Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Breast (Juicy & Easy Meal Prep!) Recipe
This Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Breast recipe offers a juicy, tender, and easy meal prep solution using simple seasonings and minimal effort. Perfect for versatile meals throughout the week, the chicken is cooked low and slow until it effortlessly shreds, making it ideal for salads, tacos, sandwiches, and more.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
Seasonings
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Place the trimmed chicken breasts into a 6-quart slow cooker. Evenly sprinkle kosher salt and granulated garlic powder on both sides of the chicken breasts to season.
- Cook Chicken: Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 6 hours, monitoring starting around 2 hours to prevent overcooking, as all slow cookers vary. The chicken is done when it easily shreds with a fork.
- Shred Chicken: Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred it using two forks. Alternatively, place the chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat gently until shredded.
- Strain & Return: Carefully strain the cooking liquid from the slow cooker. You may add back as much of this liquid to the shredded chicken for moisture and flavor or reserve the liquid for other uses. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and mix gently to combine.
Notes
- Watch the chicken closely after 2 hours as cooking times vary by slow cooker to avoid drying out the meat.
- Using a stand mixer for shredding saves time and effort compared to shredding by hand forks.
- Reserved cooking liquid can be used as broth or added to sauces for extra flavor.
- This shredded chicken is highly versatile and can be used in numerous dishes like tacos, salads, sandwiches, soups, and casseroles.