Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken

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This Dutch oven shredded chicken is an easy recipe that is perfect for meal prepping or to add to other recipes throughout the week! It's so moist, tender, and flavorful while being extremely simple to put together.

If you need a simple and flavorful shredded chicken recipe for dinner or for meal prep, then this Dutch oven shredded chicken is just what you need! It comes together in a few quick steps and you'll have perfectly flavorful chicken in no time.

Overhead view of a bowl of Dutch oven shredded chicken with cilantro.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This recipe uses chicken breasts but don't worry, it's still super moist and flavorful. You can use chicken thighs if you'd like but due to the way this recipe is cooked and how the chicken is seared and seasoned, you won't have to worry about dry chicken.
Using a Dutch oven is perfect for making a huge batch of shredded chicken as the Dutch oven retains and distributes heat evenly.
Searing the chicken before simmering it improves the flavor of the shredded chicken.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients needed to make Dutch oven shredded chicken.

chicken breasts — I'm using chicken breasts but you can also use chicken thighs. I'm using one pound (2 large chicken breasts) but you can easily double this recipe!
seasoning — I season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
butter & oil — searing the chicken in butter adds more flavor and the oil is there to make sure the butter doesn't burn.
broth — I simmer the chicken in chicken broth for extra flavor.

How To Make This Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken Recipe

Set of two photos showing chicken breasts seasoned on a plate and butter melted in a pot with olive oil.

If there is moisture on the chicken breasts, pat dry with a paper towel. Season the chicken evenly on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.

Set of two photos showing seasoned chicken breasts seared in a pot.

Once hot, add the seasoned chicken and pan-sear until golden brown, around 5 minutes per side.

Set of two photos showing broth added to a pot of seared chicken and then chicken shredded in a bowl.

Add a few splashes of broth to the pot and deglaze it, making sure to scrub up every last bit of the browned bits for the best flavor. Add the rest of the broth to the pot and cover with a lid. Make sure to add more broth if needed to cover 90% of the chicken.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Continue to keep the chicken covered and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
When done, transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a plate or bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute within the chicken breasts and then shred with two forks and add the shredded chicken (and any juices on the plate) back to the pot. Stir to combine and use immediately or allow everything to cool before storing.

Overhead view of Dutch oven shredded chicken.

Recipes Variations

After searing, if you do not want to cook the chicken on the stovetop, you can cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Tips and Notes

Make sure you fully cover the chicken with broth.
I store the shredded chicken with the broth, this way, if I'm reheating it, it prevents the shredded chicken from drying out. I also hold on to the broth so if I'm making rice to serve with the shredded chicken, I can add some of the broth to the rice when cooking it to make it more flavorful.
When you brown the chicken, if after 5 minutes, the chicken is still stuck to the Dutch oven, let it pan-sear for longer. The chicken will release when a crust has formed. If you try to flip too soon, the chicken will tear.
Deglazing is adding liquid (chicken broth in this case) to a hot pot, which allows all of the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom to release. Scrape the bottom of your por with a wooden spoon, and it'll get all the goodness off the bottom of your pan and into your broth. Do not skip this step as you get so much flavor in the broth when deglazing.
For easy shredding, transfer the chicken to a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment. Mix for 5-10 seconds for perfectly shredded chicken!
Chicken breasts are done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74˚C).

How to store shredded chicken

Store the shredded chicken with the broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat on the stove top or microwave before serving.

Can you freeze this?

I usually freeze the shredded chicken with broth, so when thawing and reheating, the chicken retains its moisture. Freeze in an airtight container or bag for up to 4 months.

Ways to Use Shredded Chicken

Add it to a pasta. Add the shredded chicken to a pasta salad dish like Cold Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Peas, Cold Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad, or Easy Chicken Pepperoni Pasta Salad.
Add it to a salad. Use the chicken in this Chopped Chicken Salad, Chicken Cobb Salad, Spinach Strawberry Salad, or Blueberry Salad.
Add it to a soup. Add the chicken to this Salsa Chicken Soup.
Stuff it. Try stuffing leftover roast chicken into a Slow Cooker Sweet Potato or a Baked Potato to turn a simple potato into a meal.

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