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If there’s one recipe I make on repeat for busy weeks, it’s this Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken. It’s simple, hands-off, and incredibly versatile—basically the kind of recipe that makes healthy eating feel doable. This shredded chicken is lightly seasoned so it works in tons of different meals throughout the week. I love making a batch at the beginning of the week and using it for quick lunches and dinners like salads, rice skillets, enchiladas, and cozy casseroles. It’s meal prep without the burnout!
This is one of those base recipes that just makes your life easier! As a nutritionist who is committed to eating at least 130 grams of protein daily, I love having readily available protein sources in my fridge that I can grab anytime of day! I also love this for my family to have lunch options throughout the week, and finally, as a way to easily add to dinners when I need to save time on those busy weeknights.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Minimal ingredients you probably already have
- Set it and forget it slow cooker recipe
- Lightly seasoned so it works with any flavor profile
- Perfect for meal prep, batch cooking, and busy weeks! I have several recipes I use with this shredded chicken. One of my favorites is this High Protein Chicken Salad.
How to Make this Easy Shredded Chicken!
You only need a few staples for this recipe: boneless and skinless chicken breast or thighs, chicken stock, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper. The lemon juice adds brightness and tang, while the spices keep things savory and neutral enough to work in everything from Mexican-inspired dishes to comfort food classics.
This recipe is simple set it and forget it recipe using a slow cooker. Here is all you need to do:
- Stir together your spices and salt & pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Pour chicken stock and lemon juice over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until the chicken is tender and easily shreds. Chicken breast usually cooks in 3 hours on low, but that depends on the crockpot. You can most likely start shredding at the 3 hour mark!
TIP: If you want to cook overnight, you can also do that easily! Just make sure your slow cooker has a setting that automatically switches to “warm” when cook time is complete. Otherwise, you will have very dry chicken.
How to Use This Shredded Chicken All Week
This is where the magic happens. Once you have a batch of shredded chicken ready, meals come together so fast! Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Buffalo Ranch Chicken Rice Skillet – perfect for a quick weeknight dinner
- Dill Pickle Chicken Salad – I have several chicken salad recipes on my site. This is one I make often!
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet – cozy, flavorful, and family-friendly
- Shredded Chicken and Broccoli Cheddar Casserole– comfort food vibes with minimal effort
I love having this chicken prepped early in the week so that dinner is more about assembling rather than cooking!
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- Store shredded chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Keep it in some of the cooking liquid to prevent it from drying out
- You can also freeze it up to 3 months!
This recipe is a lifesaver is you’re trying to eat at home more without spending hours in the kitchen.
Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken breast*
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix together the onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt, black pepper, and chicken stock. Rub your chicken with this mixture and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour the chicken stock and lemon juice over the chicken and cover with the slow cooker lid.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is tender can easily shred with a fork. You can also do this overnight, just set your slow cooker on low for 4 hours, and make sure that it's automatically set to the warm setting after cook time is finished.
- Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker using two forks. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days to use for several recipes. Store with some of the liquid to prevent the chicken from drying out. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very flavorful! My teen son ate a lot of it plain for snacking and I used some for chicken salad sandwiches. I can see it being really good in any recipe.
This is brilliant! It’s measured out for a whole bag of frozen chicken and tastes far better than a seasoning packet. Thank you : )
Oh, thank you! Love having shredded chicken ready to go! For anything! 🥰
Just wondering if you ever shred your chicken in a mixer. I tried a different recipe this way and it was a total game changer. It shredded my chicken perfectly and was so fast. I’m going to make this and see if I get the same results.
Yes! I have done that, but don’t use my mixer much at all anymore. I find that this recipe also shreds so easily that the mixer isn’t needed!