Best shredded chicken recipes so you can turn shredded chicken meat into a new and delicious dinner every night! There are family-favorite casseroles, savory chicken soups, and so much more to choose from! You'll love the convenience of cooking with shredded chicken!
Best Ways To Use Shredded Chicken
I like to keep shredded chicken on hand because it's so incredibly versatile, and it's already cooked! It can be added to salads, sandwiches, tacos, dips, soups, and just about anything else that could use a little protein.
You can quickly and easily make shredded chicken in your Instant Pot or just grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store! It cuts down the overall time of most recipes significantly, so it's perfect for family dinners on busy weeknights!
Jump to:
- Best Ways To Use Shredded Chicken
- 1. Shredded Chicken Tacos
- 2. Chicken Bacon Risotto
- 3. Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce
- 4. Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
- 5. Chicken Taquitos
- 6. Chicken Burrito Bowls
- 7. Chicken Quesadillas
- 8. Ritz Chicken Cassrole
- 9. Chicken a la King
- 10. Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
- 11. Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 12. Chicken Divan Casserole
- 13. Doritos Chicken Casserole
- 14. Bisquick Chicken and Dumplings
- 15. Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Tips For Cooking With Shredded Chicken
- 🐔🍗😋 More Quick & Easy Chicken Recipes
- 📖 Recipe Card
- Best Shredded Chicken Recipes: Chicken Bacon Risotto (+More Tasty Chicken Dinners!)
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
1. Shredded Chicken Tacos
Shredded chicken is perfect for taco nights! Just add some chicken taco seasoning and a little red salsa, then grab your favorite tortillas and taco toppings and dig in!
2. Chicken Bacon Risotto
This impressive chicken bacon risotto is creamy, cheesy, and downright indulgent. You can mix the shredded chicken in at the end if it's already cooked, and no one will ever know you took a shortcut!
3. Chicken Enchiladas with Green Sauce
Nothing beats a big plate of homemade chicken enchiladas with a side of restaurant-style Mexican rice and refried black beans. If you aren't a fan of green enchilada sauce, you should give my sour cream chicken enchiladas a try!
4. Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
The name says it all, this casserole tastes like a million bucks! It has a rich and creamy filling made with 2 kinds of cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup, and a crispy Ritz cracker topping.
5. Chicken Taquitos
These crispy chicken taquitos are so easy to make, and they freeze beautifully. They are perfect for after-school snacks, lunches, or dinner with a few of your favorite Mexican side dishes!
6. Chicken Burrito Bowls
Chicken burrito bowls are completely customizable and can include your favorite beans, cheeses, veggies, and sauces! All you have to do is warm up the shredded chicken and assemble your ideal bowl.
7. Chicken Quesadillas
If you have shredded chicken on hand, you can quickly whip up some delicious chicken quesadillas! They can easily be customized with your favorite vegetables, fillings, or sauces so that everyone gets what they want!
8. Ritz Chicken Cassrole
This easy 7-ingredient casserole is a one-dish meal that is ready to eat in just 30 minutes! Butter Ritz crackers make up the crispy topping that will have you savoring every last bite.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
9. Chicken a la King
Chicken a la King is a delectable combination of tender chicken meat, peas, mushrooms, and bell peppers all in a luscious cream sauce. You can serve it over rice, noodles, potatoes, and so much more!
Find out more about what to serve with chicken a la king right here!
10. Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
This cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole has juicy Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, which give it a zesty Southwestern flare. Don't worry, it's not too spicy for the kiddos; it just gives it some extra flavor!
11. Chicken Tortilla Soup
A steaming bowl of chicken tortilla soup is perfect for any time you're feeling under the weather or when it's a little chilly outside! You can top it off with freshly diced avocado, sour cream, and of course, crispy tortilla strips!
12. Chicken Divan Casserole
When it comes to chicken casserole dinners, chicken Divan casserole is as classic as they come! It's made with a handful of ingredients including rice, breadcrumbs, cheese, broccoli, and of course, chicken!
13. Doritos Chicken Casserole
This casserole features taco-seasoned shredded chicken, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, Mexican cheese, cream cheese, and nacho cheese Doritos! It bakes up into a creamy, cheesy, crunchy casserole that the whole family will love!
14. Bisquick Chicken and Dumplings
This recipe for chicken and dumplings originally calls for uncooked chicken, but you can cut the cooking time down drastically with shredded chicken! Just add your shredded chicken near the end just before you drop in the dumpling batter.
15. Rotisserie Chicken Salad
If you aren't working with rotisserie chicken, you can use plain shredded chicken to make this creamy chicken salad. I also have a super simple recipe for air fryer rotisserie chicken that would be perfect for this recipe and others on this list!
Tips For Cooking With Shredded Chicken
After you've decided on which shredded chicken recipes you'd like to try, it's time to prepare your shredded chicken (if you haven't already)! Here are a few easy tips and tricks for cooking with shredded chicken:
- Cooking the Chicken: There are a number of ways to cook chicken before shredding it. You can poach, boil, or bake it, or use your Instant Pot or crockpot! It should be fully cooked through and tender before shredding.
- Shred While Warm: Once cooked, let the chicken cool just enough that you can handle it without burning yourself. Warm chicken is much easier to shred.
- Hand Shredding vs. Mixer/Shredder: I find it pretty easy to shred chicken by using two forks pulling in opposite directions. However, you can also shred your chicken using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer set to low. Be careful not to over-shred your chicken meat, or it will turn into mush!
- Seasoning: Shredded chicken is a blank canvas, and it will take on whatever flavors you season it with. Keep this in mind if you plan on using your shredded chicken in multiple recipes.
- Last-Minute Addition: If you're adding shredded chicken to a dish near the end of cooking, make sure it's already cooked and just needs to be warmed through. Overcooking the chicken at this stage will dry it out significantly. All cooked shredded chicken should be added at the end of the cooking time when possible.
Now that you see how many delicious meals can be made with shredded chicken, maybe you'll start keeping it on hand, too! Make sure to come back and tell me which recipes were your favorites in the comment section below!
🐔🍗😋 More Quick & Easy Chicken Recipes
- Baked Huli Huli Chicken - Succulent baked chicken coated in a sweet and smokey Hawaiian huli huli BBQ sauce!
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs - Quickly whip up some tender and juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin and all!
- Cream Cheese Chicken - The smooth and tangy cream cheese sauce on this chicken will have everyone scrambling for seconds!
- Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry - A quick and easy teriyaki chicken stir-fry that will rival your favorite takeout restaurant!
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken - Cheesy, creamy, and loaded with bacon, crack chicken makes an excellent appetizer with chips or a sandwich on a bun!
- Chicken Parmesan Pizza - This pizza is loaded with slices of chicken cutlets with a robust marinara sauce and lots of melted mozzarella!
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📖 Recipe Card
Best Shredded Chicken Recipes: Chicken Bacon Risotto (+More Tasty Chicken Dinners!)
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon (thick-cut)
- 3-4 cups chicken stock (heated)
- 1 medium shallot (finely diced)
- 2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 1 cup arborio rice (or carnaroli or other risotto rice)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 4 oz cream cheese (softened, at room temperature and cubed)
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- 6 oz chicken (cooked, shredded or diced)
- 2 tablespoon chives (or green onions, optional for garnish)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook 4 strips bacon over medium heat until browned and crisped. Then remove the bacon from the skillet and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Add 3-4 cups chicken stock to a small saucepan and bring it to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to keep it simmering.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and wipe the skillet you used to cook the bacon clean. Add the reserved bacon grease back to the skillet along with 1 medium shallot and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until softened, using your spoon to scrape the browned bits of bacon from the bottom of the pan. *If you don't have 2 tablespoons of bacon grease, you can combine it with enough olive oil to reach 2 tablespoons.
- Stir in 2 teaspoon garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour in 1 cup arborio rice and stir until it is well incorporated with the shallot and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until there is only a small white dot in the center of each grain.
- Stir in ½ cup dry white wine to deglaze the pan, cooking for 1-2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Then, add ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper.
- Once the wine has been absorbed by the rice, add 2-3 ladles of the heated chicken stock. Stir occasionally, as the rice absorbs the chicken stock, continue to add more one ladle at a time.
- Continue the process of adding ladles of the stock and stirring occasionally until the risotto has a thick and creamy consistency, which will take about 20-25 minutes from the time that your first began adding the stock.
- Once the rice is al dente, add 4 oz cream cheese and stir until well combined. Then, crumble the bacon and add it along with ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese and stir until it has melted. Finally, stir in 6 oz chicken. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve your chicken bacon risotto on warmed plates and garnish with 2 tablespoon chives if desired.
Notes
- If you don't want to use the bacon grease to saute the shallots, clean the pan and use 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil instead.
- You can use any cooked chicken for this recipe, even rotisserie chicken! Use chicken breasts or thighs that have been grilled, boiled, baked, or cooked in a pressure cooker.
- You should use the same white wine for cooking as you would for drinking. Using a higher-quality wine will yield the best results.
- Use an extra ½ cup of broth or stock to opt for an alcohol-free risotto.
- As the risotto simmers, the grains of rice will bump up against each other so that you only need to stir occasionally (and not constantly, as some people believe).
- To store: Let your risotto cool completely, transfer it to a shallow airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Add 2-3 tablespoons of broth per 1 cup of risotto in a skillet and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat and stir in the risotto until warm and creamy. Take a look at my post on how to reheat risotto to learn more.
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