do you trim the chicken breast first or just throw ignorant in right from the pack? I feel like I spend more time trimming and cleaning chicken than cooking it lol!
Hi Julia! It depends on the chicken breast honestly. The fresh chicken that I buy on a normal basis doesn’t really need any cleaning, but I know this can vary from store to store. I’d say to use your personal judgement. Sorry that doesn’t seem to be much help!
I’ve also used 4 chicken breasts, taco seasoning, fat free cream cheese, and rotel tomatoe, all placed into a crock pot. After several hours when you know the chicken is done, place on tortilla and add reduced or fat free cheese, lettuce and tomatoe.
I’ve also used 4 chicken breasts, taco seasoning, fat free cream cheese, and rotel tomatoe, all placed into a crock pot. After several hours when you know the chicken is done, place on tortilla and add reduced or fat free cheese, lettuce and tomatoe.
I do this every Sunday and cook 2 lbs and freeze half for the next week. I typically use fresh tenderloins and keep them whole instead of shredding that way I can cut it how I want for any particular recipe. I also don’t use any broth, if you only put enough chicken in to line the pan and all the chicken is touching the crock pot then the broth isn’t needed! 🙂
I do this every Sunday and cook 2 lbs and freeze half for the next week. I typically use fresh tenderloins and keep them whole instead of shredding that way I can cut it how I want for any particular recipe. I also don’t use any broth, if you only put enough chicken in to line the pan and all the chicken is touching the crock pot then the broth isn’t needed! 🙂
Does the broth from the chicken breast have WWpoints? I make Enchiladas Suisas and us the broth with fat free Greek yogurt for the sauce but have wondered about that broth. Just found your site today and will certainly put you in my favorites. Thanks for the tasty sounding recipes. Going to get my slow cooker and that big pack of chicken breasts out of the freezer right now.
Does the broth from the chicken breast have WWpoints? I make Enchiladas Suisas and us the broth with fat free Greek yogurt for the sauce but have wondered about that broth. Just found your site today and will certainly put you in my favorites. Thanks for the tasty sounding recipes. Going to get my slow cooker and that big pack of chicken breasts out of the freezer right now.