Basic Crockpot Chicken | Foundational Recipe

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Today I am sharing a recipe with you that is what I call a “foundational” recipe. It is a starting point for many other dishes and meals. Basic Crockpot Chicken is a good sized quantity of cooked, pulled chicken that you can use tonight, as well as freeze portions for fast meals (suppers or lunches) later on.

To begin, place 4-5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken in your crockpot. Quick note – I prefer to use thighs for this for a couple reasons. First, thighs are very juicy and have lots of natural flavor. Second, if you have family members that prefer white meat, (like I do) they won’t even know that this isn’t white meat when you are done. And third, boneless, skinless thighs are usually half the price of breasts. You’ll get lots more for your money if you use thighs.

 

Add in a teaspoon each of thyme and black pepper, a tablespoon of parsley, quarter teaspoon of sage, 2 bay leaves, and 2 cloves of minced garlic. I don’t add salt here, because the salt is added when you make your dishes with this chicken.

 

Pour in 1 quart of chicken broth. Stir it all together and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

After the chicken has cooked, ladle the broth through a sieve. You may have used a quart of chicken broth to cook this chicken, but you’ll have more than that as a result. Don’t remove all of the liquid; you’ll want to leave some in the chicken.

 

Pour the broth into containers to freeze for future meals.

 

With two forks, simply shred the cooked chicken. This is your foundational chicken. Let this cool, and then freeze it in 1 cup portions for future meals. To give you an idea for one meal to make with this, I’ll share one right now!

 

In a skillet, heat up 2 cups of the cooked chicken. Add about 1/2 cup of chicken broth or water.

 

Sprinkle in some taco seasoning. (I have a homemade version.) Stir it in and let it cook for just a minute to heat the chicken through and let the flavor get happy.

 

Serve with cheese, guacamole and other toppings for a taco. Enjoy!

 

Constance has been an Army Wife for 22+ years and met her husband during chapel service in Basic Training as a soldier herself. She is the mother of 3 nearly-grown kids and now lives in Alabama, having moved there this summer from Alaska. She has been eclectically homeschooling for 13 years and has two homeschool graduates and a high school student. She is an Organic Christian, loves studying scripture, and exploring God’s creation. She’s adventurous – loves hiking, hunting and other outdoor activities. Constance has maintained a food-related website since 1998, moved to blogging in 2006, and has had her content published in several local and national publications. On her website, The Foodie Army Wife, she specializes in teaching others to create great meals and goodies for their loved ones using real ingredients and easy to follow recipes with step by step instructions and photos. She encourages families to cook together and enjoy family meals as often as possible. You can connect with Constance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest.