Easy Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken

Meal prep just got easier with simple, hands-off dutch oven shredded chicken. It’s a great way to prep for healthy eating throughout the week!

Author’s Note: This post was originally published 1/24/2017 and has been updated with better photos and tips to make the post more useful.

Plain dutch oven shredded chicken is a staple in my kitchen for quick, easy meal prep. It's faster than a slow cooker and makes moist, tender shredded chicken breasts every time!

Why use a dutch oven?

Why a dutch oven? There are many recipes out there for slow cooker shredded chicken, but I've found that I prefer using my dutch oven for nearly everything.

Dutch oven shredded chicken only takes 30-40 or so minutes of your time (as opposed to 4 to 5 hours in a slow cooker).

Yes, the dutch oven method is slower than boiling the chicken. But boiled chicken is tough and rubbery. NOT GREAT. Dutch oven chicken is definitely the way to go.

Top tips for dutch oven shredded chicken

This couldn't be simpler.

Preheat the oven to 350. I drizzle just a bit of extra virgin olive oil into my dutch oven. You can totally skip this step. I only do it to prevent the chicken from leaving residue...it makes cleaning that much easier. But since my dutch oven is already enameled, it doesn't stick much anyway.

Nestle in the chicken breasts. Try to avoid too much overlap so each breast cooks evenly. If you pile chicken breasts on top of one another, the cooking time will change.

Sprinkle on some salt. A teaspoon or so should do it.

Put the cover on the dutch oven and pop in the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.

Cook until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 165 degrees F. Shred those babies with two forks. DONE.

How to re-use prepped shredded chicken

Okay, so you’ve prepped your chicken with this recipe for fast, versatile protein throughout your week. Now what?

You can use shredded chicken for every single meal if you’re creative and resourceful!

Use these ideas to get you started:

• Salads
• Frittatas
• Egg bakes
• Casseroles
• Tacos
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on it and eat it as-is
• Toss it in dressing (like ranch or BBQ sauce) and pair with veggies for a quick lunch

The best dutch oven to have in your kitchen

Obviously, to make this recipe you’ve got to have a dutch oven on hand. The main reason I LOVE dutch ovens: you can use them both on the stovetop and in the oven. Coincidentally, that’s the main reason I love cast iron in general!

So, get yourself a dutch oven that will last you for many, many years of creating in the kitchen. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to cost too much — a Lodge cast iron dutch oven is a great choice!

I recently upgraded to a Misen enameled Dutch oven and I LOVE it. Misen is one of my go-to brands for kitchen essentials. I highly recommend checking them out!

How to prevent shredded chicken from drying out

When I've made shredded chicken in a dutch oven, I haven't found this to be a huge problem. Because you're cooking at a lower heat and the Dutch oven is covered, the moisture stays trapped inside.

However, if you don't get the same results, you can add ¼ cup of chicken broth or water (but preferably chicken broth) to the Dutch oven before you start cooking. Just make sure to drain any excess liquid after shredding!

Recipes that use shredded chicken:

• Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Egg Bake
• Buffalo Chicken Smothered Sweet Potato Fries
• Bacon Buffalo Chicken Casserole
• BBQ Chicken Smothered Sweet Potato Fries
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Have more ideas on how to use dutch oven shredded chicken? Let me know how you used it in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram!

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