I love how effortless this Shredded Chicken recipe is! Whether you’re feeding a crowd or fam on a Taco Tuesday, this recipe gives you SUPER juicy & tender chicken with about 2 minutes of actual effort. No need to take time or effort to manually shred with a fork! The slow cooker does the heavy lifting in this one.
What is pepper paste?
Pepper paste is pureed peppers, often made from dried chilies, that lends TONS of flavor to the dish! Traditionally, a lot of Mexican cuisine will use dried ancho, pasilla, guajillo and chipotle peppers, reconstitute them in hot water, then make them into a paste with a little vinegar & spices. A good shortcut is to use pepper paste, such as Ancho & Pasilla Pepper Paste or Aji Panca pepper paste, as they’ve done the hard work for you. Aji Panca is used in peruvian food whereas the Ancho & Pasilla pepper paste are commonly used in Mexican food. Both use mild peppers and lend amazing flavor base to the dish without overpowering it. These are hard to find in a grocery store, so I’ve linked my favorite brands I’ve found on Amazon.
Another great option that can be found in most grocery stores is the adobo sauce from a can of Chipotles in Adobo Sauce. Just be sure to omit or use just a little bit of the actual chipotles peppers as they will make the dish really spicy! Usually I serve the chopped up chipotle peppers on the side or use them in a hot salsa so those that like spicy food have the option.
Where do shredded chicken recipes go wrong?
Most shredded chicken recipes instruct to boil chicken, then use forks to shred the chicken. While this method works well if you’re short on time, it’s often a lot of unnecessary work! Plus chicken breasts proteins will seize up and therefore dry out when cooked at a high temp. All that work for dry chicken isn’t worth it!
How to make shredded chicken
My favorite method for making shredded chicken is to throw the ingredients in a slow cooker (aka Crockpot) and let it cook low and slow until the fibers of the chicken just naturally fall apart when you stir it at the end. This gives the absolute juiciest, tender chicken with no shredding involved!
I’ve used both chicken breasts and chicken thighs when making this recipe and both turn out great! It’s one of the most fool proof ways to make chicken breasts tender and succulent.
How long to cook shredded chicken?
It takes about 4 hours in a slow cooker set to High for the chicken to fully cook and be fall apart tender.
What to make with shredded chicken
Shredded chicken is excellent in tacos, nachos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas, enchiladas or just a yummy protein snack!
If you do happen to have leftovers and don’t feel like using it up now, it freezes well as is, or as prepped enchiladas.
Adjustments for Kids
If you’re kids are new to shredded chicken you can hide it in the taco under cheese, salsa and sour cream! Starting out with a bite or two for any new food is a win, it does generally take a few tries (and up to 16!) for kids to love a new food. My kids love chicken tacos and quesadillas, so this is an easy sell.
If you like spicy food, feel free to add some of the chipotles chopped up finely or chipotle paste to add some heat! Start with a little, give it a taste and then add more if you need it. Chipotle is quite spicy, so a little goes a long way.
If you don’t have the adobo sauce or pepper paste on hand, some enchilada sauce will work in a pinch.
Let us know how it turned out and if you tried any variations in the comments!
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