Frantically googling “shredded chicken recipes”? Either you’ve got some leftover rotisserie in the fridge that needs using up, or you’ve just got a craving for poultry with a very specific texture. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.
Shredded chicken is really like the tofu of the…chicken world. Sounds ridiculous, but you kind of get it. When you take plain poultry, cook it till tender, and pull it apart with two forks, it somehow takes on the ability to fit right into any dish. We’re talking chicken salad sandwiches, cozy soups and stews, creamy pastas, fiery noodle bowls, refreshing salads, all-in-one casseroles and pies, and more. Shredded chicken really is a shapeshifter like that!
What’s more, using a store-bought shortcut—rotisserie chicken!—is an easy way to hit the ground running. Rotisserie birds are a timesaver that will help you put dinner on the table that much more quickly, and they’re as tasty as making your own shredded chicken from scratch (or depending on your cooking skills, possibly even more tasty). And luckily, most recipes that call for shredded chicken can totally adapt to home-cooked or store-bought.
That includes these 20 delectable shredded-chicken recipes, all of which will have you saying, Yes! This is exactly what I was searching for.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen1 Healthy Pumpkin Seed & Avocado Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches from Ambitious Kitchen
Why use plain old mayo for your chicken salad sandwich when you can use a creamy pesto packed with avocado and pumpkin seeds instead? Seriously, why?!
Get the recipe here.
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Michele Rosen via Paleo Running Momma2 Chicken Pesto Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Paleo Running Momma
Here’s an easy upgrade to the standard chicken plus sweet potato side dinner combo. Shred the chicken, toss it with loads of spinach pesto, and stuff the mix inside the sweet potato instead.
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen3 Slow Cooker Pumpkin Peanut Butter Soup from Ambitious Kitchen
Pumpkin purée makes this feel particularly autumnal, while the rich creaminess from coconut milk and P.B. gives major cozy vibes anytime you need them. Stirring in some shredded chicken and serving the whole thing over brown rice makes it a full meal.
Get the recipe here.
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Sarah Leung via The Woks of Life4 Cold Noodles With Shredded Chicken from The Woks of Life
These Szechuan-style noodles are spicy and sweet, and would be amazing on their own. But adding some shredded chicken to the mix makes them even more satisfying. Hellooo, meal in a bowl.
Get the recipe here.
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Alexis Kornblum via Lexi’s Clean Living5 Green Chili Chicken Soup from Lexi’s Clean Living
This zesty, veggie-packed white chili calls for two cups of shredded chicken, which is perfect for using up ample leftovers from a roasted bird.
Get the recipe here.
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Michele Rosen via Paleo Running Momma6 Paleo Chicken Broccoli “Rice” Casserole from Paleo Running Momma
It’s like the chicken and broccoli casserole your mom used to make, except the cheesy sauce is nondairy and the white rice is swapped out for cauliflower rice. Super yummy, suitable for dairy-free folks, and even more veggie-packed than the original.
Get the recipe here.
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Georgia Johnson via The Comfort of Cooking7 Chicken Tortellini Soup from The Comfort of Cooking
How do you make a package of tortellini not boring? Simmer it in broth alongside cooked, shredded chicken and whatever chopped veggies you have on hand. Now you’ve got a simple-to-make but satisfying soup.
Get the recipe here.
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LaKita Andersen via Simply LaKita8 BBQ Chicken Sliders from Simply LaKita
Shredded chicken, bottled BBQ sauce, shredded gouda, and fluffy buns come together to make a big batch of mouthwatering sliders that’ll feed a crowd. (Or feed you, for weeks, if you freeze them.)
Get the recipe here.
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Alex Lau via Bon Appétit9 Shredded Chicken Salad With Creamy Miso Dressing from Bon Appétit
It’s not just the chicken that’s shredded in this creamy, crunchy, bacon-topped salad—the lettuce and fresh ginger get the shredded treatment too. Then you toss the whole thing in a salty-sweet, umami-rich dressing.
Get the recipe here.
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Alexis Kornblum via Lexi’s Clean Living10 Easy BBQ Chicken Salad from Lexi’s Clean Living
Baked chicken breast, cilantro ranch dressing, your fave BBQ sauce, creamy black beans, and crunchy corn add up to a seriously satisfying salad that tastes like it would cost $14 at a swank chain. You can chop the chicken breast, like in the photo, or use leftover shredded chicken you have on hand, per the recipe notes.
Get the recipe here.
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Carrian and Cade Cheney via Oh Sweet Basil11 Slow Cooker Pineapple Mexican Shredded Chicken from Oh Sweet Basil
Okay, so you really should make this chicken in the Crock-Pot in order for all the mega flavors (pineapple, salsa verde, coriander, paprika, and cumin) to really get in there and do their melding thing. In this case, it’s totally worth it—especially since we’re talking about dumping everything in the slow cooker and forgetting about it for the rest of the day.
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen12 15-Minute Healthy Moroccan Spiced Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad from Ambitious Kitchen
Whether you go for chopped or shredded chicken here is sort of besides the point. The thing that’s really important is the scrumptious Greek-yogurt-based dressing. It’s packed with warm spices like cinnamon and turmeric, and gets an extra dose of creaminess from the tahini.
Get the recipe here.
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Erin Clarke via Well Plated13 Chicken Alfredo Bake from Well Plated
This looks like the kind of creamy, comforting casserole that would take forever to make. But because you’re using shredded rotisserie chicken, your actual hands-on time ends up being just about 15 minutes.
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen14 Slow Cooker Yellow Chicken Curry from Ambitious Kitchen
Slow-cooking chicken breast in a mix of coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and spices before shredding really brings the flavor. But you can totally just make the sauce in the Crock-Pot without the chicken, pick up a rotisserie bird, and shred it into the pot right before dinner.
Get the recipe here.
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Maria Lichty via Two Peas & Their Pod15 Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta from Two Peas & Their Pod
Talk about genius. You’re getting all the savory goodness of chicken Parm here, just in a form that’s way less time-consuming to make. (Thank you again, shredded chicken!)
Get the recipe here.
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Monique Volz via Ambitious Kitchen16 Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas With Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce from Ambitious Kitchen
The star of the show here is definitely the pumpkin-sour-cream sauce punched up with tomato, cumin, garlic, and chili powder. Of course, you’ll appreciate the fact that making the filling for these ’ladas is quick, since you’re using shredded cooked chicken.
Get the recipe here.
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Alex Lau via Bon Appétit17 Lemony Chicken and Rice Soup from Bon Appétit
Stirring eggs and lemon juice into the broth gives you a rich, velvety soup with zero cream. You’ll get max flavor if you simmer a whole chicken in the broth and shred it yourself, but adding in shredded rotisserie chicken is still very, very delicious.
Get the recipe here.
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Tanya Harris via My Forking Life18 Creamy Instant Pot Chicken Tacos from My Forking Life
Basic chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken can become the best chicken taco filling of your life. All you need to do is add chicken broth, taco seasoning, salsa, and cream cheese.
Get the recipe here.
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Annmarie via The Fit Foodie Mama19 Chicken and Hummus Tortilla Pizza from The Fit Foodie Mama
Does hummus, arugula, shredded chicken, and balsamic glaze on a tortilla really count as pizza? We’ll let you decide. But either way, it’s a really delicious combo that you can throw together in about two minutes flat.
Get the recipe here.
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Maria Lichty via Two Peas & Their Pod20 Chicken Pot Pie from Two Peas & Their Pod
Chicken pot pie from scratch is reeeallly nice. But you know what’s also nice? Saving a step by using shredded rotisserie chicken.
Get the recipe here.
