Want to know how to cook chicken breast to shred? This delicious method is totally effortless! Put a few chicken breasts in the slow cooker for 4-8 hours with a few ingredients for a chicken that is tender, and juicy and basically shreds itself when you poke it with a fork.
Shredded chicken makes a great blank canvas for a variety of meals. I like to cook a big batch of chicken, shredding it, and then serving it up throughout the week in a variety of meals. This is a great way to put in a bit of time upfront to make the rest of your week easier and smoother. So, what are you waiting for? Give yourself the gift of time all week long with this EASY method!
Once you have shredded chicken in your fridge you can use it all week long in casseroles, soups, salads and sandwiches. Add a little Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce to your chicken for quick pulled chicken sandwiches. Or, add a little Jalapeno Salsa to your chicken for quick chicken tacos. Alternatively, stir in some Teriyaki Sauce and serve it over rice for a teriyaki bowl. It's also as a base for Guacamole Chicken Salad. Or, mix it with the sauce from Buffalo Sloppy Joe for a quick pulled buffalo chicken sandwich.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to cook this shredded chicken recipe:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- chicken broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- ground black pepper
- garlic powder
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to cook chicken breast to shred:
1. In a slow cooker, stir together the broth, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the raw chicken breasts and cook chicken on low for 4 hours or high for 8 hours.
2. Once the chicken has cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a plate.
3. Shred chicken using two forks.
4. At this point, you can either serve or store the cooked shredded chicken. If storing right away, you may want to add ½-1 cup of the cooking liquid to the shredded chicken to keep it moist until you're ready to use it.
Hint: To make this method even easier, you can shred the cooked chicken breasts in 30 seconds using a hand mixer on low or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on the 'stir' speed.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient for how to cook chicken breast to shred? Here's how:
- Chicken - use 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breasts for a richer shredded chicken. This same method works to make shredded pork or beef. To do this, use a pork loin or flank steak cut into 3 smaller pieces and follow the recipe as is.
- Chicken broth - use an equal amount of a different cooking liquid in place of the broth such as beer, white wine or fruit juice to change up the flavor of your shredded chicken. Or, replace the broth with a prepared sauce such as BBQ, salsa or teriyaki sauce.
Variations
Try one of these variations of how to cook chicken breast to shred:
- Spicy - add ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or cayenne to the broth mixture prior to cooking to add some spice to the shredded chicken.
- French - use white wine instead of the broth and add 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 4 cloves of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme to the cooking liquid for a French-inspired shredded chicken.
- Mexican - use 1 cup of salsa or 1 can of diced tomatoes with chiles in place of the broth and add ½ tablespoon of chili powder, ½ tablespoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon of cumin to the cooking sauce for Mexican-inspired shredded chicken.
- Asian - use soy sauce instead of the broth (omitting the salt in this recipe) and sesame oil in place of the olive oil to make an Asian-inspired shredded chicken. Also, add 2 tablespoons of sriracha sauce or chili garlic sauce to the mix if you'd like some spice in your chicken.
Equipment
This equipment comes in handy for how to cook chicken breast to shred:
Storage
Once the shredded chicken has cooled, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Check out this article for more details on how to properly freeze and thaw cooked meat.)
Top tip
Double or triple the chicken in this recipe for a big batch of shredded chicken to use in lunches and dinners throughout the week. (No need to double or triple the rest of the ingredients.)
FAQ
The easiest way to shred chicken is to use an electric mixer on the 'low' or 'stir' speed. With this method, you can shred several pounds of chicken in less than a minute. Alternatively, if the chicken is cooked until it's tender (as it is with this slow cooker method,) it will easily and quickly shred just by using two forks.
Related
Looking for other easy chicken recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Serve the shredded chicken with one of these side dishes for a balanced meal the whole family will love:
Recipe
How to Cook Chicken Breast to Shred
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, stir together the broth, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the raw chicken breasts and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 8 hours.
- Once the chicken has cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken breasts from the slow cooker and place them on a plate. Shred the chicken using two forks.
- At this point, you can either serve or store the cooked shredded chicken. If storing right away, you may want to add ½-1 cup of the cooking liquid to the shredded chicken to keep it moist until you're ready to use it.
Notes
Top tip
Double or triple the chicken in this recipe for a big batch of shredded chicken to use in lunches and dinners throughout the week. (No need to double or triple the rest of the ingredients.)Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Shannon
My go-to method!