Crockpot Shredded Chicken – a super easy Crockpot recipe for all purpose shredded chicken! Â This chicken is seasoned and slow cooked all day, then ready to use in any of your favorite wraps, tacos, or casseroles. Â Or, you can freeze it to use for later!
Out of all of the recipes on my blog, I have to say this simple, plain Jane looking crockpot full of chicken is one of my absolute favorites.
It’s one of those recipes that is a major lifesaver for me to keep on hand for all of the meal time madness.
This tastes just as good as a rotisserie chicken, but, you can make a BIG batch of it right at home and it lasts for up to two months in the freezer!
My recipe calls for using about 3 pounds of chicken – for me this is four large chicken breasts.
It goes right into the crockpot with some chicken broth and seasonings, and is really “set and forget” recipe because it can cook on low all day and still be amazingly juicy!
So, for the 3 pounds of chicken – I get about 6 cups of shredded chicken total.
Then, I just let it cool after shredding and save about two cups in the refrigerator for the week, and freeze the rest.
I typically save 1-2 cups per zip-lock back, but you can portion it out however you’d like!
You can also easily double this recipe if you want a plethora of shredded chicken on hand.
Another awesome use for this chicken is your weekly meal prep! Â It really does have all purpose flavor, and goes well with anything! Â Once it’s cooked and shredded you can add things like hot sauce, ranch dressing, taco seasoning, salsa….etc. Â and toss it into salads for the week – make life easier and your salad a little less boring!
Some of my fave ways to use this chicken are in my One Pot Buffalo Chicken Tortellini, these Crispy Chicken Wraps, and my BBQ Ranch Chicken Tacos.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Easy CrockPot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Chicken Breasts About 4 Large
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in bottom of crockpot. Pour chicken broth and seasonings over chicken.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken from crockpot and shred with two forks.
- Use the chicken right away in your favorite recipes. Or, allow chicken to cool and portion into zip-top bags and freeze for up to two months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I added some smoked paprika and increased the garlic powder because my family likes food a little more seasoned. I tend to choose low and slow! I pulled the chicken out to shred and strained the broth. I think for additional future quick meal prep that next time I will add more liquid and freeze most of the broth to use for other recipes.
How much chicken is included for the 120 calories? Trying to find nutritional information!
Probably about 3\4 cup of shredded chicken would be about 120 calories.
If I double it and make 6 pounds of tenderloins, how long would you cook it? Thanks !!
In a crockpot it would just cook the exact same time once it got up to temp. If you are starting with frozen meat or more volume you might have to add a little time but it wouldnt double it.
This is my third time using this recipe!! I love it and it is my go to for shredded chicken! I freeze it and take out what I need for whatever I’m making!!
So easy and the best tasting chicken!! If you can cook it on low for the longer time, it is my favorite! I use this recipe every week and put the chicken in all sorts of things— casseroles, soups, tacos, etc.
Just finished this, and it came out pretty good. The chicken fell apart and very little was needed to shred it. About to use some to make burritos. Thank you for this simple recipe.
Just finished this, and it came out pretty good. The chicken fell apart and very little effort was needed to shred it. About to use some to make burritos. Thank you for this simple recipe.
If I did a pound and a half instead of 3 pounds, would it be half the time or same time?
I would check at the 4 or 5 hour mark with a meat thermometer to make sure it reached 165 F.
Fantastic flavor and very easy. My go to recipe for company- makes great flavored broth for shredded chicken on buns!
Can I use frozen chicken to start out with?
I am using frozen now – I’ll let you know! lol. That was my question as well.
How did your frozen chicken work out?
I have these in the crock pot now and they are frozen. I’m cooking them on high for 6 hours.
If I don’t have broth, can I use water, add celery stalks and increase the seasoning (if so, by how much)?
Yes, water is fine and so is celery. I would suggest seasoning to your own taste 🙂