Meal prep seems overwhelming to me when I think about how many different types of foods I like to eat during the week. I don’t want to make a pot full of lentils on Sunday just to get tired of eating them on Tuesday.
Have you guys found any successful strategies for making meal prep easy? My one solution to meal prep has been making a plain version of a protein that I can spice up in different ways during the week, saving me time while still letting me be creative with flavor. This Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is my new best friend: I walk away from my slow cooker for the day and then come back to take 5 minutes to shred it before putting it in the fridge for the week.
I have also made some recommendations at the end of this post for how I like to flavor this chicken- whether you’re craving Mexican Tacos, an Asian Rice Bowl, or a BBQ Chicken Salad, this shredded chicken will work for you. As always, I love seeing when you guys recreate my recipes so email me or tag me in your photos!
- 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn on high. Make sure that the chicken breasts are fully covered by liquid - if not, add additional chicken stock (you can substitute water + bouillon here if you'd like).
- Cook the chicken for ~4 hours on high or ~8-10 hours on low until you can easily pull the chicken apart with 2 forks. Cook time may vary depending on the heat maintained by your slow cooker, and how thick your chicken is (I had 3 very large & thick chicken breasts).
- While the chicken is still warm, use one fork to hold the chicken breast and another fork to shred the meat, pulling at the skin in small sections.
- If you are not using all the chicken at once, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and add ½ cup of the liquid from the crockpot into the container so the chicken stays nice and moist. Dispose of the rest of the slow cooker liquid.
- See flavor variations below.
For BBQ Shredded Chicken: Mix 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce into each serving of chicken. Serve warm over salad.
For Asian Shredded Chicken: Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce into each serving of chicken. Serve with white rice and sautéed veggies and top with sesame seeds or green onions.
For Mexican Shredded Chicken: Mix 1 tablespoon of chunky salsa into each serving of chicken. Serve in tacos with beans, corn, lettuce, and avocado.
What’s your favorite meal prep strategy? Are you a fan of slow cooker cooking?
Marisa
Ashley Anderson says
Marisa,
I visited the Dekalb Farmer’s Market here in Atlanta and wow did it blow my mind. It was an amazing experience that will definitely become a weekly shopping tradition. Let me know if you are running low on anything and I can ship it out your way.
Ashley
Marisa says
Ah I am so happy to hear that you loved it! Try the tikka masala seasoning for chicken cooked with coconut milk.
Jessi says
That’s EXACTLY how I’m successful. Make plain versions of protein and veggies and just mix them up meal-to-meal (usually with sriracha, duh!) 🙂
Marisa says
Yes! You are a pro at meal prepping. Thanks for the reminder to keep my Cholula hot sauce handy to spice up this chicken.
Kelly @ No Thanks to Cake says
This is such a great idea for meal prep! And such easy ways to flavor up the chicken differently each day! Love it!
Thought I would also share this crazy technique I found to shred chicken… Can’t remember where I found it, but it is my fave now. Scroll down to the recipe where the chicken is cooked. 🙂
http://www.nothankstocake.com/2012/08/07/new-recipe-cafe-rio-chicken/
Marisa says
That chicken looks so good! I don’t have any type of mixer currently so I have to stick with hand-shredding, but thanks for linking for readers who might want to speed up the process!
Amy @ The Little Honey Bee says
This is awesome and definitely something I employ for meal prep! I definitely try to focus on making ingredients rather than meals in order to change thins up and not get bored 🙂
Marisa says
Yes – I was thinking of your awesome video you did about cooking chicken! You always inspire me to meal prep more 🙂
Rachel @LittleChefBigAppetite says
I am with you! I get so sick of eating the same thing over and over. Very smart idea here!
Marisa says
Yes – I think many people are on the same page in getting bored! You gotta find ways to mix the mundane 🙂
SS says
Thanks for the awesome idea. I have my chicken in crockpot now, and will use it for a pot of chicken wild rice soup, a healthier version of chick pot pie loaded with veggies, and if there is any left, toss some into a mason jar salad.
Marisa says
How exciting! I hope all your meals turn out delicious. Chicken wild rice soup sounds great right now!