Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

My family and I currently live in a place where it’s unusual to have air conditioning in a home. Most of the year the climate is mild and not having AC is bearable, but right now I’m like a Thanksgiving turkey roasting in my apartment oven.

I still want to put a tasty meal on the table, but lighting our gas oven turns the house into a hot yoga class that I didn’t sign up for. For that reason, one of my favorite ways to cook chicken (in the heat of the summer when I normally have AC in my house or during this time of our lives that we are living in a place without AC) is to put it in a slow cooker. It’s also a great way to start a soup that will have chicken in it because slow cooking the chicken imparts tons of flavor into a somewhat bland cut of meat and provides an excellent broth for soup.

By placing three to four chicken breast in the slow cooker we can have easy meals like buffalo chicken sandwiches, tacos, BBQ chicken pizza, quesadillas, chicken salad wraps/sandwiches, chicken and rice, chicken divan, etc. without heating up the house. Plus the broth that the chicken creates while it’s cooking is so flavorful and great to add to sauces like my stir fry sauce, or to save and freeze to use later for a yummy soup like this Sicilian Chicken Soup.

Speaking of chicken soup, if I make these chicken breasts to shred for soups, I add more water and 2 -3 tablespoons of butter (to add richness).

I hope that you’ll try making this easy chicken recipe today and that you’ll leave a comment below. Also, please follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram and Facebook by using my social media icons found below!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried minced onions
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of pepper
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• optional 1/4-1/2 tsp. of dried sage, thyme, rosemary

Directions:

Spray the inside of a slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Add 3-4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Add 1 to 2 cups of water to the slow cooker. Don’t cover the chicken with water just add enough so that the chicken breasts are sitting about 3/4 of the way in water.

Cover the chicken breasts with dry seasonings. I use parsley, garlic powder, dried minced onions, salt and pepper. Other great seasonings are rosemary, sage, and thyme.

Place the slow cooker on high and cook for about 2 to 2 & 1/2 hours or until the chicken shreds easily. On low cook the chicken for about 3-4 hours.

Note** if you want to cook more chicken breasts use the same recipe but add more seasoning and a little more liquid since you will have more pieces of chicken to cover. The cooking time shouldn’t change, but cook your chicken until it is fall apart tender.

Also, if you plan to make a soup add more water initially (4-5 cups) and a bullion cube and a few tablespoons of butter so that your stock is extra flavorful and a sufficient quantity for the soup.

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