Crock Pot Shredded Chicken is about as easy as meal prep can get! With 2 ingredients and no prep time, you can make a big batch of tender, flavorful chicken that's perfect for all different meals during the week. Customize it with your favorite spices and sauces for endless meal options.
This Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is a meal you could almost make with your eyes closed! All you need is chicken breasts and broth, and thanks to the slow cooker, the meat will be so moist and delicious every time. From easy tacos and hearty casseroles to protein-packed lunch bowls and more, this versatile crockpot meal is the key to stress-free meal prep.
This shredded chicken solves my dinnertime dilemma of what to make almost weekly, and I think it will help you out, too! I usually customize it with all different spices and seasonings for a different twist every time. My wife now calls it our "make-ahead shredded chicken," and for good reason, it's truly a lifesaver!
If you love a chicken recipe, be sure to also try my Bruschetta Chicken and Teriyaki Chicken.
Jump to:
Equipment
- Crock-Pot - affordable, 8-quart, easy to use, with all the necessary settings without the digital buttons. It's a win, folks!
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless are best here. You can also use boneless thighs, just. know they will cook quickly.
- Chicken Base (or chicken stock): Adds lots of flavor in every bite and keeps the chicken moist. You can make your own chicken broth easily, too, with my tips below.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make crockpot shredded chicken
- Step 1: Place chicken into the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker.
- Step 2: Add 3 tablespoon of Chicken Base into ½ Cup of Water and mix well. Pour the mixture over the chicken.
- Step 3: Cover and cook chicken on low for at least 4 hours. Don't be afraid to let it cook all day. It won't be dry. (you want the chicken to fall apart easily)
- Step 4: Shred apart with forks. Use right away, add to a meal prep, or store for later use. See below for Recipe Ideas and Storage Tips.
Expert tips
- Swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock, or you can use water and flavor it with chicken bouillon cubes or miso paste for a rich umami flavor.
- Add seasonings to the crock pot for a twist. You could use cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, hot sauce, and more!
- Stir in a sauce after shredding. It's so easy to make BBQ shredded chicken or ranch shredded chicken by stirring in the sauce after it's finished cooking.
- Cook on low for the best results. This helps the chicken to become melt-in-your-mouth tender with every bite and shred beautifully.
Make Your Own Chicken Broth
If you have the time, you can even make your own chicken broth for this recipe; it's super simple.
What you'll need:
- 1 whole chicken or 2-3 lbs of chicken bones
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- Salt to taste
- 10 cups of water
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4 hours.
You can also do this in a Crock-Pot and cook for closer to 8 hours. Strain off with a fine strainer. Store in refrigerator for 5 days or in the freezer for 4 months.
Ways to use slow-cooker shredded chicken
Here are some of the go-to recipes my family uses this chicken in every single week. It cuts our meal prep time down by almost half with every recipe. Genius, right?
- Chicken Tetrazzini - a family favorite!
- Chicken Tortellini - an easy recipe for a weeknight. It's a hero.
- One Pot Buffalo Chicken Tortellini - NEWEST RECIPE on the site!
- Chicken Enchiladas - these are great for a freeze-ahead idea too!
- Chicken Fajitas - our go-to idea when we have a lot of vegetables in the house that need to be cooked. We always have tortillas and salsa on hand!
- Chicken Salad - great for lunches
- Southern Style Chicken Salad - we serve it as a dip with cucumbers and sourdough bread or on sandwiches and wraps for lunches.
- Buffalo Chicken Dip - perfect for parties
- Chicken Quesadillas or Nachos - quick and easy (a hit with my kids and honestly, with me too!)
Storage
Store cooked crock-pot shredded chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing the chicken works well, too. Here are my tips:
- Cool it completely before freezing.
- Store in airtight containers or freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.
- Label with the date so you know when to use it.
- Portion into meal-size amounts for easy thawing and reheating.
FAQs
Yes, of course! Use boneless, skinless chicken and know they will cook in a shorter amount of time, so keep an eye on the slow cooker.
We love to stir in barbecue sauce, ranch, spicy ranch, buffalo sauce, and salsa.
It should fall apart easily when you shred it with two forks.
More Delicious Crock Pot Recipes
Recipe
Crock Pot Shredded Chicken (2 ingredients)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Chicken Breasts
- 3 tablespoon Chicken Base
Instructions
- Place chicken into the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker.
- Add 3 tablespoon of Chicken Base into ½ Cup of Water and mix well. Pour mixture over the chicken.
- Cover and cook chicken on low for at least 4 hours. Don't be afraid to let it cook all day. It won't be dry. (you're wanting the chicken to fall apart easily)
- Shred apart with forks. Use right away, add to a meal prep or store for later use. See below for Recipe Ideas and Storage Tips.
Video
Notes
- Swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock, or you can use water and flavor it with chicken bouillon cubes or miso paste for a rich umami flavor.
- Add seasonings to the crock pot for a twist. You could use cajun seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, hot sauce, and more!
- Stir in a sauce after shredding. It's so easy to make BBQ shredded chicken or ranch shredded chicken by stirring in the sauce after it's finished cooking.
- Cook on low for the best results. This helps the chicken to become melt-in-your-mouth tender with every bite and shred beautifully.
- Cool it completely before freezing.
- Store in airtight containers or freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.
- Label with the date so you know when to use it.
- Portion into meal-size amounts for easy thawing and reheating.
Kimberly says
Can you use regular chicken broth or chicken stock?
CookitwithTim says
Most definitely Kimberly!
M says
Yes you absolutely could, the way he does it just makes it more flavorful. You could even do bone broth also.
CookitwithTim says
Indeed!
Misha says
Came out perfect! Divided into freezer bags and so easy for weeknight dinners!
CookitwithTim says
I am so glad! We love doing the same.
CookitwithTim says
Glad it hear it, Misha! I appreciate the feedback too! We love using this for weekday meal prep too, it's so helpful!
Melinda Clevenger says
What recipes do you use the frozen chicken in?
CookitwithTim says
Are you meaning the crock pot chicken? If so, I'd start out by trying the classic chicken salad, chicken macaroni pasta salad, chicken tortellini, or our favorite thing to make with them is chicken tacos. All of these are found on this site too! Let me know if you have more questions Melinda.
Linda says
I ran across this recipe on Instagram and since I already had the ingredients, I popped my chicken in the slow cooker and went about my day. After about 4 1/2 hours I shredded my chicken and patted myself on the back for a super easy, flavorful meal prep.
CookitwithTim says
Way to go! It's so simple right? It's life saving for busy weekdays! Thanks for the review Linda!