This is the recipe that turns into five different dinners over the course of a week — tacos one night, a chicken salad the next, thrown into a soup after that. Load the crockpot in the morning and shredded chicken is waiting by dinner.
The broth it cooks in does most of the flavor work, so the seasoning list stays short.
Shred the chicken back into its cooking liquid instead of draining it — that liquid is what keeps the shredded meat from drying out as it sits.
Save this recipe for later — pin it to your crockpot board.
Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot. Pour the broth over them, then sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper evenly over the top.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3-3.5 hours, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, and stir back into the cooking liquid to keep it moist. Use in tacos, salads, bowls or sandwiches.
Chicken breast can dry out if cooked on high heat for too long, or if it sits shredded outside the liquid — always shred it back into the cooking liquid rather than draining it away.
Yes — thighs are more forgiving and stay juicy even with a longer cook time, since they have more fat than breast meat.
Up to 5 days in the fridge, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months — it reheats well since it stays in its own broth.