This shredded chicken recipe may be the easiest recipe I make. It makes a great filling for a taco bar, topping for salads, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or appetizers. You can cook it as written below as dinner for your family or scale it to serve large parties. The simplicity does not equal the resulting flavor. It can easily be prepared a day in advance and reheated, just leave extra stock in when shredding or reheat with a small infusion of more stock if chicken seems a bit dry.
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, approx 1.75 lbs
1.5 c. chicken stock (approx! see below)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp granuated garlic (I prefer Morton & Basset for all my spices)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Place chicken breasts in a crock pot. Add chicken stock to almost cover your chicken, but not quite. The amount of stock required will depend on the quantity of chicken and the size of your crock pot. Add seasonings, then stir to combine. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. The timing (as with most crock pot recipes) is very forgiving and flexible. Yay for convenience! After cook time, check the amount of liquid remaining in crock pot. If you had a small amount of chicken and a large crock pot, you will still have a lot of liquid left. Use a coffee cup to remove a cup if necessary, and reserve for later. You can always add some back if chicken looks dry after shredding. Shred chicken using 2 forks. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to your preference.
Serve shredded chicken with warm tortillas, queso fresco, guacamole, and salsa for a taco bar, or with lettuce leafs for low-carb wraps. Enjoy!
