← All recipes

Mains · American

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Tender, lightly seasoned chicken for tacos, sandwiches, salads and soups, with almost no hands-on time.

Hands-on
20 min
Hands-off
6 h
Total
6 h 20 min
Makes
6 cups shredded chicken (about 1.4 L)
Serves
6

10 min to load the cooker, 6 hours on low, then about 10 min to shred and toss. On high the cooking takes 3 hours, so the total drops to about 3 h 20 min.

  • easy
  • meal-prep
  • make-ahead
  • weeknight
  • slow-cooker

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: 3.8-5.7 L (4-6 qt) slow cooker · instant-read thermometer · large bowl and two forks · fine sieve · airtight containers

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Start with thawed chicken

    Make sure the 1.36 kg (3 lb) of chicken breasts is completely thawed. If it's frozen, thaw it in the fridge first, or use the microwave's defrost setting just before cooking.

    Ready when: Fully thawed: no ice crystals, and the thickest part feels soft, not hard, when pressed.

    Otto tried this firstOtto drops a frozen block of chicken straight into the slow cooker. Frozen meat takes too long to get out of the temperature range where bacteria grow. Thaw it first.

  2. Load the cooker

    Lay the chicken in one even layer in the slow cooker. Pour in 355 ml (1 1/2 cups) low-sodium chicken broth and add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and the 3 strips of lemon peel and the bay leaf if you're using them. Season with 1 tsp kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

  3. Cook low and slow

    Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Leave the lid closed while it cooks.

    Ready when: A thermometer in the thickest piece reads at least 74°C (165°F), and the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. If it's below 74°C (165°F), put the lid back on and keep cooking, then check again.

  4. Shred

    Lift the chicken into a large bowl and pull it into shreds with two forks.

  5. Moisten and season

    Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve (this catches the lemon peel and bay leaf). Drizzle about 120 ml (1/2 cup) of it over the chicken, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and toss.

  6. Serve or store

    Use the chicken right away, or refrigerate it in an airtight container within 2 hours. Keep the rest of the strained broth in a separate container in the fridge to moisten the chicken later, or use it in soups and sauces.

Swaps

  • Instead of lemon peel and bay leaf: leave them out Both are optional flavourings.
  • Instead of the plain finish (per 2 cups / about 475 ml shredded chicken): Buffalo: 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, whisked with 3 tbsp Buffalo-style hot sauce. Barbecue: 60 ml (1/4 cup) cooking broth warmed with 60 ml (1/4 cup) barbecue sauce. Lemon-herb: 60 ml (1/4 cup) cooking broth, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp dried dill. Toss the chicken with the mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Don’t swap

  • frozen chicken for thawed chicken

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
This is a make-ahead base: cook it on a weekend and use it through the week (see storage).
Storage
Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, covered, and use within 3 to 4 days. To freeze, pack it in airtight containers or bags with a little of the broth; it keeps for 3 to 4 months. Cool big batches faster by splitting them into smaller containers.
Reheat
Reheat on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave until it reaches 74°C (165°F). Don't reheat leftovers in the slow cooker: it heats too slowly.

If something goes wrong

  • Dry shredded chicken Why: Not enough liquid tossed through after shredding, or it dried out in the fridge.
    Toss it with more of the strained cooking broth, a few spoonfuls at a time.
  • Doesn't shred easily Why: It isn't cooked long enough yet.
    Check the temperature. If it's under 74°C (165°F), or at temperature but still firm, put the lid back on and cook a little longer.

Good to know

  • Spreading the chicken in a single layer helps it cook evenly.
  • Some cooks start the slow cooker on high for the first hour, then switch to low. This gets the food hot sooner.

Safety

  • Cook chicken to at least 74°C (165°F) in the thickest piece, checked with a thermometer.
  • Always thaw chicken before slow cooking. Keep the lid on during cooking.
  • Keep raw chicken away from ready-to-eat food. Wash hands, boards and tools with hot soapy water after handling it.
  • The cooker's insert and the broth are very hot. Lift the chicken out with tongs and keep children away from the cord so the cooker can't be pulled down.
  • Broth can contain wheat, celery or other allergens. Check the label.