Another way to make mealtime easier is to have a supply of cooked, shredded chicken frozen in meal size portions. HERE is the recipe I use (or if I’m planning on making chicken stock I use THIS one). Once you have your chicken ready to go, you can use this list of my 40 favorite recipes to make dinner a snap.
Here goes:
- Broccoli & Chicken Casserole
- Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
- Country Farm Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Macaroni Casserole
- Chicken Tamale Casserole
- Chicken King Ranch Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Cheesy Casserole
- Candaces Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Casserole
- Leftover Chicken Sandwiches
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- The Best Chicken Salad Club Sandwich
- A Famous Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Stuffed Chicken Sandwich
- Marshall Field’s Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Chicken Philly Sandwiches
- Thai Chicken Pizzas
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Salsa Chicken Soup
- Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Asian Shredded Chicken Coleslaw
- Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Shredded BBQ Chicken
- Cold Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken
- Shredded Chicken Enchiladas, Tostadas & Tacos
- BBQ Chicken and Chips
- Shredded Chicken Fajitas
- Stove Top Smoker Shredded Chicken With Peanut Sauce
- Mushroom & Shredded Chicken Salad
- Chicken Manicotti
- Chicken Potato Casserole
- Cheddar Chicken Spirals
- Chicken Broccoli Shells
- Baked Chicken Quesadillas
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Chicken Salad Panini
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Favorite Chicken Casserole
Operation Dinner: How to Plan, Shop & Prep for Easy Family Meals. Available for $5.99 on Amazon. Includes over 75 recipes, free printables for creating your own Meal Planning Binder and more!
Other posts you may like:
- 40 recipes for ground beef
- 30 ways to use meatballs
- Make Ahead Meals 101
- Lunchbox Love – free printable lunch notes and recipe ideas
- Scroll through THESE posts for more make ahead ideas
Posted in: Meal Planning
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for posting this!
I'm going to try at least 3 of the recipes, the next time I buy some chicken!
These sound awesome! I've been looking for easy chicken recipes EVERYWHERE! I think I saved about 7of these on my computer to try out! Thanks so much & God bless!
Thanks! this saved me today from a boring lunch
How long does shredded chicken last in the fridge? I cooked some on Sunday night? it should still be good tonight right?
Chicken does not keep long in the fridge. Better divide into plastic sandwich bags and freeze.
Thank you!! Great recipes for my canned chicken!
The rotisserie chicken at Costco is not only cheap but the easiest!
This would be great for turkey leftovers, too!
Thanks.
I use shredded chicken in my Chicken Roll Ups. They are so good! Recipe here:
http://jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/chicken-roll-ups.html
Thanks so much Jenna! A friend brought those over after I had my baby. They were delish, but I never had the recipe
Yay! They are so easy too! I have a turkey pepperoni version on my blog as well. I love recipes that my whole family will eat so I’m not cooking 2 dinners. =) Great post Lori!
Lori,
How many chicken breasts do you cook at once in your cockpot? Also, from the list of chicken recipes which have you tried that are winners. I’m going to try your chicken and wild rice soup this week Yum! We seem to have alot in common, my name is also Lori, love decorating, cooking, saving money and I also have a son on the spectrum. Please keep up the good work. I love your site because you offer a little bit of everything and it’s all really good.
Thanks
Hi Lori – I think I must’ve tried over 100 shredded chicken recipes and these are my faves. Many have ratings so you can see what other folks think too. I especially love sandwiches and soups, but the casseroles are great too! I’ll be sharing some more shredded chicken ideas throughout the next couple months.
I don’t generally use my crockpot, just a couple huge pots. I do at least four chickens at a time, usually 6. But I have a large family and like to get it all over with at once!
Is it ok to do this with frozen chicken breasts or is it better to use fresh?
Thanks!
Thanks, I am so tired of the chicken I do. I am shredding lots tomorrow and giving these a try.
Great collection of recipes and ideas!! I can definitely branch out from the five or so recipes I make with shredded chicken. I found you via pinterest.
I used your shredded chicken recipe and loved it but I can’t seem to find it.
When I click the link that says here is the recipe I use it takes me to the best chicken noodle soup ever.
Could you send me the link to the shredded chicken recipe?. It was done in the crockpot.
Thanks so much!
Barb
Hi Barb – I had a few others ask for the old recipe, so I have re-added it in the post. FYI it is here: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-shredded-chicken-breasts-for-freezing-oamc-188329
How much do you consider a serving when you are dividing the chicken? i.e. how much do you put in each bag?
Hi Amy – I do 1/2 – 1 cup of chicken per person in our family. I feed 6 with 4 cups of chicken per meal. That includes 4 hungry growing boys. But you can increase or decrease that depending on your family and their nutritional needs/hunger level
Great Recipe for the $6.00 10lb bags of leg quarters at Walmart and most grocery stores
Budget friendly at its best.
What a great list! Thanks so much for sharing!
Should really back a cook book out of these!
YOU ARE AWESOME! Thanks so much-will be putting some of these in my menu rotation!
Love the idea of fixing the chicken ahead of time in a big batch and freezing! Just wondering though– Do I thaw the shredded chicken overnight or can you use the frozen chicken in a casserole? Thanks!
Hi Maggie – I use it frozen, works great!
Pardon my lack of cooking knowledge, but I noticed in some of the recipes it shows cooking the chicken in the crock pot with the other ingredients. If I had pre-cooked shredded chicken in the freezer would it still work?
Hi Kathy – Yes! I just play around and modify shredded chicken recipes to work with the frozen I have on hand.
Thank you for compiling this list. I am excited to try the chicken salad recipe this weekend.
How long can you keep the chicken frozen??
Can you use FROZEN chicken breasts when putting them in the crockpot to make the shredded chicken or do i have to thaw them out first?
Hi Candace – According to food safety guidelines, it is best to cook it after thawing. Since crockpots cook at a low temperature, there is an extended period of time when the chicken is at an ideal temp for bacterial growth if it is thawing in the slow cooker.
Thank you Lori!
Great List! Now I need this same list but for shredded beef. We get half a beef each year and I get into a rut with ideas.
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