Make perfectly shredded chicken every time in the slow cooker!
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I love to keep shredded chicken on hand. It can be used so many ways, on top of a salad, in a soup, on pasta, in a casserole, rolled up in a tortilla and lots of other ways. If you have shredded chicken on hand you always have something for dinner.
I like to shred my chicken in bulk and then freeze it. My favorite way to make shredded chicken is in the slow cooker. It is easy to do and it keeps the chicken moist.
I just place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker with a little salt and pepper and about 1/4 – 1/2 C of water. If your chicken breasts are frozen you won’t need the water.
The trick is to not over cook them. The texture of chicken changes if you cook it too long in a slow cooker. I have found that four hours on slow is about the perfect amount of time if the chicken is not frozen. It may take a bit longer if it is frozen.
I cook it just until it is tender enough to shred and then remove it from the slow cooker onto a cookie sheet or cutting board.
Using two forks shred the chicken.
It’s then ready to use or pop in a container for the freezer. I usually put it into two cup servings sizes for our reduced size family and freeze it that way.
I love having shredded chicken on hand and doing a large batch at a time in the slow cooker makes meal planning even easier. Depending on the size of your chicken breast you will get about 2 C of shredded chicken per chicken breast.
You can check out my favorite slow cooker here.
***If you love EASY and DELICIOUS meals that you can make for your family in your slow cooker, please join me over on Instgram where I share ALL slow cooker recipes! Hope to see you there! Find me on Instagram at @slowcookerrecipelove ***
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts I do 5-6 at a time
- salt and pepper
- 1/4-1/2 C water
Instructions
- Lightly salt and pepper chicken breasts
- Place in chicken and water into slow cooker
- Cook on low for about 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and shreddable
- Do not over cook
- Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks
Video
Love this. Planning to use the chicken in a pot pie. Should I thaw the frozen left overs before adding it to my pie mixture and in the oven? Or do you think it would be ok frozen?
If I was going to cook it frozen I’d make sure the whole pot pie was frozen, crust included so that things cook evenly. If just the filling is frozen but not the crust, the crust may cook too quickly, before the filling is heated through.
can i put in slow cooker frozen?
Sure, your cooking time may just be a little longer.
I just put some chicken in my crockpot and I’m excited to have shredded chicken on hand for other recipes! I did notice that the recipe has water listed as an Ingredient but does not mention putting the water into the crockpot in the Instructions. Thanks for another practical cooking tip!
Molly, Good catch – I updated the recipe to show when to put the water in. Thanks
Hi,
Thanks for this tip. I love this idea. How long can you keep the chicken in the freezer for?
As long as you have it airtight it should be fine for 2-3 months.
How long does chicken last if you don’t freeze it after?
It will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days
Could I do 2 hours on high?
Can I use frozen chicken or would fresh chicken be better??
You can totally use frozen chicken.
How would you store this in the freezer?
In any type of freezer container or freezer zip loc bag
Can I do this overnight and let it go to warm or should I take out immediately, after 4 hours?
Donna, I wouldn’t do it overnight. I find that chicken gets tough if it is cooked too long.
I’m definitely going to try this. I love having things on hand for the basis of meals.Thanks for the idea.
I use my Kitchenaid with the paddle. It will shred the chicken in less than 3 minutes. Great for large batches or people with arthritis in their hands.
Shelley – that is a great idea – will have to give it a try!