Chicken is one of those staple ingredients for dinner that can be used for many different things, and it makes weeknight dinners so much easier when it’s already prepared and ready to be added to a recipe. I used to always buy pre-shredded chicken at the store beforehand, but this can be much more expensive for a smaller quantity of meat. While we love red meat, we tend to eat more lean chicken and turkey in our household as a healthier protein option.

My brother gets credit for this recipe, as he would always prepare a crockpot full of shredded chicken for chicken tacos or other meals when having the family over to visit. It was always quick and delicious and made me rethink how I was definitely overpaying at the store for the pre-cooked, pre-shredded stuff for the same end result. He’s moved from the United States to the UK, but whenever I make this I think of him and his savvyness for meal prep. This slow cooker chicken recipe is unbelievably easy and takes five minutes to throw in the crockpot. I usually purchase family-size chicken breasts from the store at about 4-5 pounds each, which makes approximately three meals worth of shredded chicken for my family.

Trim any excess fat off a family size pack of chicken breasts, and gather the salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning. This recipe is really versatile, so if you want to experiment with different seasonings you can absolutely do so! It’s also great if you want to add in garlic powder, or substitute salt for seasoned salt.

Spray the slow cooker liner with cooking spray, and place in the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the seasonings to coat, then add in one cup of water. I like to add ina chicken bouillon cube for broth, but this is optional. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Once finished, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with a fork in a large bowl. You can use this to prepare shredded chicken for virtually any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken, and it keeps in the freezer for up to three months. If you don’t anticipate using it all at once, I recommend separating it into several freezer bags containing 1 1/2-2 pounds each, then cooling in the fridge before freezing.

Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

Ingredients

1 pkg. family size chicken breasts, 4-5 lbs
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chicken seasoning
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

Directions

Grease the slow cooker sleeve with cooking spray. Trim any excess fat from chicken breasts and place in crock pot.
Sprinkle seasonings over chicken breasts, and pour in one cup of water. Can add a chicken bouillon cube if desired.
Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Remove from crock pot and shred chicken when finished.
Use chicken in any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken or store in the freezer for up to three months.