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Quick and easy Shredded Chicken Recipe perfect for last-minute dinners or weekly meal prep. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
This shredded chicken recipe is simple: poach the chicken in a pot of simmering water or broth with salt, black pepper, and any extra aromatics or seasonings you like. While some recipes suggest sautéing the chicken first, I find that unnecessary and a waste of time.
Why This Recipe Works
- Shredded chicken can be cooked using various cooking gadgets, like the slow cooker, pressure cooker, or air fryer. But cooking chicken on the stovetop requires minimal equipment and effort—just a pot and a few simple ingredients.
- Season simply with salt and pepper, or infuse the chicken with other flavors and aromatics, including garlic, onion, and fresh herbs, enhancing its overall taste.
- Using a digital meat thermometer provides the most accurate determination of doneness, preventing over or undercooked chicken.
- Once you have your shredded chicken, you can use it in almost anything. Toss it into salads, sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, soups, and so much more.
- If you can, make a little extra. You can use it for meal prep during the week or freeze the leftovers for an easy meal later on.
Table of Contents
How to Make Shredded Chicken
I typically make shredded chicken with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Bone-in skin on chicken thighs are also great, especially when added to soup and stew.
1. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Fill a large pot with water (the pot should be large enough to completely submerge the chicken in water (or broth) by 1-2 inches). Bring just to a simmer.
2. Add the chicken and simmer. Add the chicken, salt, and black pepper (plus any optional additions such as herbs or spices) to the pot. Return the liquid to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and cover immediately with a lid. Allow the chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160°F as measured with a digital meat thermometer.
3. Rest. Use kitchen tongs to remove the chicken from the pot carefully. Set aside in a large mixing bowl or on a clean plate and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
4. Shred the chicken. While still warm, shred the chicken with two forks, your hands (my preferred method), in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer.
Jessica’s Cooking Tip: After the chicken has finished cooking, save the leftover cooking liquid and use it to make soups, stews, sauces, or basmati rice.
More Ways to Cook Shredded Chicken
Shredded chicken can also be made in the Instant Pot and slow cooker. Each method is simple and hands off. Here’s how:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
The Instant Pot is great for making shredded chicken from frozen chicken breasts without thawing. Place the metal trivet in the bottom of the pot, add 1 cup of water or chicken broth, and set the frozen chicken breasts on the trivet. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 12 to 15 minutes for medium chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces). Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then switch the valve to venting to release any remaining steam. Check for doneness with a digital meat thermometer.
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
The slow cooker is perfect for busy days. Add enough water or broth to just cover the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the chicken breasts and season with salt, black pepper, and any other seasonings you like. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Cooking time will vary, so always check for doneness with a digital meat thermometer.
Adding Flavor to Shredded Chicken
Plain shredded chicken is a great starting point, but a few simple additions can completely change its flavor and help it fit into almost any recipe. Once your chicken is cooked and shredded, you can season it right in the pot or in a separate bowl.
Spice mixtures: Toss the warm shredded chicken with your favorite dry seasonings, such as jerk seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and poultry seasoning. These blends are an easy way to add bold flavor without extra prep and work especially well in rice bowls, salads, tacos, and wraps.
Sauces: Stir in a few tablespoons of sauce to coat the chicken lightly. Buffalo sauce (perfect for everything), barbecue sauce, Alfredo sauce (great with pasta), chimichurri sauce, basil pesto, and homemade cheese sauce all work beautifully. From there, you can use the flavored chicken in sandwiches, quesadillas, pasta dishes, casseroles, or stuffed into baked potatoes.
Using SHredded Chicken
Using shredded chicken makes getting dinner on the table so much easier. Once you have a batch ready, you can turn it into all kinds of comforting, family friendly meals. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Chili and soup: Stir shredded chicken into cozy recipes like chicken soup, chicken gnocchi soup, white chicken chili, or crack chicken soup. It adds protein, makes them extra hearty, and cuts the cooking time way down since the chicken is already cooked.
- Casseroles: Fold shredded chicken into comforting baked casseroles such as this chicken broccoli rice casserole, creamy crack chicken casserole, or hearty chicken and wild rice casserole. It mixes easily with rice, veggies, and sauce, and gives you a complete meal in one pan.
- Enchiladas and Tacos: Use shredded chicken for sour cream chicken enchiladas or classic chicken enchiladas. For quick tacos, toss the chicken with a little homemade salsa verde or your favorite taco seasoning, then pile it into tortillas with your favorite toppings.
- Sandwiches or Lettuce Wraps: Shredded chicken is perfect for chicken salad. Mix it with mayo or Greek yogurt, celery or onions, salt and black pepper. Serve it on bread, in croissants, or spoon it into lettuce leaves for a lighter option. Prefer warm sandwiches? Mix the shredded chicken in vegetarian mushroom gravy and spoon it over soft dinner rolls.
- Pasta Salad: Add shredded chicken to pasta salads to turn them into a full meal. Try it in this chicken Caesar pasta salad, buffalo chicken pasta salad, or a fresh green goddess pasta salad. It adds protein and makes each bowl more satisfying and filling.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftover shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I love popping frozen leftover shredded chicken right into a pot of simmering soup, no need to thaw.
More Chicken Recipes
Shredded Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water (the pot should be large enough to completely submerge the chicken in water (or broth) by 1-2 inches). Bring just to a simmer.
- Add the chicken, salt, and black pepper (plus any optional additions such as herbs or spices) to the pot. Return the liquid to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and cover immediately with a lid. Allow the chicken to rest for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160°F as measured with a digital meat thermometer.
- Use kitchen tongs to remove the chicken from the pot carefully. Set aside in a large mixing bowl or on a clean plate and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.
- While still warm, shred the chicken with two forks, your hands (my preferred method), in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or with a hand mi
Notes
- You can store leftover shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I love popping frozen leftover shredded chicken right into a pot of simmering soup—there is no need to thaw.
- After the chicken has finished cooking, save the leftover cooking liquid and use it to make soups, stews, sauces, or rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
