3 Easy Ways to Make Shredded Chicken Breasts

3 Easy Ways to Make Shredded Chicken Breasts

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Just like my Slow Cooker Sautéed Onions recipe, this recipe for Shredded Chicken Breasts is a fabulous way to always have Shredded Chicken Breasts on hand. Growing up in California gave me the love of Mexican food that I have passed on to my four kids, so Shredded Chicken Breasts is a freezer pantry staple. This post will outline three simple ways for you to make sure you always have Shredded Chicken Breasts on hand.

Wether you need Shredded Chicken Breasts for these amazing Chicken Enchiladas, or one of the other numerous recipes that have Shredded Chicken Breasts as one of the ingredients, these three recipes will be very handy. So get all of your soup, salad, pasta and or sandwich recipes ready to be that much faster with this game changing meal prep.

The three methods I will be outlining today are Poaching Chicken on the Stove top, using an Instant Pot or using a slow cooker. I prefer to use the Instant Pot or a slow cooker because I like to put it in and forget it. This is the Instant Pot and the Slow Cooker that I use. If you don’t have an Instant Pot or a Slow Cooker, the poaching the chicken on the stove top is a great alternative. These methods deliver perfect moist chicken every time.

Scroll down to see my thoughts on:

  • Poached Shredded Chicken

  • Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

  • Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

  • Tweaking these recipes to serve your exact needs.

  • The Benefits of Meal Prep

Poached Shredded Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

  • Water or Chicken Broth

  • Salt

  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Place Chicken Breasts in a single layer in the bottom of your stock pot.

  2. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

  3. Add water / broth until it clears the chicken by an inch. Only use broth if you have some that needs to be used up. It won’t change the results and no need to waste money on an additional ingredient.

  4. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

  5. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the cooking liquid in the stock pot.

  6. Cook the cooking liquid down by a third so as to concentrate the flavors.

  7. Poor a cup of the broth over the chicken and use the rest in future recipes. Both the chicken and the broth are good for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen up to three months. Please check the USDA website for up to date recommendations.

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Ingredients:

  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

  • Water or Chicken Broth

  • Salt

  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Place Chicken Breasts on top of the grate in your Instant Pot.

  2. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

  3. Add water / broth until it clears the chicken by an inch. Only use broth if you have some that needs to be used up. It won’t change the results and there is no need to waste money on an additional ingredient.

  4. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally. Make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a plate and the cooking liquid to a stock pot.

  5. Cook the cooking liquid down by a third so as to concentrate the flavors.

  6. Poor a cup of the broth over the chicken and use the rest in future recipes. Both the chicken and the broth are good for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen up to three months. Please check the USDA website for up to date recommendations.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Ingredients:

  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

  • Water or Chicken Broth

  • Salt

  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Place Chicken Breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.

  2. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

  3. Add water / broth until it clears the chicken by an inch. Only use broth if you have some that needs to be used up. It won’t change the results and there is no need to waste money on an additional ingredient.

  4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.

  5. Transfer the chicken to a plate and the cooking liquid to a stock pot.

  6. Cook the cooking liquid down by a third so as to concentrate the flavors.

  7. Poor a cup of the broth over the chicken and use the rest in future recipes. Both the chicken and the broth are good for 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen up to three months. Please check the USDA website for up to date recommendations.

The three recipes above are purposely simple so that you can make a large amount of chicken, freeze the cooked shredded chicken and use it in a variety of recipes. If you are making a small batch for a particular recipe you may want to season your chicken to meet your specific needs.

Adding a variety of seasonings to your shredded chicken

Here is where you need to be brave, trust me and more importantly trust yourself! It you are making a small batch of chicken to add towards a Mexican dish you might want to try seasoning with taco seasoning or for an Italian dish season with Italian seasoning. Take a moment to think about the chickens purpose and season appropriately.

The Benefits of Meal Prep

No matter wether you love to cook or are tortured by the prospect of needing to prepare a meal, there are so many ways to make your life easier. One way is to meal prep ahead of time. As I said earlier my Slow Cooker Sautéed Onions recipe has helped so much in making an impressive meal with less work. This Shredded Chicken Breasts recipes is also a game changer.

Here are the reasons I believe Meal Prep is so beneficial.

  • Saves time on the night you need to get dinner on the table.

  • You can control portions, so you can reduce calories.

  • Reduces stress because you can quickly pull a meal together.

My Chicken Enchiladas are my favorite way to use my Shredded Chicken Breasts. What are your favorite recipes to use Shredded Chicken Breasts?

CEOoftheKitchenKC CondyShredded Chicken, Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Meal Prep