One of my all-time meal-prep staples is this delicious Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken. Juicy, healthy, easy and so versatile! Best part is that the slow cooker and stand mixer do all the work!
Recipe updated [9/6/2018]
It is a crazy week. I’m talking double cra-cra with laundry coming out of my ears, a dirty house, a trip on the horizon and packing… lots of packing. So cooking is not on the agenda. I need something fast, easy, healthy and that will feed us for a few days. That means it’s Chicken Time Chicken Time Chicken Time 💃
In the past when a recipe called for pulled or shredded chicken, I would write it off as too much work. BOO an extra step of cooking and shredding chicken? Lame-O 😩 But then I saw the light… the Slow Cooker light!
Making chicken in the slow cooker is cake. Easy peasy and totally doable on the busiest of days. Seriously I’m not making this up! I throw the chicken in the slow cooker in the morning and then go on with my day. A few hours later, the chicken is perfectly cooked and ready to be shredded.
Now the shredding part, I also do not like. That is when I enlist my pal Julia, aka our trusty [amazon text=Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer&asin=B01DKR4OUQ], to do the work. With the paddle attachment hooked up, Julia shreds the chicken for me! Oh Happy Days! (no stand mixer, no worries, a hand mixer, forks or your hands work too!)
With my shredded chicken ready, the possibilities are endless. BBQ chicken sandwiches, cheesy chicken and spinach quinoa bake, soup, quesadillas, tacos, pizza, empanadas, buffalo chicken sandwiches, even add some to my broccoli and cheese wild rice casserole… Tonight we are going with chicken enchiladas.
Yields Enough for 2 small dinners; 1 large dinner.
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs boneless or bone in chicken thighs (skinless chicken breast works too)*
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Trim some of the excess fat off the chicken, if any. Place all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.
- Once cook time is up, remove chicken from slow cooker and place in a large bowl. Attached the paddle on your stand mixer or prepare your hand mixer. Turn the mixer on at about a 2 speed for 30 seconds to a minute. Keep an eye on it because it shreds quickly and you don’t want to make the chicken mushy! Feel free to also use the 2 forks method or your hands to shred as well.
- Use the chicken right away for a variety of recipes or store in a sealed container and refrigerated for 3-4 days. Freeze it for up to 2 months.
Notes
I use chicken thighs because they have a little bit more fat and thus will be juicer and tastier. However breast work just fine too. Use what you have. Shredded chicken is great for sandwiches, tacos, enchiladas, pastas, salads, pizza, soup, wraps, empanadas, or simply eaten plain like my toddler likes it.
Originally posted 2016-02-09 06:08:56.
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