13 Best Shredded Chicken Recipes

BBQ Chicken Pizza — The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Our best shredded chicken recipes are fast, flavorful, and give you fantastic weeknight dinner options. Try these easy, winning recipes for BBQ chicken pizza, instant pot chicken tacos, pulled chicken sandwiches, chicken spaghetti, and more.

01 of 13

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

The Spruce/Leah Maroney

Shredded chicken tacos bursting with Mexican flavors are sure to become a weeknight staple in your home. The juicy shredded chicken filling flavored with onion, spices, and chipotle peppers is easy to make on your stove top. Serve the meat on warmed corn tortillas, with your favorite taco toppings and taco sauce.
02 of 13

Shredded Chicken in Tomato Sauce

Arief Perkasa/EyeEm/Getty Images

Simmering boneless, skinless chicken breasts in tomato sauce is a fantastic way to tenderize the meat, and keep it moist and juicy. You can make this shredded chicken as mild or spicy as you like, tweaking it to your taste with chili powder or jalapeno peppers. Serve over rice for an easy weeknight dinner.
03 of 13

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Barbecue

Diana Rattray

Move over, pulled pork! There's a new barbecue sandwich filling in town. Use your crockpot to cook up a big batch of Southern-style shredded chicken smothered in tangy-sweet barbecue sauce, for loading onto buns with coleslaw and pickles. Or turn it into an appetizer using party-sized sliders.
04 of 13

Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken Soup

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Tired of the same-old chicken soup? Try this brightly flavored, Mexican-inspired soup. Your family will love the zesty broth with shredded chicken, and the fun topping of cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. This recipe makes enough for a big crowd, making it perfect for game day gatherings.

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05 of 13

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Leah Maroney

BBQ chicken pizza, just like the kind you get at California Pizza Kitchen, is delicious and easy to make. It comes together in 20 minutes, with pre-made pizza dough, shredded rotisserie chicken, jarred barbecue sauce, cheeses, and red onions. Use a pizza stone for that crispy crust you crave, and top with chopped fresh cilantro for a little freshness.
06 of 13

North Carolina Pulled Chicken Barbecue

kae71463/Flickr

North Carolina barbecue sauce, also called Piedmont sauce, includes both ketchup and vinegar to satisfy your sweet-tangy cravings. It makes an excellent sauce for pulled chicken meat, which has a milder flavor than pork. If making ahead, store in an air-tight container in the fridge up to a week.
07 of 13

Pulled Chicken Tacos

The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

This easy pulled chicken tacos recipe can be made with boneless, skinless breasts or thighs poached in chicken broth until they reach the shredding stage. Then the cooking liquid is enhanced with cumin, chili powder, and paprika, and cooked down to the consistency of a sauce. It all takes about 30 minutes. Just add tortillas, salsa, avocado, and cheese for a complete meal.
08 of 13

4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

Diana Rattray

You need only 4 ingredients for this delicious chicken dish that cooks hands-free in the crockpot. Simply load up the appliance in the morning with your choice of chicken parts, cola as the braising liquid, and some ketchup and onion, and leave to cook all day long, for saucy, shreddable chicken you can serve on buns.

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09 of 13

Beer Braised Chipotle Chicken Taco Filling, Two Ways

Diana Rattray

Make it fast or make it slow, this beer braised chipotle taco filling makes a tasty Tex-Mex meal. This recipe includes tips for using a pressure cooker or slow cooker to produce juicy, tender chicken you can serve on corn or flour tortillas. To serve these tacos at a party, set out the filling and tortillas separately, supplying separate bowls of cheese, guacamole, and other taco toppings, so guests can assemble their own.
10 of 13

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Thigh Sandwiches

Lauri Patterson/Getty Images

Use budget-friendly chicken thighs for pulled chicken barbecue with extra flavor. This crockpot recipe boosts savory poultry thighs with a well-seasoned barbecue sauce, and cooks them for hours, until the meat is ultra-tender. Serve on toasted buns, with French fries or baked beans on the side.
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Pulled Chicken Shawarma Sliders

Anita Schecter

Spice up your next cookout with these delicious, highly-seasoned pulled chicken sliders inspired by Middle Eastern shawarma. Instead of cooking the chicken for hours on a spit, as in the traditional preparation, you can grill the meat, and top it with a fragrant, spiced tomato sauce. The whole process takes only 30 minutes, and yields a delicious filling for sliders at your cookout parties.
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Chicken Spaghetti

The Spruce/Julia Hartbeck

Chicken spaghetti is an easy, cheesy, satisfying casserole that is sure to become a family favorite dinner. With only a handful of ingredients this easy version takes only 30 minutes, with no canned soups required. For incredibly tender results, simmer the chicken a few minutes longer than directed, until you can pull it apart easily with two forks.

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13 of 13

Smoky Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken

The Spruce

Try this mouth-watering, smoky pulled chicken for a fantastic alternative to more traditional barbecue dishes. It gets its fantastic flavor from a unique combination of ingredients, which include the expected ketchup, vinegar, onion, and Worcestershire sauce, but also apricot preserves, butter, and molasses. Don't skip the liquid smoke, which adds a distinctive, just-off-the-grill flavor.

Beer Braised Chipotle Chicken Taco Filling, Two Ways

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Thigh Sandwiches