Shredded cooked chicken is one of the most versatile items I keep in my freezer. So buckle up for a long-ish post!

How I batch cook chicken:

My absolute favorite way to cook large amounts of chicken is in the crock pot. I can fit an entire 3 pound bag of frozen chicken breasts in my slow cooker. So I do a whole bag at once. Usually right after getting home from grocery shopping. I dissolve 1 chicken bouillon cube in a cup of water pour that into the crock pot then add the chicken. Cook on low 8-10 hours. After letting the chicken cool slightly I cut them in half then put them in my kitchen aid mixer bowl and use the paddle to shred it (so much faster!) It will only take a few minutes. Then I put about 1 pound of chicken into freezer containers (ziplock bags would also work well) and freeze.

I’m sure most of you already have a favorite way to cook chicken so feel free to use your own recipe.

Dinner Ideas for Using Shredded Chicken

Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken Sauce

Cook 1 pound of chicken. Shred or cube. In a saucepan mix together 2 cans cream of chicken and 2 cups of milk. Stir and heat on low until well mixed. Add chicken, dash pepper and ¼ tsp. parsley flakes. Let cool and store in Ziploc bag or a container. Freeze. When ready to eat, let thaw in fridge overnight (In a pinch I’ve used the microwave to thaw it. Or even put it in a large saucepan and put it on warm and covered it. Heat Sauce then pour over biscuits and top with shredded cheese.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cut in using a pastry cutter or two knives, until the butter is about pea-sized and smaller. Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle that is about 6 x 9 inches. Fold each side of the dough over the middle (like you’re folding a letter) and pat out again to about 6 x 9 inches. Cut biscuits out of the dough using desired size of biscuit cutter (I usually use a 2 inch cutter). Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy! To Freeze: Place on pan lined with aluminum foil. Do Not Bake. Put in freezer. Let freeze 6-10 hours, then place in Ziploc bag. When you are ready to bake, place on cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.

To make this meal even faster you could always use premade refrigerator biscuits for get a bag of frozen biscuits from the store.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos 

This one is from Seeded at the Table. I’ve shared it before. My family loves these, so I keep a big bag of them in the freezer for quick lunches and dinners. They only take 15-20 minutes in the oven. (Click image to be taken to recipe).

CHICKEN SALSA POCKETS

The recipe comes from Moneysavingmom.com Click on image to be taken to the recipe.

I’ve also done variations of this substituting BBQ sauce for the salsa, or alfredo sauce or just cheese. My boys love these so much I make gigantic batches and keep them in the freezer. They are ideal for lunches or dinners at soccer practices and even traveling.

These are just a few of our go to recipes but there are probably hundreds of ways to use shredded chicken. A few others we have regularly:

Chicken salad

Greek Inspired Chicken Pitas

Enchiladas

Hawaiian Haystacks

Quick chicken stir fry

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup