Having meat, beans, and/or vegetables already prepared ahead of time is more than half the battle when trying to get dinner on the table quick. Therefore, when it comes to freezer cooking recipes some of my favorites are the incredibly simple meal starters.
A couple months ago I posted the Shredded Mexican Chicken Freezer Meal Starter. This has become a personal favorite which I use in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, and other Mexican dishes. However, as versatile as it is, I could not use it in other recipes because of the spices.
To solve this problem I decided to create a very basic shredded chicken recipe that I could add to my collection.
I love this recipe! It is super easy to make and very adaptable. So far I have prepared my Buffalo Chicken Wraps, salads, and lunch wraps with it.
Nothing beats having chicken that is recipe ready!
There are many different uses for this basic shredded chicken. Here are just a few.
- Variety of wraps and sandwiches.
- Chicken soup or other soup recipes.
- Pizza topping.
- Pasta recipes.
- Pretty much any recipe you want to add chicken too!
I know this is basic. But trust me, having this chicken ready will make it so much easier for you to eat healthier during the week. Plus, who says being healthy needs to be complicated 😉 Not me!
Oh and did I mention that it will also save you tons of time and your weeknight sanity?
- 4 medium chicken breasts (about 2-3 lbs)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
- 4 cups water or chicken broth
- Put chicken in slow cooker and season with salt, pepper, dried garlic flakes, and dried onion flakes.
- Pour water or broth over chicken. Make sure that there is at least 1 inch of water over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Take chicken out of the slow cooker, transfer to a bowl, and shred. Use in your favorite recipe that calls for shredded or chopped chicken.
Freezer Cooking Instructions
Allow the chicken to cool slightly. Portion out into freezer bags.
Reheating Instructions
Let thaw overnight in refrigerator, or in microwave (put in microwave safe bowl) then use in your favorite recipes that call for shredded or chopped chicken.
The slow cooker that I used for this recipe is the Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
. I love this slow cooker! It is the perfect size for making medium to large batches of freezer meal starters.
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tammy says
January 18, 2012 at 10:22 pmJust used shredded chicken yesterday. 🙂 I added a small can of tomato sauce and a healthy dose of our homemade taco seasoning. Kids said they were the best tacos ever. I think I will do this next week and cook up a bunch of shredded chicken! Thanks for the reminder that I can use a crockpot…and cook extras!! 🙂
Tammy says
January 18, 2012 at 10:32 pmI love having taco chicken and plain chicken available for recipes now. That way I can use it other recipes besides mexican inspired ones. It is really nice to have both. And the crockpot makes life so much easier!
Priscilla says
January 19, 2012 at 1:27 amThanks so much for this great idea! Seriosly, I was just thinking what to do with all the chicken I bought today (Aldi had split breasts for 89¢/lb). I will be putting some in the crockpot tomorrow!
God bless!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
January 19, 2012 at 1:07 pmI love this idea! The chicken probably comes out so much more tender than boiling/poaching. Thanks!
Laura Jane @ Recovering Chocoholic says
January 20, 2012 at 10:03 amI love having cooked shredded chicken and cooked ground turkey or beef in the freezer on hand at all times. It really doesn’t take too much time to cook/freeze the meat, but it saves so much time when I’m trying to put dinner together on busy weeknights.
Jenni McClure says
January 20, 2012 at 4:42 pmI also love having prepared meat ready in the freezer. Don’t know why I never though about doing it in the slow cooker! Can’t wait to try this along with a new tip I saw to on Pinterest the other day – using a KitchenAid to get perfectly shredded chicken!
http://simplyhealthyfam.blogspot.com/2010/05/shredded-chicken-bbq-sandwiches.html
Porsche says
January 27, 2014 at 7:31 pmusing the beater on your kitchenaid to shred your chicken works wonderfully. I have done it many times.
Rona says
February 15, 2014 at 4:59 pmAt what speed?
Lisette says
July 21, 2014 at 11:15 amI use mine at low speed and it shreds wonderfully!
Gwen @simplyhealthyfamily says
January 12, 2015 at 7:54 pmThanks for sharing Jenni!! I came up with this trick many years ago when making tamales! It’s crazy it’s my most popular Pin and I’m seeing it shared all over the Blogging world. Nice to get credit 😉
Jackie brown says
January 23, 2012 at 11:38 amI share your love for freezer cooking, ran across your post on moneysavingmom. I just prepped 40 lbs of chic this weekend and did the kitchen aid shredding tip, worked great. I blog about freezer cooking for family and communit at momonamission.me. Hope you stop by. Blessings.
Tammy says
January 23, 2012 at 4:35 pmHi Jackie! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I will certainly check yours out.
melissa says
January 26, 2012 at 8:26 amI made this yesterday, it cooked for 6 hours while I was at work. When I got home, the chicken was so tender, it basically fell apart. easiest shredding ive ever had to do! thanks so much for the great idea! i am new to your site, and have already started using many of your freezer cooking meal starter ideas. I am loving them!
Tammy says
January 26, 2012 at 9:13 amThat is great Melissa! Meal starters are my favorite freezer cooking recipes.
Ashley says
April 22, 2012 at 9:25 pmI made this tonight. I used about 1.5 lbs of chicken, no salt, and it took about 5 hours. It shredded beautifully. Can’t wait to use it this week! And I am using the water for chicken broth. Next time I’ll add in some veggies before I turn on the chicken to make it more nutritious. Great basic recipe!
Tammy says
April 22, 2012 at 9:31 pmThat is awesome so glad it worked out!
Jeannean says
June 3, 2012 at 8:24 amIs this for boneless skinless chicken breast or the regular split breat? And if using boneless how would you adapt it? Thanks.
Jeannean says
June 3, 2012 at 8:28 amIs this for boneless skinless chicken breast? And if not how would I adapt for that? Thanks
Tammy says
June 3, 2012 at 12:09 pmYes this is for boneless chicken breast. Thanks for pointing that out.
Janet says
October 28, 2012 at 3:11 pmCan you use the chicken “water” as a broth afterward or do you just have to dump it? I cook my chicken all the time in a crockpot but have never added water and it always turns out moist…I just add Italian seasoning to it and it is scrumptious. My kids have a plain palate but they love this…
Tammy says
October 28, 2012 at 10:45 pmYes I have use it for broth in other meals. I will have to give your recipe a try. Have a great night.
Jennifer says
December 31, 2013 at 8:51 pmHappy New Year! Do you freeze this chicken in 1/3 cup serving size portions, or in a bag with 4 portions (1 1/3 cups) to feed a family of 4?
Des says
January 22, 2014 at 12:42 amI don’t have a slow cooker so what alternative do you recommend?
Melinda says
June 9, 2014 at 8:03 pmYou can boil/poach it in a pot on the stove.
Rhonda says
February 15, 2014 at 1:43 pmLove this so much! After I shred it I put it in snack size bags then put them in a quart freezer bag for protection. In the morning I just throw one in my lunch bag. By lunch it’s mostly thawed and helps keep the rest of my food cold till I’m ready to eat.
josh says
August 19, 2015 at 12:58 amgreat idea. itll save me on freezer bags and Itll keep the rest of my stuff cold
Trish Howeth says
June 9, 2014 at 12:38 pmI weight my protein by ounces, so how many ounces is is 1/3 cups of chicken?
Stacy says
June 9, 2014 at 12:45 pmEvery time I try chicken breasts in the crockpot, they dry out. Thinking this recipe with the broth will eliminate that problem. In they go, this week!!!
Janii says
July 26, 2014 at 11:12 amFirst of all, thanks for this site!! My doctor recently told me that I needed to increase my vegetable intake because im on the very low end risk for diabetes. So I stumbled onto the Mason Jar Salads which I’ll start next week!!
One question though: where can I find dried garlic and onion flakes?? I didnt want to have to go to every grocery store in Philadelphia looking for them. Any suggestions?? If i have to use Garlic and Onion flakes, I will, but I rather stick to the recipe. Thanks in advance!!
JMF
Tammy Kresge says
July 26, 2014 at 8:10 pmThose spices can be found in the spice section of any major grocery store.
UpstateNYer says
October 21, 2014 at 9:27 amDollar Stores have those spices as well, if you find it is cheaper than you local grocery store.
Sharyn says
December 30, 2014 at 6:08 pmI’ve been making this and the Mexican one for a whiles always delish! Tonight for the first time I used the kitchenaid method to shred. One word: WOWEE!! So easy and such perfect shreds! Thanks.
Roxi says
April 22, 2015 at 9:36 pmThank you for the easy chicken recipe. I like the idea of setting and forgetting while you work out or do something fun. Sometimes my family likes to eat junk food and I want to eat healthy and this is great to have in the freezer ready to create something fabulous! I’m going to do this this weekend!
Thanks again, and have a good week everyone!
Jz says
February 9, 2016 at 10:57 pmI made this recipe today and the chic e was very tender and shredded so easily however after a few chews it was al out chalky tasting and dry. I followed the recipe! Thoughts??????
Shelley Hahn says
April 8, 2016 at 11:47 amDo you use chicken breasts with skin and bones, or boneless, skinless?
Tammy Kresge says
April 11, 2016 at 11:11 ameither one will work but I use skinless and boneless.
Cathy says
June 19, 2016 at 1:18 pmCan I start with frozen chicken breast, and if so do I need to add cooking time?
Nicole says
September 6, 2016 at 8:49 pmDo you know how many ounces a serving would be? Made this Sunday and it’s really good! My 13 yr old (who tasted chicken for the first time when I made it!) loves it!
Tammy Kresge says
September 7, 2016 at 6:04 amAbout 3-4 ounces.