There’s no such thing as a king of shredded chicken. That would be weird. But if there were…
Between my two food blogs, I’ve created dozens of pulled chicken recipes using nearly every cooking method worth trying in a variety of seasonings and sauces. This post will teach you everything I know about making awesome shredded chicken. It begins by covering the best type of chicken to use before moving to five cooking methods with example recipes for each.
There’s also a sixth shortcut method that’s perfect for any time you’re feeling lazy in the kitchen.
Chicken Thighs vs Chicken Breast for Pulled Chicken
Chicken breast is one of the leanest protein sources you can cook. And that’s about all the positive things I have to say about chicken breast in terms of making shredded chicken.
Chicken thighs have more flavor and are much more forgiving than chicken breast when it comes to preparation. It’s extremely difficult to “mess up” making pulled chicken with chicken thighs. Chicken breast is easy to overcook and turn rubbery, even with gentle cooking methods like slow cookers.
That’s why I think chicken thighs are the obvious choice. The extra fat content is worth every calorie. And speaking of calories, the difference between the two is smaller than you might think. See for yourself.
Comparing the nutrition facts for 4oz (112g) of raw chicken breast and chicken thighs:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: 110 calories, 24g protein, 0g carbs, 1g fat
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: 130 calories, 22g protein, 0g carbs, 5g of fat
I compared H-E-B natural chicken thighs and breasts for the information above.
1. Crockpot and Slow Cooked Shredded Chicken
Set it and forget it. This is the easiest way to make pulled chicken. Just add the chicken plus some type of seasoning and a little water or sauce, cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, and shred.
If you’re going to use chicken breast to make pulled chicken, a Crockpot set on low is your best option.
A downside of slow cooking is that you mostly miss out on browning via the Maillard reaction. Think of the delicious crunchy bits on grilled chicken. There are workarounds like transferring chicken to a separate pan to broil in the oven. But not every chicken recipe calls for browning. If the sauce and seasoning is flavorful enough, there’s no need.
If you’re interested in learning more about slow cookers vs pressure cookers vs Dutch ovens, read this article from J. Kenji López-Alt. Spoiler: Dutch ovens and pressure cookers are the next two methods on this list.
Slow Cooked Chicken Recipe Examples:
2. Braised and Broiled Chicken (Dutch Oven)
This is my favorite method. As you will see in future methods, broiling is a major unlock for amazing shredded chicken. And this method is arguably the easiest since everything stays in the same pot.
The braise and broil method is as simple as putting chicken, seasoning or sauce, and a bit of cooking liquid in a Dutch oven or any oven-safe dish you can cover. Make sure whatever cooking vessel you use is safe up to 550ºF since it’s going under the broiler.
Pop the covered pot in a 350ºF oven for about an hour until the chicken shreds easily, shred the chicken, then put the uncovered pot under a low broiler for 15-20 minutes. Your finished product should look something like this:
The crispy edges are so delicious, even better than browning you get from searing before braising in my opinion.
Something to keep in mind when using this method is that sauces with more sugar may brown quickly under the broiler. Keep an eye on the chicken and stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Side note: A Dutch oven IS great for searing proteins before braising. I’ve included recipes using that method in the “Stovetop” section below.
Recipe Examples:
3. Making Pulled Chicken in a Pressure Cooker
While the Instant Pot craze of the late 2010s has cooled a bit, pressure cooking is always a great option for making shredded chicken and other proteins in a hurry. Similar to Crockpot recipes, chicken goes into the pot with some seasoning and a bit of liquid. The difference is that pressure cookers seal and create a high pressure, super hot environment to speed up the cook drastically.
Another benefit of slow cookers is that with all-in-one innovations like the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and the original Ninja Foodi, you can pressure cook and broil (there’s that word again) in the same pot. Just vent the steam, shred, and pop the attachable air fryer lid to crisp up the shredded chicken.
Or if you’re using something like an Instant Pot, you can also use its sauté function to brown chicken before pressure cooking.
Recipe Examples:
4. Pellet Smoker Shredded Chicken
Okay, I lied above. While I love the Dutch oven method, this is my actual favorite way to make pulled chicken. But it’s not the most accessible since not everyone has a food smoker on hand.
Most pit masters focus on pulled pork, chopped brisket, and whole birds on the grill. So I had to do a lot of experimenting to find the best way to make shredded boneless chicken thighs on a smoker. And here’s what I came up with:
Slap a dry rub on the chicken and start it low and slow around 225ºF for about an hour. This gives the chicken time to pick up lots of smoke flavor without drying out. Then add the chicken to a skillet or baking dish with some type of sauce, cover, and cook at a higher temperature like 350ºF for another 60-90 minutes until it shreds easily.
You can even uncover and pick up some extra browning and smoke flavor after the chicken is shredded in the sauce. Most shredded chicken recipes can benefit from letting the chicken rest in any sauce or braising liquid for at least 10-15 minutes before serving, even if it’s off any type of heat source.
Recipe Examples:
5. How to Make Shredded Chicken on the Stove
I briefly mentioned this method in the Dutch oven category above. This method involves browning chicken in a bit of fat like olive oil before gently braising until it shreds easily. A Dutch oven works great for this, but I prefer a large sauté or braising pan for extra surface area.
Using this method allows you to skip the broiling unless you want extra crispy pulled chicken. This would be a good option if you don’t have a dish that works well under a hot broiler.
Recipe Examples:
- Stovetop Chicken Carnitas
- Dutch Oven Chicken Tacos (seared and simmered instead of baked)
6. Rotisserie Chicken and Pre-Shredded Chicken
“If ya ain’t cheatin’, ya ain’t tryin’.”
I’ve eaten my fair share of rotisserie chickens standing over the kitchen sink with finger forks. But for the times I’m not going beast mode, I like to make a complete meal with pulled rotisserie chicken.
One of my favorite ways to repurpose it is to toss it with a sauce and pop it under a, you guessed it, broiler for 10-15 minutes. This reheats the chicken and develops flavor and texture by caramelizing the sauce on the chicken.
You can also reheat a sauce and the chicken separately then toss together and make things like wraps or salads. Or work it into stir fries and fried rice, chicken salad, and sandwiches. The possibilities are endless!
There are also lots of cooked and shredded chicken products available in stores. Trader Joe’s smoked chicken is one of my favorites for turning into other dishes.
Recipe Examples:
- Sweet Chili Chicken Bowls
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Chicken Salad
- Thai Curry Chicken Soup
- High Protein Chili Crunch Chicken Salad (with Trader Joe’s chicken)
Rotisserie Chicken Pro Tip: I like buying multiple rotisserie chickens and pulling the chicken all at the same time, using what I need for a meal at the time and refrigerating or freezing the rest. It’s much easier to pull the chicken when it’s warm compared to chilled, and doing it all at once just feels like less work for some reason. You can get five rotisserie chickens for, like, $30 at Costco and have pulled chicken on hand for a long time.
Final Thoughts
A couple cooking methods I left off the list include sous vide and boiling. I don’t want to slowly cook my chicken in a plastic bag for sous vide, and boiling is just as exciting as it sounds (unless you’re velveting chicken for a stir fry). But hey, those methods exist!
I hope you’re walking away with a much better understanding of all the ways to make shredded chicken, what type of chicken to use, and some ideas about seasoning and flavor combinations. If you have any questions about cooking methods, how to use the cooked chicken, or anything else, leave a comment below.
Until next time,
Mason (your royal thighness, the shredded chicken king)
