An easy shredded chicken recipe that makes juicy, flavorful, and tender chicken every time. Use it in omelets, salads, tacos, nachos, soups, rice bowls, burritos, enchiladas, and more!
Easy Shredded Chicken
Have you ever looked at a recipe that called for shredded chicken as an ingredient, but it didn’t actually tell you how to make it in the instructions?
When I first started learning how to cook, I needed instructions for everything. It didn’t matter how simple or easy it was (hard-boiled eggs, white rice, steamed veggies); I needed step-by-step instructions on how to make it. Shredded chicken was one of those things. I was a total newbie and needed all the help I could get!
So today, I’m going back to Cooking 101 and showing you how to make one of the most versatile foods in your fridge.
How to Make Shredded Chicken
- First, place your chicken in a large Dutch oven or pot and season it generously with coarse kosher salt and pepper. Don’t be afraid of the salt!
- Next, add 1/4 of a large onion, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cloves of garlic.
- Cover all the ingredients in the pot completely with water. You want the water to be about 1 inch above all the ingredients. Bring everything to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken for about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. You could also use chicken thighs if you prefer. Since thighs are usually smaller and thinner, I would the cooking time to about 15 minutes.
- Last but not least, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a plate for shredding.
Tips
- Shredding chicken is easier while it’s still warm, so don’t wait too long before shredding it! I like letting it cool on a plate for about 5 minutes and then shredding it with two forks. Alternatively, you could add the cooked chicken to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and mix it for a few seconds. It will shred like magic!
- Toss your shredded chicken with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. This will help it stay moist when stored in the fridge and prevent it from drying out when reheated.
- Use an instant-read thermometer. It’s so helpful to know exactly when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, which keeps you from accidentally overcooking it and drying it out. Nobody likes dry chicken.
- Don’t throw away the cooking liquid. Thanks to the onion, garlic, and bay leaves, the broth is infused with lots of flavor, so I recommend storing it in glass mason jars and using it in recipes that call for broth.
Different Cooking Methods
- Slow Cooker: To make shredded chicken in a slow cooker, add all the ingredients to the crock pot, along with at least 1 cup of water or broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Instant Pot: To make shredded chicken in an Instant Pot, add all the ingredients to the pot, along with at least 1 cup of water or broth. Close the lid and set the valve to the seal position. Press the manual pressure button and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
How to Shred Chicken
- By hand with 2 forks: To shred chicken using 2 forks, let the chicken cool slightly on a plate or cutting board. Use 2 forks to pull and shred the chicken apart into smaller pieces.
- In the stand mixer: To shred chicken using the stand mixer, add the chicken to the bowl of the mixer. Add the paddle attachment, lock the tilt head, and turn the mixer on low for 15-25 seconds. This method is incredibly easy and fast! The only downside is that you have an extra bowl to wash.
Variations
I kept the flavors in this shredded chicken recipe fairly basic by using onion, garlic, and bay leaves since they go well with most recipes that call for shredded chicken. However, you can totally make this your own by mixing in different seasonings like smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, or your favorite spice blend like Italian seasoning.
Ways to Use Shredded Chicken
Making a big batch of shredded chicken is a big time saver. You can use it in omelets, salads, tacos, nachos, soups, rice bowls, burritos, enchiladas, you name it! If you’re looking for a little Mexican recipe inspiration, here are a few of my favorites that use shredded chicken as an ingredient:
- Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken Tamale Casserole
- Chicken Enchiladas
- White Chicken Chili
- Chicken Tinga
Storage
Cooked shredded chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Easy Shredded Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 large onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- water
Instructions
- Place chicken in large dutch oven or pot and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add onion, bay leaves and garlic.
- Cover the chicken and other ingredients completely with water (about 1 inch above the ingredients) and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken, until it is fully cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 165°F.
- Remove chicken using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Let cool for 5 minutes and shred with a fork.
Notes
- To keep chicken from drying out, I recommend mixing the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the cooking liquid before storing in an airtight container.
- To make shredded chicken in a slow cooker: Add all the ingredients to the crock pot, along with at least 1 cup of water or broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- To make shredded chicken in an Instant Pot: Add all the ingredients to the pot, along with at least 1 cup of water or broth. Close the lid and set the valve to the seal position. Press the manual pressure button and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
Leave a Reply