How to Make Shredded Chicken

This Shredded Chicken recipe is the ultimate guide to moist and juicy Crock-Pot shredded chicken, Instant Pot shredded chicken, and stovetop poached chicken for shredding. We’ll show you how to make quick and easy shredded chicken for meal prep!

 

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Feeding your hungry family is one of the toughest jobs around and here at The Busy Baker we’re always looking for ideas to make our family meals easier to prepare, tastier, AND healthier. This Shredded Chicken recipe is one we fall back on almost every single week to throw in casseroles, soups, chicken tacos or burritos, wraps and sandwiches, on salads… the sky is the limit.

If you’re looking for a way to add more healthy protein to your family’s diet with little to no effort, you’ve GOT to try our guide to making shredded chicken in the instant pot, the crockpot and on the stovetop – whatever you prefer!

Stovetop, Crock-Pot or Instant Pot shredded chicken is the perfect meal prep recipe. Here at The Busy Baker we’re big fans of meal prep, specifically ingredient prep. Don’t know the difference? Here’s how we do it:

Meal prep is a popular method for saving time and effort during a busy week by prepping complete or almost fully complete meals for the week on one day. Think casseroles that can be frozen and then baked, stir fry recipes that can be prepped and portioned into individual servings and reheated for lunch or dinner after work or school, and soups or chilis made on a Sunday to reheat throughout the week.

Meal prep is a great way to save time during the week but it often requires a long day of cooking, making recipes from start to finish. Not everyone has 6 to 8 hours every weekend to prep a whole week of meals.

Having components of meals on hand (like this juicy shredded chicken) makes dinner a snap on a busy weeknight because your protein is already prepared! We love using ingredient prep instead of meal prep to make it through our busy weeks.

Making a batch of Crock-Pot shredded chicken on a Sunday, cooking a batch of rice or quinoa, cooking up a batch of beans, and roasting a pan or two of sweet potatoes and other veggies takes hardly any time at all and goes a long way to cutting down the time it takes to cook dinner during the week. In fact, prepping double batches of ingredients like this is an even better idea since half can go in the fridge for the following week and half can go in the freezer for another busy week.

We make a batch of this Crock-Pot or Instant Pot shredded poached chicken almost once a week and use it in all kinds of recipes. Our favourite quick and easy ways to enjoy it are on salads, in sandwiches and wraps, in chicken enchiladas, chicken soup, and in easy quesadillas, but here’s a list of other ideas for using this shredded chicken in your weekly meal prep plan!

• Chicken Salad
• Easy Nachos
• Mexican Tortilla Soup
• Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice
• White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Baked Buffalo Chicken Ranch Dip
• Chicken Corn Chowder
• Best Ever Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
• Avgolemono Soup

There are so many reasons to love this shredded chicken recipe in the Crock-Pot, in the Instant Pot, or on the stovetop! Heres a few of our favourites:

1. It’s EASY to make. Whether you’re making Instant Pot shredded chicken, Crock-Pot shredded chicken, or poached chicken on the stovetop to shred, the process is quick and simple and takes hardly any effort.
2. It’s VERSATILE. This shredded chicken can be used in SO many recipes and meals, so it’s perfect for keeping on hand to use in whatever you’re making for lunch or dinner.
3. It’s easy to CUSTOMIZE. Because we use this shredded chicken in so many recipes, it’s great to be able to customize the flavours. Prepping shredded chicken for tacos? Season with taco seasoning, chili powder and cumin. Making chicken salad? Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder
4. It’s FREEZER friendly. We love making a double batch of this shredded chicken for the freezer! It’s easy to defrost for a quick weeknight dinner and you can even throw it into a soup frozen!
5. It’s JUICY and moist. Tender and juicy shredded chicken is so much more delicious and easier to use in recipes than dry, stringy chicken. We LOVE using our method for avoiding overcooking and keeping the chicken nice and moist.

Want to make the perfect shredded chicken? Here’s all our best pro tips, tricks and secrets!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stovetop. Choose the right method for you, depending on the amount of time you have and the kitchen equipment you have on hand.

We always make this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but it can be made with boneless skinless chicken thighs as well – you’ll just have to adjust the cooking time.

Think about the dish you’ll be making with this shredded chicken and season it accordingly. Feel free to experiment with different flavours!

We always recommend using an instant-read thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken when you suspect it might be fully cooked. Don’t rely only on the times in the recipe – every stove, slow cooker and Instant Pot cooks a little differently, so be sure to test for doneness so you don’t over-cook the chicken. Over-cooked chicken is harder to shred.

Once the chicken is done, be sure to let it rest for at least 5-10 minutes before shredding it. Resting the chicken helps it retain moisture which makes it nice and juicy.

If you’re choosing the stove-top method, here’s the secret to poached chicken that’s perfectly tender and juicy:

1. Start with cold stock. Add the cold stock to a pot, add the chicken breasts into the cold stock, then set the temperature to medium. Don’t be tempted to heat the liquid first and then add the chicken. This can result in rubbery chicken.
2. Pay attention to the temperature of the cooking liquid. For the moistest chicken breasts, you’ll want your liquid to reach 175℉ (80℃) and slowly poach your chicken at this temperature. You will know the chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 ℉ (74℃).
3. Simmer, don’t boil. While cooking on a slightly lower heat may take just a little longer, the result you’ll get is DEFINITELY worth it. Be sure to keep the cooking liquid at a good simmer and avoid a harsh, rolling boil as this can cause the chicken to over-cook quickly on the outside, giving it a dry, uneven texture. There’s no need to cover the pot with a lid as it simmers.

Once your chicken is cooked it’s time to shred. But before you get started, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

Is it better to shred chicken hot or cold? We recommend shredding chicken while it’s still warm but not piping hot.

How long should chicken rest before shredding? You should definitely let your chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes before shredding.

Shredding chicken by hand is best done with two forks. Simply hold one fork in each hand facing downward and pull the chicken apart with the forks. This is definitely the most labour-intensive method, but it requires no special equipment and it doesn’t create any dishes to wash.

Shredding chicken with a hand mixer is a great hack for getting your chicken shredded quickly without much effort. Be sure to keep the mixer on low speed and be mindful of the pot or dish the chicken is in – a hand mixer can sometimes damage the ceramic interior of a crock pot, so be sure to transfer the chicken to a bowl or dish that won’t become damaged by the hand mixer.

What’s the easiest way to shred chicken? With a stand mixer, of course! Simply throw the chicken into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set to low speed.

For all three methods, we find it’s easier to remove most or all of the cooking liquid before shredding. Then, if you wish, add a little bit of the cooking liquid back in once the chicken is shredded to keep it nice and moist.

Here’s the kitchen equipment you’ll need to have on hand to make this easy shredded chicken (paid links):

• a Slow Cooker, an Instant Pot OR a Large Pot (depending on how you plan to cook the chicken)
• a pair of Tongs
• an Instant Read Thermometer
• a liquid measuring cup
• measuring cups and spoons
• a Hand Mixer or a Stand Mixer for shredding (or just use some forks and shred it by hand)

Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to have on hand to make this easy shredded poached chicken recipe (paid links):

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup chicken stock For the stovetop poaching method, use 4 cups of chicken stock (more liquid is required for poaching). You can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth – whatever you have on hand

1. BBQ: Once the chicken is cooked and shredded, add some bbq sauce and toss well. Serve it on buns with coleslaw as a sandwich.
2. Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar: Add a splash of olive oil and two splashes of balsamic vinegar to the cooking liquid. This variation is delicious on salads and in sandwiches or wraps.
3. Basil and Oregano: Add dried green herbs like basil, oregano, thyme and a splash of lemon juice. This variation is great for using in Italian or Greek-style recipes, and pasta dishes.
4. Tex-Mex: Add taco seasoning to the chicken if you know you’ll use it in tacos, burritos, on taco salads, or in quesadillas.
5. Lemon Ginger: Add some sliced fresh ginger and lemon slices to the cooking liquid for some bright and warm flavour. This option is great for adding to chicken soups.

Add the chicken to the Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker), add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or chicken broth) and pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Manually release the pressure, rest the chicken, and shred as directed.

Add the chicken breasts to the Crock-Pot, add 1 cup of chicken stock and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 3-4 hours. Remove the chicken from the liquid when it’s done, let it rest, then shred as directed.

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, how would you use this shredded chicken in your kitchen? We’d love to know!

• One Pan Chicken Alfredo Pasta
• Vegetarian Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
• Easy One Pan Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Air Fryer Steak Fajitas
• Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice
• Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Easy Loaded Nachos
• Easy Baked Salsa Chicken and Rice
• Sesame Chicken