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.
super easy, and delicious! Cannot wait to make some wraps! I used 5 boneless skinless breasts and checked the temp after the 3 hours on high mark…took between 3.5 and 4 🙂
I used this recipe for chicken that I added to Mole. It was perfect and far less work than chopping chicken or strips of chicken. Just set it and forget it, no complicated spices to add. I usually use a rotisserie chicken in Mole, but this was easier considering I couldn’t get to my preferred store to get a rotisserie.
I am now making it to freeze so I can use it in so many other recipes. It makes me want to attempt enchiladas since the shredded chicken comes out great and that for me is the hardest part of recipes. Thank you!
Purchase chicken in volumue when on sale. My small dogs and calico cat all approve… Me too. Set it and forget it. So easy does not seem right. 🙂 Freezes well and my animals are so happy. No additives or preservatives. Just lean protien. PEGGY
Hi Nicole, what if I want to use leg quarters with skin would anything changes need to be made?
My family and my pets prefer dark meat chicken. I always buy quarters on sale. I find they are more tender if you have the time to cook them slow overnight. It comes out perfectly every time. I prefer to cook them with bones and skin for flavor. Once their done the meat falls right off the bones and can be skinned easily. Follow the directions using dark meat and make changes after you try it as is. Good luck! Yummy! Perfect for chicken salad, enchiladas etc…
My go to recipe! Thanks for posting. Perfect every time and when Chicken breasts are on sale I do two batches. Great for chicken salad, quesadillas, tacos, soups etc.
Can I start with frozen chicken breasts in this recipe? Would it turn out too watery?
Frozen is fine 🙂
What if I don’t have any chicken broth on hand
You could use veggie broth if you have any. Otherwise, water is fine and just maybe add a little extra seasoning 🙂
Do you think this would work with turkey breasts?
Yes! Turkey breast will work just fine 🙂
You know what, Nichole? I couldn’t find turkey breasts today so I bought turkey breast cutlets and I’m still going to try this out tomorrow on a smaller scale…..
I messed up! I think I had it on high and they boiled, hard. Ouch. Should have made turkey cutlets!
I will try this again as per your instructions!
Ok, here’s what happened: the turkey was not awful (!) and did shred. It’s probably better to use beefy breasts than flat cutlets and/or put them on low heat so they don’t boil.
Thanks for the recipe; you can tell: I ain’t no cook!
Ok, here’s what happened: the turkey was not awful (!) and did shred. It’s probably better to use beefy breasts than flat cutlets and/or put them on low heat so they don’t boil. I can use some meat for turkey tacos and freeze the rest.
Thanks for the recipe; you can tell: I ain’t no cook!
OK, here’s what happened: the turkey wasn’t bad and did shred. I think either using plump breasts vs. a cutlet and/or using low heat so they don’t boil. I can use some for turkey tacos and freeze the rest. Oh, I used Imagine’s turkey/chicken/beef bone broth.
Thanks for your easy recipe.
This is the perfect shredded chicken recipe! So easy to do in a Crock pot.
This recipe was easy and fast. I cooked 5 LARGE chicken breasts on high for 3 hours. They were perfect. I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer and paddle attachment to very quickly shred the. chicken. The only recommendation I can make is that if you don’t like food “salty” either use low sodium chicken broth or reduce or eliminate the salt in the dry seasoning blend.