5 Ways to Use Shredded Chicken for Easy Meals
by Amanda Keefer
Turn slow cooker shredded chicken into 5 easy meals to use throughout the week with these simple ideas!
The chicken breasts are cooked in a slow cooker, then shredded to be easily transformed into BBQ chicken quesadillas, chicken salad, tacos, rice bowls or a healthy veggie-filled salad with chicken. See how easy weeknight meal can be!
How to make shredded chicken in the slow cooker:
- Add chicken breasts and 1 cup chicken stock to slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Remove from slow cooker and shred. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Easy Shredded Chicken Recipes
Shredded Chicken Tacos
Reheat shredded chicken and season with a little taco seasoning. Assemble tacos with your favorite ingredients like guacamole, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes!
Shredded chicken is also great for these delicious Chicken Avocado Enchiladas.
Chicken Salad
Mix shredded chicken with Greek yogurt, honey, Dijon mustard and a few seasonings for a tasty chicken salad. For added flair, add sliced grapes and pecans.
Or make this Nutty Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad with apples or a tangy Chicken Salad with Balsamic!
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Mix shredded chicken with BBQ sauce and turn it into a delicious quesadilla by adding cheese, red onion and corn.
You can also roll up into these BBQ Chicken Taquitos for a quick snack!
Salad with Chicken
Top salad greens with shredded chicken and your favorite salad toppings for a quick and easy meal. For recipe inspiration, check out these salad ideas:
- Chipotle & Cheddar Chopped Salad with Chicken
- Easy Summer Salad with Chicken
- Chopped Cobb Salad
- BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
Buffalo Chicken Bowls
If you love buffalo chicken, you’ll love these rice bowls! Toss your shredded chicken in buffalo sauce and assemble your bowl with rice, broccoli slaw, tomatoes, avocado and Ranch dressing.
Skip the bowl and make these Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins!
What are your quick dinner hacks for busy weeknights? Share in the comments below!
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Is it safe to freeze the shredded chicken for later use?
Yes! We like to freeze with a little extra stock since the chicken can get dried out through the cooking/freezing/reheating process.
How much chicken stock do you use?
Hi Jennifer,
We did about 2 pounds of chicken and 1 cup stock. You can always pour excess liquid out before you shred. We’d rather it be extra juicy than dry 🙂
Great ideas! How many chicken breasts do you suggest cooking to have the 4 meals presented as an example? (And how many people would that serve? )
Hi Corinne,
If you’re looking to feed a family of 4 these 4 meals, we’d suggest 3-4 pounds of chicken. A single portion of chicken should be 3-4 ounces, so just multiply that by the number of people you need to feed, then the number of meals (3-4 oz. x 4 people x 4 meals).
– Amber