Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken – Easy Meal Prep
This slow cooker shredded chicken is the ultimate meal prep secret, its tender, juicy, and ready to be transformed into countless easy meals. With just a few minutes of prep, the slow cooker does all the work, and the longer it cooks, the more flavorful and fall-apart tender it becomes. You can let it cook while you sleep or go about your day and come home to perfectly cooked chicken without lifting a finger.
Think of this recipe as your blank canvas for endless possibilities. It’s not about eating plain chicken night after night, but about having a ready-to-go protein you can dress up with your favorite seasonings, sauces, or sides. From tacos to salads to grain bowls, this shredded chicken makes getting dinner on the table almost effortless.
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Ingredient and substitutions
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs – use whatever you have on hand, just be sure it’s boneless and skinless. Chicken tenders tend to cook too quickly, I would save those for something like air fryer chicken bites or skillet chicken bites.
- Vegetable Broth (or chicken broth) – this gives the chicken more flavor. Water can also be used if you don’t want to do broth.
- Lemon – this helps to brighten the dish just a bit, apple cider vinegar can also be used.
- Thyme – I love using fresh thyme from the garden, dried thyme (about 1 teaspoon) can also be used, it’s so good with chicken.
- Salt – check your broth, if it’s unsalted, add a bit of salt. If the broth has salt, skip it.
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Crockpot Shredded Chicken Recipe
Tender, juicy slow cooker shredded chicken is the ultimate meal prep staple. With just minutes of prep, the slow cooker does all the work, leaving you with perfectly cooked chicken ready to use in tacos, salads, grain bowls, and more.
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Servings: 6 people
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 cup water - enough to fully cover the chicken
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.2 pounds chicken breast, 2 cup vegetable broth, ½ lemon, juiced, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2-3 cup water
- After cooking, remove with 2 forks and shred (or cube). Refrigerate leftovers for use in lunch and dinner recipes!
Recipe Notes
- Chicken thighs tend to be more forgiving than chicken breast so if you want to ensure you have juicy chicken all week long, use chicken thighs.
- You can easily double to triple this recipe depending on how much chicken you have to cook. You likely won’t need to double the water or lemon juice.
- Store leftover chicken in the fridge for up to 4 days or do what I do and portion it out and freeze it so that you have it on hand whenever you need it.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
179
Fat
3
g
Carbohydrates
1
g
Protein
32
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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How to use shredded chicken for meals
- Stuffed in a baked sweet potato
- Served with rice and Whole30 sriracha brussels sprouts with extra sriracha over the chicken
- Covered in easy cherry barbecue sauce over pizza, wraps or salads!
- Make chicken salad
- Use the slow cooker shredded chicken over a salad like this cruciferous crunch salad with lemon tahini dressing or fall quinoa bowl
- Mixed with taco seasoning and used in a burrito bowl with Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Make dairy free buffalo chicken dip
This is the best recipe I have found for chicken in the slow cooker. And the tip for using your stand mixer to shred it is so good! It worked perfectly. All of your tips and suggestions are great, thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for this post.
So easy to follow and produces really delicious!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s so easy to prepare and produces really flavourful chicken which is a breeze to shred. I have made this 3 times now, and as you suggested I keep some in the freezer for later in the week. It freezes perfectly.
Quick and easy recipe. I used an entire packet of taco seasoning and added a jar of salsa for some extra flavor.
I accidentally put vegetable broth instead of vegetable stock. Will it still turn out okay?
Yes that will be totally fine!!
Can freeze cooked shredded portions for the week?
That should be fine! That’s usually a great tip for meal prep! Just make sure you refrigerate it first to get it nice and cold before you freeze it.
I just pinned your Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, this recipe will be delicious! Thanks so much for sharing with us at our Thanksgiving Edition of Full Plate Thursday! Hope you have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks Helen, See you next week!
We love shredded chicken. It’s so versatile for tacos or on salads or a dozen other ways!
Yes, Donna! We use it for some many different dishes throughout the week!
This looks so yummy and moist. I love anything from the slow cooker. I know I would love this. This would be good on tacos or to eat it with rice. My husband loves to eat his meat with rice. Thanks for sharing this slow cooker recipe!
Thanks Natalie! This would be perfect on tacos!
This sounds simple and delicious! Perfect to pair with a great vegetable!
It takes 2 minutes to toss everything into the slow cooker. It’s so quick and gives us chicken for the week!
Yes Natalie! We love ours with Brussels Sprouts! > https://bitesofwellness.com/shaved-brussels-sprouts-salad
I’ve been looking for more slow cooker ideas. This looks amazing. Thank you for linking up to More The Merrier Monday.
Jamie
http://diyhsh.com/
YUM! This looks so good, so simple, and so versatile. Definitely trying this out!