Tender Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- PREP 15min
- COOK 6hrs
- TOTAL 6hrs 15min
Gently cooking chicken in a flavorful cooking broth helps it become tender and juicy. We go the extra step to make sure the chicken is as juicy and flavorful as possible. Once the chicken is cooked, we transfer the cooking liquid from the slow cooker to a small saucepan and simmer the liquid down by one-third. Spoon some of the concentrated broth over the chicken and save the rest for a light soup later.
You Will Need
3 pounds boneless chicken thighs or combination of thighs and breast
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Water
Directions
Cook Chicken
Combine chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, cumin and pepper in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the chicken by about 1 inch. Cover with lid and cook on LOW until the chicken is very tender, 4 to 6 hours.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Once it is cool enough to handle, use two forks or your fingers to shred the meat.
To Finish
After removing the chicken, strain the liquid left in the slow cooker and then transfer it to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until it has reduced by one-third, or until the flavor has concentrated.
Spoon about 1 cup of the concentrated cooking liquid over the shredded chicken and toss to coat. Use within 2 to 3 days. Save any remaining liquid for a light soup or use as stock later.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make-ahead: The chicken and broth will keep refrigerated up to 3 days and can be frozen for 1 month.
- Skin-On Chicken: We have made this recipe using boneless, skinless chicken thighs and chicken thighs with skin still attached. Both work very well. If you use chicken with skin, remove and discard the skin before you shred the chicken. You may also find that you need to skim some of the fat from the cooking broth before spooning it over the chicken.
- Leftover Cooking Liquid: You will have cooking liquid leftover. It is quite delicious on its own as a light soup. You can also use it as broth for other recipes. Or, if you’re keeping the chicken more than a day, add a spoonful or two to add a little extra moisture.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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